AYMARA TUPAC KATARI & BARTOLINA SISA FORCES LAY 2nd SIEGE ON LA PAZ
The Upper Peru Rebellion against Spain began under Quechua chief Tomás Katari in August 1780. With his execution, leadership fell, in part, to Julián Apasa who took the name Túpac Katari to honor both Tomás Katari and Túpac Amaru who was executed by the Spanish in 1572. Katari’s uprising, co-led by his wife, Bartolina Sisa, coincided with that of Túpac Amaru II. With an army of 40,000, they set up base in El Alto and laid an initial siege of La Paz in March 1781. Sisa led the siege which was finally broken in June after killing 20,000 people. By August 5th, they again besieged the city and were joined by other forces. This 2nd siege was finally broken by the Spanish and their Indigenous allies, on October 17, 1781. Túpac Katari was captured, tied to 4 horses, and dismembered on November 1. Sisa was captured and, on September 5, 1782, publicly beaten, raped, and hanged. The Spanish then cut her body into pieces, showed her head in public, and sent her limbs to be exhibited in different villages.
Sources:
“Túpac Catari (Julián Apaza) (c. 1750–1781),” Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 10/10/2023, Túpac Catari (Julián Apaza) (c. 1750–1781) | Encyclopedia.com
Benjamin Dangl, “Roots and Resistance: The Bartolina Sisa Women’s Movement in Bolivia,” NACLA, 10/11/2021. Retrieved 10/10/2023, Roots and Resistance: The Bartolina Sisa Women’s Movement in Bolivia | NACLA
Image: Author unknown, circa 1784-1806. Public Domain.
Indigenous America Calendar 