Tupac Amaru II

By Kenyon Geetings

While at a surface level the reason for rebellion between Túpac Amaru II and his followers against the colonial state might seem easy to explain, I would argue that the justifications for this uprising was more nuanced than one might expect. Like any good rebellion, the reasons for war were multifaceted by nature. What started out as a goal to fight against excessive taxation and to restore an Inca monarchy quickly turned into a fight against the economic deterioration of Peru, an opposition to the Bourbon reforms, and the demand for a revival of Inca cultural identity.

It can be argued that the beginning of the rebellion started with the Spanish Bourbon reforms, which sowed discord among the colonies, and effectively divided groups into upper and lower classes. One way that this was accomplished was through the introduction of new taxes. These new taxes included a 12.5 percent increase for alcohol and a 4 percent jump for general produce and merchandise. In addition to these newly instituted taxes, was the general locking down of contraband, and the attempted removal of corruption that had been common during that time. The local peasants and commoners in these colonies were outraged at this restructuring of administration and economics, and saw this as a way for the Spanish to “crack down on tribute evasion” (Starn 162).

The government of Spain aided in this divided allegiance to the rebellion when they separated upper Peru from the new viceroyalty of Peru. This division meant that the once abundant wealth created by the mining in Potosi, was shifted away from the underclasses of Cuzco and La Paz and moved to places such as Buenos Aires (Starn 163). Arguably one of the most important motivations for the rebellions, was this shift of wealth which caused economic suffering for colonial Peru. This economic crisis, coupled with the political changes of the Bourbon reforms meant that production flooded the markets, but the Indians and underclasses in poverty were unable to acquire the money required to pay taxes in addition to their required commodities.

While the Spanish colonial state certainly affected the rebellion in direct ways, they also indirectly forced this war upon themselves on their quest to rule over the villagers. One such way this occurred was with Túpac Amaru II, who claimed that he was of Inca royal descent, and as such desired to have Incas rule over their land once again. With both his close followers and the peasants at large, he quickly gained traction and trust. Whether this following was because of who the peasants believed Túpac Amaru to be, or if this was only a way to rebel against the reforms brought upon by Spain, this rebellion certainly benefited from the support. This enthusiasm and determination to return to their previously “better” lives under Inca royalty indisputably increased the rebels' morale and thus played a key factor in the rebellion against the colonial state.

In conclusion, while Túpac Amaru II might not have lived to see the end of the rebellion, his actions, accompanied with the actions of the Spanish colonial state, sparked a revolution against the rulers of the Spanish Crown. What started out with a simple goal to fight against taxation, rapidly turned into a fight for Inca rule, the demand for a better economy, and the abolishment of the Bourbon reforms.