ABSTRACT
Tupac Amarú led a mass revolt against the colonial government of eighteenth-century Peru. Although ultimately defeated, his rebellion revived consciousness of the Incan past and further weakened the declining Spanish Empire. His family descended both from the royalty of the old Incan Empire and from European settlers. This identity as a mestizo, or person of mixed blood, enhanced Tupac Amarú's status even more. During the Epiphany celebration in January 1780, the Indian peasants of Tupac Amarú's district petitioned their priest for the transfer of a nativity scene to their church. On November 10, 1780, Tupac Amarú had Arriaga seized and subjected to a hastily assembled popular tribunal. The death sentence was passed, and Arriaga was hanged on the spot. Tupac Amarú now called for a general insurrection against the colonial administration. After seven months of rebellion, however, Tupac Amaru's forces were exhausted.
