Túpac Amaru II: The Greatest Inca Revolutionary You’ve Never Heard Of

In 1780, as the once-great Inca empire’s Indigenous peoples were forced to labor for the Spanish crown, leader Túpac Amaru II led a revolt against the Spanish colonists that turned the social structure of Peru upside down. Although his attempts to overthrow Spanish rule were ultimately unsuccessful, he is today considered one of the continent’s greatest revolutionaries, and his actions sent shockwaves through Latin America that are still felt to this day.

Although he is known to history as Túpac Amaru II, he was born José Gabriel Condorcanqui Noguera. The son of a local official, José Condorcanqui descended from a long line of Inca royalty—including the famed Túpac Amaru I. The first Túpac Amaru was the last ruling monarch of the neo-Inca state, killed by the Spanish in 1570. José’s royal lineage and resentment against the Spanish would be the reason for his adoption of the name Túpac Amaru II during his revolutionary years.

José Condorcanqui was born in 1742 in the Tinta district of Peru, near Cuzco. At the time of his birth, Peru was entirely under Spanish rule. He attended a special Spanish school for the children of kurakas or caciques (Inca officials) and was baptized as a Christian at birth. José was the perfect image of a nobleman, fluent in both his native Quechua and Spanish, thanks to his Jesuit education.

When he was just 18 years old, both of José’s parents died, leaving him to inherit his father’s title of cacique. Around the same time, José married Micaela Bastidas Puyucahua. Bastidas was an indigenous noblewoman who would become a great aid to him throughout his years of leadership, going on to lead her own forces in his revolution. In 1781, she would be executed for her actions alongside her husband.

As cacique, Condorcanqui witnessed first-hand the brutality of Spanish rule. Indigenous groups were being forced into labor in mines and textile mills, a system known as mita. To make matters worse, Spanish authorities were heavily taxing the income of natives and charging unfair prices for everyday commodities. The plight of the indigenous workers would become one of the main drivers of Túpac Amaru II’s rebellion.

In 1542, the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro’s arrival in Peru marked the beginning of the end for the Inca Empire. Before Pizarro’s conquest, the Inca had ruled the Quechua-speaking peoples around their capital city of Cuzco for centuries. Pizarro brought down the reigning monarch Atahualpa and established Spanish rule in his place. Atahualpa and his descendants—including Túpac Amaru I, in 1570—would all attempt (unsuccessfully) to oust the Spanish. This kicked off a tradition of resistance against the Spanish presence in Peru that would continue for centuries.

At the time José Condorcanqui rose to power, the working conditions of the mitayos (natives forced into labor) had become intolerable. Because much of the ruling class, including José, were of mixed heritage, both native and Spanish, they tended to relate more to the conquerors than to the common indigenous peoples. Nobles were not required to serve in the mandatory labor force or pay the exorbitant taxes required of commoners. Unlike those around him, José could not ignore the cruelty he witnessed.

Seeds of Túpac Amaru’s Rebellion

Violent resistance was not José Condorcanqui’s preferred method for ending the unjust treatment of the natives. He attempted first to go through legal channels, using his status as a local cacique. Condorcanqui demanded an end to the forced labor and oppression of the indigenous peoples. Despite his efforts, he was ignored by the Spaniards in power.

In 1770, he adopted the name Túpac Amaru II. His purpose in doing this was two-fold. Emphasizing his heritage as a descendant of Túpac Amaru I established his legitimacy as a ruler of the Inca people and allowed him to be further accepted by the native masses. Because Túpac Amaru I was the last figure to take a firm (albeit unsuccessful) stand against the Spanish, adopting the name also allowed him to embody the spirit of resistance to oppression that is symbolized by the story of the last Sapa Inca (Inca monarch).

By renaming himself after the great Inca monarch, Túpac Amaru II was setting himself up to lead a rebellion in the name of the lost Inca Empire.

During the period of Túpac Amaru’s rule as cacique, the local Spanish corregidor (magistrate) was a particularly cruel man named Antonio Arriaga.

Arriaga was a man of noble Spanish lineage. He had become infamous in Tinta for recruiting native laborers for the Potosi mines. Túpac Amaru II was well acquainted with Arriaga and had disputed with him over the inhumane conditions of the forced labor Arriaga presided over.

On the night of November 4, 1780, a party was held in Tinta, perhaps celebrating the Spanish King Charles III’s name day. The guest list featured noblemen and officials from the surrounding areas—including Túpac Amaru II and Antonio Arriaga. Túpac Amaru II allegedly left the party quite early compared to many other guests.

As the story goes, Arriaga left the party late at night (and possibly quite drunk). On his way home, he was ambushed by an entourage of men led by none other than Túpac Amaru II. Although he tried to evade capture, Arriaga was seized and imprisoned. In captivity, Arriaga was forced to write a series of letters to local Spanish officials inviting them to Tinta. The letters also asked officials to send money—which raised up to 25,000 pesos for Túpac Amaru II’s rebellion.

On Friday, November 10th, surrounded by a crowd of natives and Spaniards who had come by his own invitation, Arriaga was executed by hanging. This was the dramatic call to action Túpac Amaru II had been waiting to make. Using the funds he had raised, Túpac Amaru II quickly amassed an army of native and mestizo fighters. He traveled to various villages and declared the mita over and all taxes abolished, gaining support and recruiting revolutionaries.

A week after Arriaga’s execution, the rebels attacked in the Battle of Sangarará, killing 570 Spaniards hiding out in a church. Their subsequent victory was in capturing the villages of Punapuquio and Pumacanchi, where they were able to acquire muskets to arm most of their forces. The most significant Peruvian uprising since Pizarro’s conquest had officially begun.

By December of 1780, Túpac Amaru II’s army numbered 60,000 native fighters (according to his own accounts). His rebellion represented the revival of the Inca empire, something most indigenous groups naturally identified with. Túpac Amaru II reportedly adopted the Inca style of dress and spoke to his troops in Quechua, further evoking their ancient roots.

Túpac Amaru II’s armies waged war in the area for the next several weeks. He tried twice to capture the capital city of Cuzco—and was twice unsuccessful. He retreated to his home in Tinta to regroup and rethink his strategy. Little did he know his opponents were bringing the battle to him.

Under the orders of the Spanish-appointed visitador general, José Antonio de Areche, an army of 17,000 Spaniards and loyal natives was assembled to take on Amaru’s 60,000. Despite being outnumbered, they had the advantage of superior weaponry. General José del Valle y Torres led them to Cuzco in February 1781.

Túpac Amaru II’s reckoning came at the Battle of Checcacupe on April 6, 1781. After losing the battle to Valle’s forces, Túpac Amaru II was captured, along with his wife and two of their sons. They were dragged back to Cuzco in a public procession, which brought them to the capital city’s public square.

Túpac Amaru II’s Execution & Aftermath

Túpac Amaru II’s execution took place on May 18th, 1781, in Cuzco’s Plaza de Armas.

The revolutionary leader was first forced to watch the executions of his family. He was then given a very public and brutal sentence. Amaru was first tortured, then drawn and quartered. His dismembered body was burned and publicly displayed in various nearby towns.

Areche took decisive action against the indigenous population in the aftermath of the revolution. He enforced cultural erasure by outlawing the Quechua language and destroying all books, images, and stories glorifying the ancient Inca culture. The remainder of the royal Inca family was systematically hunted down and executed.

In the end, the revolution claimed the lives of over 100,000 people, most of whom were indigenous fighters. Although it was ultimately unsuccessful, Túpac Amaru II’s rebellion permanently altered the landscape of colonial power in Peru. Forty years after his death, Peru would gain independence from the Spanish—inspired largely by Túpac Amaru II’s resistance against foreign oppression. The themes of his rebellion would continue to echo into history far beyond his own time.

To this day, Túpac Amaru II is hailed as one of the world’s greatest revolutionaries (and yes—your favorite rapper was, in fact, named after him).

In the early 1980s, a group emerged in Peru calling itself the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, or the MRTA (Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru). The MRTA was a Marxist-Leninist group that aimed to establish socialist rule in Peru. Claiming to have been inspired by Túpac Amaru II’s anti-colonial ideologies, they named their group in his honor. A violent guerilla group, the MRTA was considered a terrorist organization by the governments of Peru and the United States for many of their active years.

Túpac Amaru II is now a household name throughout Peru. Despite the Spanish authorities’ attempts at censorship, his legacy was maintained in the hearts and minds of the indigenous population. Today, a plaque honors him in Cuzco’s central plaza where he and his family—and his great-great-grandfather 200 years before him—were all executed.

Túpac Amaru II remains a national symbol of strength and resistance against oppression for all of Peru.