The Tupac Amaru Rebellion

-Who was Tupac Amaru? Write a brief description of Tupac Amaru’s personal and political
background.

Tupac Amaru II was not his birth name. his name was José Gabriel Condorcanqui. He was a rich
and well educated Kurakas (local elite) who operated a regional trade network. He was a devote
catholic, educated by a Jesuit school in Cusco. He was not completely successful though.

Tupac was also indebted to the authorities and was harassed by tax collectors. He chose the
name Tupac Amaru for several reasons. One, the first Tupac was executed and became something of a
martyr. Two, Tupac read “Comentarios Reales” by “El Inca” Garcilazo de la Vega, a history of the Inca
empire. That gave him the knowledge necessary to claim the lineage.

-Why did Tupac Amaru and other indigenous leaders in Peru decide to rebel against the Spanish
colonial authorities?

The Hapsburgs were the ruling dynasty in Spain and its colonial possessions since Columbus
stepped foot in the Caribbean. The Hapsburgs were a relatively hands-off regime. The Americas were
ruled by viceroys who operated on the royals behalf, who in turn allowed the local elites, called kurakas,
to operate for them in turn. In 1714 however that changed. The bourbon dynasty ascended to the
throne in madrid.

The bourbons had instituted some reforms to extend royal authority in the new world. They
created new viceroys and replaced the Kurakas with officials from spain. They imposed new tariffs and
taxes. With the continuation of unpopular policies with the compulsory labor of the Mita, there was a
rise in tension that eventually exploded into the Tupac rebellion

-How did the war between the Spanish colonial forces and the Tupac Amaru forces end?

Tupac lost the war because of a common mistake in warfare, he forgot about logistic. Rather
than taking the initiative and marching on the capital, they wasted time and resources wandering. An
army marches on its stomach and they burned through the reserves that they had. Not only that, the
time lost on these expedition gave the Spanish time to dig in.

When Tupac attacked the reinforced Cuzco, he lost,and his forces were scattered. Tupac was
captured and ritually killed. His legs and arms tied to horses and when he didn’t tear off his body the
Spanish decapitated him. The war continued on after Tupac’s death. The Spanish offered what leaders of
the rebellion that survived amnesty. The Spanish lied, imprisoning or executing them and ending the
threat.

-Why do you think twentieth-century revolutionary and nationalist movements in Latin America
vindicated the memory of the Tupac Amaru Rebellion?

When revolutions occur they tend to try to find a origin point. The leader look back to the past
and to preestablished philosophy to provide some legitimacy and frame work. For the “founding
fathers” it was the Athenian democracy, roman republic, and the works of enlightenment figures (it is
more complicated than that of course, the major contributions by the Iroquois and other natives when
ignored for a long time. even now they don’t get the credit they might deserve).

The Tupac Amaru rebellion gave the Latin revolution a precedent. The connection between the
old rebellion didn’t really matter, it was a way to link old events to new ones. It is similar to how English
monarchs regardless of origins trace their supposed ancestry to the legendary King Arthur. Even Tupac
Amaru the second used this tactic, he was not actually connected to the first Tupac or the old Incan
empire but used the memory of both to gain support.