Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II
- When
- 1780–1782
- Where
- Tinta region, Viceroyalty of Peru; Rebel-held territory in Peru; Cuzco and surrounding countryside; Andean theater of the rebellion; Plaza de Armas, Cuzco; Peru and Bolivia
- Episodes
- 6
Túpac Amaru II, an Indigenous cacique descended from the last Inca of Vilcabamba, launched a large Andean rebellion against Spanish rule in Peru on November 4, 1780, after executing the corregidor Antonio de Arriaga. Initially a protest against colonial administrative abuses rather than an independence movement, the uprising spread widely before its suppression in 1781–1782.
Episodes
- Capture and killing of Antonio de Arriaga
After a shared banquet, Túpac Amaru II seized and killed the Tinta corregidor Antonio de Arriaga on November 4, 1780, opening his rebellion.
- Decree abolishing slavery
On November 16, 1780, Túpac Amaru II decreed the abolition of slavery for Black people, the first such decree in Spanish America.
- Loyalist counterattack and repulse from Cuzco
Cusco sent over 1,300 loyalist troops on November 18, 1780; Amaru's 40,000–60,000 followers were later repelled from fortified Cuzco by loyalist forces.
- Execution of Túpac Amaru II and repressive measures
On May 18, 1781, Túpac Amaru II and followers were executed one by one in Cuzco's Plaza de Armas; Incan dress and self-identification were outlawed the same day.
- Collapse of the alliance with Túpac Katari
The alliance with Aymara leader Túpac Katari did not last, prompting him to lead his army alone; he was captured in October 1781.
- Final defeat and wider influence
Spanish forces defeated the rebels in Peru and Bolivia in early 1782; the failed uprising nonetheless inspired revolts and later political reinterpretations.
Background and detail
Background. José Gabriel Condorcanqui inherited the hereditary chiefdom of Tungasuca and Pampamarca from his older brother, governing on behalf of the Spanish governor. A direct descendant of Túpac Amaru, the last Inca of Vilcabamba, he litigated unsuccessfully against the Betancur family over the Marquisate of Oropesa between 1776 and 1780. Extremely cold weather in 1778 and 1779 damaged crops and impeded travel, and by 1780 Amaru, despite considerable resources, carried numerous debts.
Outbreak of the Rebellion. On November 4, 1780, after a banquet attended by both men, Túpac Amaru II captured and killed the Tinta corregidor and governor Antonio de Arriaga, accused of repeated abuses, and began a rebellion seeking justice for Andean peoples. The movement was not initially an independence uprising but a revolt against abuses of the colonial administrative and economic system, especially after the Bourbon Reforms. His wife Micaela Bastidas commanded an insurgent battalion and led the uprising in the San Felipe de Tungasuca region.
Course and Suppression. On November 18, 1780, Cusco dispatched over 1,300 Spanish and Native loyalist troops. Amaru's gravest defeat came in his failure to capture Cuzco, where 40,000–60,000 indigenous followers were repelled by a fortified loyalist force including reinforcements from Lima; he then marched through the countryside recruiting natives. An alliance with the Aymara leader Túpac Katari collapsed, and Katari was captured in October 1781. Spanish forces defeated the rebels in Peru and Bolivia in early 1782.
Aftermath and Legacy. On May 18, 1781, Túpac Amaru II and his followers were taken to the Plaza de Armas in Cuzco to be executed one by one, on orders from magistrate José Antonio de Areche; his arms were sent for display to Tungasuca and the province of Carabaya. The same day, Incan clothing, cultural traditions, and self-identification as Inca were outlawed. Though unsuccessful, the rebellion was the first large-scale rebellion in the Spanish colonies and influenced later movements, including Chile's Conspiracy of the Tres Antonios.
People involved
- Túpac Amaru II · Leader of the rebellion; Indigenous cacique of Tungasuca and Pampamarca
- Antonio de Arriaga · Corregidor and governor of Tinta, captured and killed at the rebellion's start
- Micaela Bastidas · Wife of Túpac Amaru II; commanded an insurgent battalion in the San Felipe de Tungasuca region
- Túpac Katari · Aymara leader allied with the rebellion; led his army alone after the alliance failed and was captured in October 1781
- José Antonio de Areche · Magistrate who ordered the execution of Túpac Amaru II
Sources
- Túpac Amaru II Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.