The Tupac Amaru Rebellion
The history of Spain’s conquest and three-century grip on indigenous South America is rife with drama, but nowhere is that clash of cultures more vivid than in the story of Tupac Amaru II and his fierce, stubborn war for independence.Walkerrecreates the life of this remarkable eighteenth-century rebel with a bold sense of narrative and a careful eye for detail. Here is a fascinating study of the prevailing tensions of Tupac Amaru’s time—between conqueror and conquered, white and brown, city and mountain, Old World and New World—that still vex South America today. (Marie Arana, author ofBolívar: American Liberator)The Tupac Amaru Rebellion was a pivotal event in the history of the Americas, yet narrating it clearly and judiciously has evaded generations of Andean historians.Charles Walkerseems to have broken the curse, and I have no doubt that this excellent book will instantly become the standard account. (Kris Lane, author ofColour of Paradise: The Emerald in the Age of Gunpowder Empires)A masterly and authoritative history of the rebellion.Walker’s empathetic portraits of Tupac Amaru and Micaela Bastidas are nuanced and convincing, and his narrative account of the revolt is both elegantly and engagingly written. His book shows how and why the rebellion and its aftermath continue to reverberate in Andean society today. (Paulo Drinot, author ofThe Allure of Labor: Workers, Race, and the Making of the Peruvian State)A solid new history of the Peruvian Indian revolutionary lays out the roots of his rebellion and its bitter legacy…A readable, not‐too‐scholarly story of a significant moment in South American history. (Kirkus Reviews2014-02-15)Walkerargues convincingly that Tupac Amaru’s wife, Micaela Bastidas, was his fierce, full partner and confidante, running the rebel camp, overseeing provisions, keeping discipline, and rooting out spies…It’s an interesting and accessible treatment of Peru’s infamously vicious conflict and of its leader, who became a potent symbol for indigenous rights throughout Latin America. (Publishers Weekly2014-04-14)