The first revolutionary movements

The first revolutionary movements

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The rebellion of Tupac Amaru

The bajo and alto Peru were in process of insurgency in the year 1780. Several reasons caused this indigenous rebellion, that erupted November 4th in the Tinta location. Some of the reasons like excessive taxes, the mita and abuses inflicted in their authorities.

Tupac Amaru and his family were executed on May 18, 1781, in the Cuzco Plaza of Arms. However the Spaniards were not able to suffocate the insurgency that later on was lead by his half brother Diego Cristobal Tupac Amaru.

Tomas Katari

• He liderized the organisation of the rebellion first talking to the Viceroy about the Spanish infringements but this was only an instruction to start an investigation.

• The pressure of the communities (ayllus) they organised 800 mitayos, to get ready to go to Potosi

• By the end of 1780 Katari was arrested and this indigenous supporters asked for his liberty.

Tupac Katari

Julian Apaza, was born in the population of Ayo Ayo in 1750. He adopted the name of Tupac Katari taking parts of the names of two of his contemporary native heroes.

He established his domain in the heights that dominated La Paz, along with his wife Bartolina Siza until the Spaniards offered the position of Achacachi Governor to his best friend Tomas Inca in exchange for betraying him over them.

The Siege of La Paz city

The siege confined 20.000 people for a period of seven months, including Spaniards, creole, mestizo, and indigenous. Tupac Katari has withdrawn from leadership on May 21 and the army was left under his wife Bartolina Sisa, whose mission was to prevent Chuquiago's siege from breaking.

Mita

• It was considered a big source of income for the Spaniards at the beginning the resources were mineral resources that they were supposed to pay as a tax

• Later on, the Spaniards implemented the use of indigenous labor, and amount of indigenous people was supposed to work for the Spaniards using their lands in order to get the maximum of their resources.

Other causes of Insurgency

• The imposition of an economic system that broke ancient native structures.

• The system run by the Corregidor forced the natives to acquire articles that were not necessary for them, forcing them into debt.

• Discrimination of natives and mestizo was the other reason that convulsed this period. Colonial society relegated them by giving them scarce possibilities for integration.