ABSTRACT
Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) was born in the department of Ayachucho, high in the Peruvian Andes. The region, long ignored by the government in Lima, is among the most impoverished departments in the country. Politically, culturally, and economically, Ayachucho has existed as a world apart. Though isolated on the Andean altiplano, more than 300 miles from Lima, Ayachucho has played an important role in Peruvian history. It was the site of the Huari Confederation, the first of the panAndean empires. It was in Ayachucho also where Tupac Yupanqui defeated the Huancas to found the Inca empire. In 1824, it was the site of the last great battle for Latin American liberation. Since its original conquestby Spain, it has also been the focal pointofnumerous Indianuprisings.
