BATTLE OF SANGAARÁ: BACKGROUND, CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The battle of Sangarará was the first armed confrontation between the supporters of Túpac Amaru II and the colonial troops in the Viceroyalty of Peru. The battle took place on November 18, 1780 and concluded with the victory of the rebels.

The so-called Great Rebellion began on November 4 of that same year. The promoter of it was José Gabriel Condorcanqui Noguera, son of the curaca (chief) Miguel Condorcanqui. The leader of the revolt descended maternally from Túpac Amaru, the last Sapa Inca of Vilcabamba.

José Gabriel Condorcanqui, known as the Inca Túpac Amaru. Source: UnknownUnknown author, undefined

Despite being of noble origin and his good economic position, José Gabriel was subject to unfavorable legislation for the indigenous people. After trying, without success, to convince the colonial authorities to change the laws, he decided to take up arms.

The rebellion began with the capture and execution of Antonio Arriaga, mayor of Canas y Canchis. Condorcanqui assumed the name of Tupac Amaru II and gathered around his figure a good part of the natives, creoles and mestizos in search of the abolition of slavery, the alcabalas, the mita and other unfavorable laws for them.

Background

The Spanish Crown, occupied by the Bourbons, initiated a change in its policies in the American colonies in the final decades of the 18th century. Mainly, the new guidelines were intended to increase economic benefits and, to this end, contained measures to increase indigenous exploitation.

The arrival of Agustín de Jáuregui as Viceroy of Peru, in 1780, brought with it a new increase in taxes and the creation of new divisions. This eventually created an environment conducive to a rebellion breaking out.

Tupac Amaru II

José Gabriel Condorcanqui was born in Surimana, in the Viceroyalty of Peru, on March 19, 1738. Descendant of Tupac Amaru, he was the son of a curaca and, therefore, his family had a very good economic position, especially compared to that of other indigenous.

Thanks to his wealth, he was able to study with the Jesuits and even take classes at the University. José Gabriel inherited the chiefdoms of Tungasuca, Surimana and Pampamarca. This position allowed him to be heard by the Audiencia of Lima to present his positions.

The Great Rebellion

The future leader of the rebellion traveled to Lima in 1776 to report the exploitation to which the indigenous people were subjected to the authorities. Despite his attempts, the Audiencia did not heed any of his requests. Two years later, he returned to Tungasuca, convinced that the only method to achieve anything was insurrection.

The uprising, known as the Great Rebellion, began in 1780. The first step was to take prisoner the magistrate of Canas y Canchis, Antonio Arriaga. On November 10, he organized his public execution in the Plaza de Tungasuca and took the opportunity to express to the public the purposes of his movement.

That same day, José Gabriel assumed the name and title of Túpac Amaru Inca. From that moment on, he got the support of a good part of the population. In certain indigenous sectors, however, he encountered some resistance. Thus, for example, it did not obtain the recognition of the twelve royal ayllus of Cuzco due to its mestizo origin.

goals

The rebellion led by Túpac Amaru II tried to abolish the mita, the distributions, the customs and the alcabalas. In principle, they were all measures aimed at favoring noble, creole and mestizo Indians, but the anti-colonial component also attracted other sectors. Also, shortly before the Battle of Sangarará, he issued a decree eliminating slavery.

At first, as would happen with many insurrections against the colony, Túpac Amaru did not go against the Spanish Crown. He only attacked the bad government exercised in the territory. Later, however, he went on to fight for independence and the establishment of an Inca monarchy without division into castes.

Spanish response

During the first weeks, the rebellion spread very quickly. From the province of Tinta it reached the north, to Cuzco, and also the south, reaching Lake Titicaca. Even, according to experts, he gained followers in parts of what is now Bolivia.

The Spanish received the news of the insurrection on November 12. They immediately organized an army made up of more than 2,000 soldiers, in addition to gathering a battalion of indigenous people to support it.

On the 14th they left Cuzco, marching south. According to the chronicles, they were convinced that it would be easy to defeat the rebels. However, at that time they were unaware that Túpac Amaru had left Tungasuca with more than 5000 men.

Heading to Sangaará

The head of the Spanish detachment, Cabrera, received orders on November 17 to stop the macha and wait for reinforcements. However, the soldier disobeyed and headed at high speed towards Sangaará. Near the town, they decided to stop for the night. The soldiers chose the city church to rest.

Túpac Amaru and his people arrived on the 18th, first thing in the morning. As soon as they reached Sangaará, they proceeded to surround her. The rebel leader tried to negotiate, promising to spare the lives of the viceroyalty soldiers if they surrendered. Cabrera rejected the proposal.

Causes

As previously mentioned, the rebellion led by Túpac Amaru II sought the elimination of various laws that exploited indigenous peoples. The tax increase carried out in 1780, ended up sparking discontent.

The mita, the distributions and the alcabalas

Túpac Amaru wanted the abolition of several laws unfavorable to the natives, the Creoles and the mestizos. To begin with, he asked that the half disappear.

The mita was the obligation for the provincial authorities to hand over indigenous people to work, especially in the mines. In practice, it was a type of slavery, in which adult males between the ages of 15 and 50 were forced to carry out the tasks assigned to them.

On the other hand, the alcabalas were a tax levied on commerce. This affected, in a spatial way, the noble indigenous people who, like Túpac Amaru himself, had been able to establish some type of commercial enterprise. The money collected was destined mainly to the church.

Abolition of black slavery

Although it was not among the purposes he announced when the rebellion began, Túpac Amaru decreed the prohibition of black slavery. It was on November 16, 1780, becoming the first proclamation on this matter in all of Latin America.

Search for an indigenous state

As in the previous point, Túpac Amaru did not point out this aspect when the insurrection began. At first, his intention was, solely, to fight against the bad government in the Vierreinato, without fighting against the Spanish domination. However, his ideas evolved to seek the creation of an independent state.

Consequences

The battle of Sangarará took place on November 18, 1780. The royalist soldiers, who had arrived the night before, took refuge in the local church. The rebels arrived shortly after and tried to get the royalists to surrender. Faced with their refusal, the attack began.

During the early morning hours, Túpac Amaru's men threw a shower of stones and rifle fire. The besieged resisted for a few hours, until the powder keg they had in the church exploded, causing numerous casualties among those who were there. One of the dead was Cabrera, leaving the royalist army without leadership.

The triumph of the Tupacamarista forces was complete. The royalists suffered some 700 casualties, while the rebels only had to mourn the loss of 20 men.

Cuzco

Tupac Amaru's next move has been called by many historians a fatal mistake for the outcome of his rebellion. Having Cuzco within his reach and with great possibilities of conquering it, he preferred to retreat to Tungasuca.

The Spanish did not miss the opportunity to reinforce the defenses. The viceroys of Lima and Buenos Aires joined forces. An army of 17,000 men arrived in Cuzco, prepared to put down the rebellion.

Likewise, the Viceroyalty authorities approved some of the measures claimed by Túpac Amaru, such as the abolition of distributions. In the same way, they forgave the debts of the natives with the corregidores and promised the pardon of all the participants in the rebellion, with the exception of the leaders.

With these measures, the authorities intended to reduce support for Túpac Amaru, something they largely achieved. Tupac Amaru, weakened, failed to take Cuzco between December and January. At the end of February 1781 the royalist advantage was final.

The final battle took place at Checacupe, on April 6, 1781. The rebels were overwhelmingly defeated. Túpac Amaru fled to Langui, but was betrayed by his lieutenant and taken prisoner by the royalists.

Capture and death of Tupac Amaru

Túpac Amaru II was captured on April 6, 1781 and transferred to Cuzco in chains. According to historians, he was tortured for several days to try to make him denounce his companions still at large. However, it appears that the rebel leader did not offer any information to his captors.

In the presence of José Antonio de Areche, envoy of King Carlos III of Spain, Túpac Amaru exclaimed: “Only you and I are guilty, you for oppressing my people, and I for trying to free them from such tyranny. We both deserve death.

On May 18, Túpac Amaru II, his family and his followers were executed in the Plaza de Armas in Cuzco.

Continuation of the rebellion

Despite the defeat, the Tupac Amaru II rebellion inspired other similar movements throughout Latin America. In addition, it became a symbol of the anti-colonial struggle and to improve the conditions of the indigenous people.

In Peru, two relatives of Túpac continued hostilities against the Viceroyalty. It was Diego Cristóbal and Andrés Condorcanqui, who kept the authorities in suspense until March 1782.

For its part, in Bolivia there was a rebellion led by Túpac Katari. He came to besiege the city of La Paz on two occasions, being executed in November 1781.

Something similar happened in the Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada, today Colombian territory. There, in 1781, the so-called Insurrection of the Communards broke out, which shared objectives with the Tupacamarista movement.

Finally, the Conspiracy of the Three Antonios, developed in Chile in January 1781, was directly inspired by the rebellion of Túpac Amaru II.

References

1. Original towns. José Gabriel Condorcanqui (Tupac Amaru II). Obtained from pueblosoriginario.com
2. Frigerio, José Oscar. The rebellion of Túpac Amaru against the Spanish colonial power. Obtained from revistadehistoria.es
3. Civic Dates of Peru. Battle of Sangarará - November 18. Obtained from datescivicasdeperu.com
4. Executed Today. 1781: Tupac Amaru II, Incan insurgent. Retrieved from executedtoday.com
5. Serulnikov, Sergio. Revolution in the Andes: The Age of Túpac Amaru. Recovered from books.google.es
6. Walker, Charles F. The Tupac Amaru Rebellion. Recovered from books.google.es
7. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Tupac Amaru II. Retrieved from britannica.com