In Peru's Inca capital, indigenous leaders struggle for recognition of their heritage
In Peru's Inca capital, indigenous leaders struggle for recognition of their heritage
PRI's The World
May 24, 2016 · 4:45 PM EDT
By Maria Murriel
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A group of indigenous mayors, historians and activists gather for a candlelight vigil in Cuzco's main square to commemorate the 235th anniversary of freedom fighter and martyr Tupac Amaru, who was dismembered by Spanish colonists on the square.
Credit:
Maria Murriel
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Abigaíl Cárdenas Izquierdo thinks Cuzco is one of Peru's most revolutionary cities.
"It's not for nothing," the 18-year-old says, "we have Inca blood. I think Cuzco is one of the strongest cities, with the most conviction. ... We know what it is to fight."
Th city of Cuzco, once capital of the Inca empire that spanned most of western South America, has seen many fights. And the state of Cuzco is considered by some locals to be the birthplace of freedom from colonial rule, thanks to a man whose death was commemorated on the city's main square last week.
Tupac Amaru II, considered the last of royal Inca blood, led a rebellion against the Spanish and was drawn and quartered on the square in 1781. Amaru, his wife and children were dismembered, their limbs scattered through the region.
The people holding a vigil on the 235th anniversary of Amaru's death consider themselves his ethnic and ideological descendants.
More:
http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-05-24/perus-inca-capital-indigenous-leaders-struggle-recognition-their-heritage
May the Inca people finally build back their own world, and live in freedom.
