Peruvian women before 1955 were denied the right to vote and Peruvian society deemed them only worthy of household chores. It was through the work of Maria Jesus Alvarado, Adela Montesinos, Zoila Aurora Cáceres and Elvira Garcia that women began to fight for their rights in Peruvian society.

While many conservatives denied the idea outright some other such as Victor Andres Belaunde believed in a “progressive” vote meaning that only working women were allowed to vote in the workplace and eventually to municipal elections, he also believed that until women were electorally educated they could not vote in presidential elections.

It was during the government of Manuel Arturo Odría Amoretti that women were granted the right to suffrage (Law No.12391) on September 7 1955. This law also gave women the right to citizenship however, this law denied suffrage to women that were illiterate. This meant that in 1956 many women were denied to the right to vote as the illiteracy rates were high due to poor education.

It was not until 1979 that a new law was established which allowed all women to vote regardless of their educational background.

Hope you enjoy this little part of Peruvian history :) bye bye!

On May 18th 1781, the leader of the indigenous uprising of 1780 José Gabriel Condorcanqui AKA Túpac Amaru II was put to death however, he may have physically passed on but his image lasted throughout the ages as a symbol for indigenous rights and the struggle for independence. José Gabriel Condorcanqui Noguera was born in Surimana, Cusco in 1738 he was the son of Miguel Condorcanqui Usquiconsa, of Inca ancestry and his mother Rosa Noguera Valenzuela of Spanish ancestry. In some historical debates Miguel Condorcanqui is said to have been related to Túpac Amaru (1545-1572) making Amaru José Gabriel Condorcanqui’s great-grandfather. Túpac Amaru is considered the last Sapa Inca and after serving as a puppet for the Spanish he fled to the jungle of the Upper Amazon and created a Neo-Inca State called Vilcabamba from there he launched his rebellion against the Spanish oppressors however, in 1572 the Inca Empire officially collapsed with the defeat and execution of Túpac Amaru. By 1700s the Spanish had already been ruling Peru for well over 200 years and cruel and unjust laws such as the encomienda system were taking their toll, this system meant that a handful of Spaniards were given land and indigenous people were used as slaves to work the land, treatment was often appalling and barbaric. However, things changed in the 1700s when the encomienda system was phased out under Blasco Núñez Vela, the first viceroy of Peru. The ending of the encomienda system did not mean things got better for the indigenous people, Spaniards who rejected the ending of the old system decided to enforce other ways of exploitation this came through economic slavery. Heavy taxes imposed on indigenous people meant that they were forced to work the fields in the same appalling conditions, some were worked to death in the mines or in the textile industry. Such heavy taxes meant that the indigenous people were still in a way enslaved while the oppressors gained off their misery. Not only did rich business men make money off cruel taxes but the Catholic Church which had been enforcing Catholicism on the indigenous people through scare tactics and if the idea of hell did not scare them into the belief system then through torture that would lead to death would. This meant that many indigenous people worked for the church and paid more to the church so it would look like they were good Christians and would not be condemned to hell. Now José was considered “mestizo” meaning those that come from Spanish and Indigenous parents and due to his mother he received a Jesuit education at the San Francisco de Borja School. He went on to study art at the University of San Marcos, he also learnt Quechua and Latin. José was given the title of Marquis of Oropesa however, the Betancourt Tupac Amaru clan disputed his claim to Marquis. The Marquis of Oropesa was important whoever claimed it was considered the symbolic head of the Inca nobility. This however, is difficult to explain fully as throughout the ages the Marquis of Oropesa was passed around even by those that did not come from “royal” Inca decent and other self-proclaimed the title of Marquis. He later gained caciqueship over Pampamarca, Tungasuca and Surimana (caciqueship comes from curaca, a curaca was a governor of a certain area in the Inca Empire) however, he had to answer to the Spanish authorities. 

Another important event happened in 1760 when he married Micaela Bastidas Puyucahua, who was of Afro-Indigenous decent and would play an important role later on. They had three children Hipólito (1761), Mariano (1762), and Fernando (1768). Regardless of José´s education and power over the regions mentioned before he identified with his indigenous roots and with his power he constantly attempted to change how indigenous people were treated but was constantly ridiculed and ignored. Ridicule after ridicule caused José to feel bitter and angry at the Spanish government. José also liked reading the Royal Commentaries of the Incas, and General History of Peru by Garcilaso de la Vega which was banned in the Vice-royalty of Peru, authorities feared it would lead to rebellion. 

The constant abuse and indignation of the indigenous people pushed José over the edge, his rebellion started when he refused to take orders such as tax and debt collection of the indigenous people under his control and the changing of his to Túpac Amaru II. This act of defiance was met with death threats made by the Spanish Governor Antonio de Arriaga. Antonio de Arriaga was abducted by Túpac and his followers after he left a party drunk, Túpac then enacted the second phase of his plan. He forced Arriaga to write letters to Spaniards and curacas alike within a few days 200 of the respondents arrived only to be surrounded by Túpac and 4000 indigenous rebels. Túpac released Arriaga’s slave Antonio Oblitas and allowed him to execute his master after several attempts Arriaga was hanged and the rest of the of those that showed up were also executed. After this he quickly assembled an army of about 2,000 to 6,000 indigenous who had abandoned their positions when they heard that rebellion had started in the region. With this new army Túpac headed to Cusco taking Quispicanchis, Tinta, Cotabambas, Calca, and Chumbivilcas raiding and killing the Spanish who lived there. Authorities in the City of Cusco sent an army to counteract the incoming force with a squadron of 1,300 soldiers, approximately half of these were loyal indigenous soldiers. On November 18, 1780 the Battle of Sangarará took place, in some accounts it is said that Túpac allowed Criollos (**), women, and children to leave for the surrounding hills. The battle was a huge success for Túpac and his rebels, killing the majority of Spaniards. (**, Criollos were a social class in the Viceroyalty of Peru, usually they were people born locally with confirmed linage to Europe.) Throughout it all Micaela Bastidas Puyucahua, wife of Túpac fought alongside him and she was also in charge organizing supplies and recruiting new soldiers. This battle however, indicated an issue that would bring down the rebellion from within, the issue was that some rebels refused to take orders and acted on their own accord committing acts of atrocities against the Spanish. This made the Criollos turn against the rebels and the idea of independence from Spain and started to support the Spanish in the defeat of the rebels. With the Criollos rallying against the rebel’s, defeat came quickly for Túpac, one main defeat was the attempt to take Cusco which failed because the city was reinforced by soldiers that came from Lima. Eventually pushed back to the surrounding villages, Túpac continued to fight until he was betrayed by two of his officer’s colonel Ventura Landaeta and captain Francisco Cruz. With the capture of Túpac authorities attempted to extract information about other rebels from him however, he replied defiantly “There are no accomplices here other than you and I. You as oppressor, I as liberator, deserve to die." On May 18, 1781 Túpac was condemned to death but before his own death authorities tied him up and he was forced to watch his wife being kicked to death after her execution by hanging failed, his oldest son Hipólito, his uncle Francisco Tupa Amaro, his brother-in-law Antonio Bastidas, and some of his captains were also killed in front of him. 

Túpac was then tortured and his tongue cut out, he was then tied to four horses who galloped in four opposite directions but failed to rip his limbs from his body, the Spanish then resorted to decapitation. Túpac was decapitated in the same location as his suspected great-grandfather Túpac Amaru. This was not the end of the revolt, indigenous people continued to revolt so the Spanish resorted in executing the last of Túpac’s family but spared the youngest son Fernando who was sentence to life prison. The body of Túpac was dismembered and the parts scattered in the areas loyal to him to serve as a warning, all property, land, goods of Túpac were also destroyed. Túpac Amaru II and his revolt made a huge social change as some indigenous groups especially in Upper Peru (now Bolivia) was inspired by his actions and became a large opposing force against the Spanish however, Peruvian Criollos continued to oppose independence as they feared what the indigenous people would do to them when freed and some Peruvian Criollos had businesses with the Spaniards. The failure of the rebellion also meant that after 1781 the Spanish enforced laws and regulations that would have an effect that would last till this day. Things such as indigenous clothing, customs, language, dance, songs, free expression, traditions and culture were banned outright with severe punishment such as death for those that broke the new laws. The new dress code meant that indigenous people were made to wear peasant clothing similar to those used by peasants of Europe in the 18th century, they had to speak only Spanish, considering yourself to be “Inca” was illegal and more and more people were forced into church as all other things outside Catholicism was considered pagan. These changes had an everlasting effect on Andean people with a large majority who feel ashamed of their history, culture and language even today. 

Some researchers suggest that the changes are so engrained into the population that it will be very hard to change and pride in such culture is only felt by certain classes and not by general population.

Written by: GringoPerú

One Peruvian dish that everyone here must have tried in Peru is Pollo a la Brasa and this to has an interesting story that surrounds it (the truth of which is debated). This story is also a tale of two immigrants from Switzerland, Roger Schuler and Franz Ulrich and begins in 1946 when Roger Schuler established a chicken farm in Santa Clara, Ate with hopes of selling the chicken to districts like Miraflores. His products were known as "Productos Avícolas de La Granja Azul” (Poultry products of La Granja Azul). 

However, 4 years later in 1950 business went sour meaning many chickens were not sold, fearing that he would lose more money he spoke with Franz Ulrich and together they devised a method of cooking chicken over algarrobo charcoal and marinating the chicken in panca, soy sauce, black mint, salt and pepper. Algarrobo comes from the Prosopis pallida tree which can be found throughout Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. To cook this chicken, they built a mechanised rotisserie to cook many chickens at one time, this system of cooking chicken became known as planetario. To gain the attention of the local people they placed a sign in front of the central railway that stated “Eat all the chicken you can for 5 soles!” and built a small rustic restaurant in his house. This small restaurant became known as La Granja Azul. 

What set La Granja Azul aside from restaurants at the time was that the place was generally cheaper than most restaurants, also at this time restaurant were seen as a place of luxury and prestige but with the introduction of a restaurant like La Granja Azul people were happy eating with their hands and could do so without criticism. It was not long till another Swiss by the name of Steinmann opened up a restaurant closer to the centre of Lima, he called it El Rancho and it implemented the same mechanised rotisserie that Schuler and Ulrich created. 

It was not until the 1970´s that Pollo a la Brasa became popular very soon many other restaurants that served Pollo a la Brasa popped up to keep up with the ever increasing demand. Each restaurant played with the recipe however, the method of cooking it remained the same. 

La Granja Azul which is still located in its historical place is still serving people today and to celebrate the creation and popularity of Pollo a la Brasa the 21st July has been named Day of Pollo a la Brasa. Statistics have shown that every month 12 million Pollo a la Brasa’s are sold nationwide also according to the INEI (The National Institute of Statistics and Informatics) 24.4 kilos of Pollo a la Brasa per a family in Peru was consumed in 2014.

Written by: Gringo Perú

An interesting legend from Peru tells of how a foxes came to have large mouths, the story begins with a fox which at the time had a small mouth and did not like to gossip as the fox walked through the fields one day he came across a huaychao (a species of bird) singing in the trees. Fascinated by the flute-like beak this bird possessed, the fox pleaded to the bird to allow him to use the beak as he liked the sound it made and he promised that he would be careful. 

The bird refused and refused but the fox was persistent and continued to plea eventually the bird gave up and allowed the fox to play it. The bird gave some advice to the fox, the advice was that the fox should sew the beak onto his mouth so it would fit correctly so that is what the fox did. The fox then merrily played the flute around the field till the bird asked for it back which the fox refused. The bird continued to plea and offered a deal, the fox however, continued to refuse. The fox continued to play and play waking up animals and attracted them all over the fields to come to the hill where he played. The animals began to dance around the fox, this caused the fox to laugh uncontrollably and in an outburst of laughter he ripped open his mouth leaving a wide gapping mouth that reached his ears. The beak fell before him but before he could reach for it the bird reclaimed it and flew off. It is said because of the betrayal and distrust that the fox created, they were punished with large mouths.

By: GringoPeru

When hearing about Peru you will hear a lot about the Incas and their empire as it was one of the largest and was the empire that would confront the Spanish in the 16th century. According to some historians like Waldemar Espinoza Soriano the Spanish conquest was not only successful because of the technological superiority that the Spanish possessed but also due to one key alliance between the Spanish and the Huancas (also spelt Wancas, or Wankas). The Huancas emerged from the Jauja, Concepcion and Huancayo provinces at the end of the 12th century and according to the stories of the Huancas the nation came into being when sixty kinship groups (Ayllus) left the “Pacarina” (Pacarina is an ancient Andean term that refers to a location where the ancestors came from and the final destination of their ancestors) called Huari Huillca. They were known for their vast cities built on mountaintops, their capital Siquillapucara (or Tunanmarca) located in the district of Tunanmarca in Jauja at one point had a population of 1500. 

The nation continued to grow, cultivating maize and herding llamas and alpacas for over 500 years. One thing to note about the Huancas in their culture was the close relationship to dogs, this relationship is mentioned in some legends some which are disputed as being false. It all starts with a war of two gods Huallallo Carhuincho and Yanamka Tutamñaca. Huallallo defeated Yanamka, Huallallo then took the fertile lands and gave it to the Huancas however, Yanamka refused to accept defeat and organized a rebellion. On hearing about the rebel army Huallallo went to the Quinancaya plain to watch the rebel army and found that the rebels were far superior to the Huancas and feared for his people. Huallallo planned to destroy the rebels so he sent a hail storm, heavy rains and red soil that fell from the sky which lasted five days and to finish them off he sent thunder and lighting. After the storm had finished Huallallo was surprised to find that the rebel officers were still alive so in one final act of desperation he turned them into dogs. As the rebels were turned into dogs they howled which annoyed Huallallo who sent lighting to shake the Earth, as the Earth shook the dogs became mute and the dogs became hoarse and became reluctant to bark. It is said that the Huancas were known as Allcomicoc (dog eater in Quechua) to the neighbouring communities. Their God, Huallallo Carhuincho, ordered five dogs to be sacrificed and that the meat and blood should be presented to his soldiers who ate them with chicha. The skulls of the dogs were made into musical instruments by the God and were known to make a terrifying noise when played. Dogs also became faithful companions that helped with daily tasks such as sheep dogs and to keep birds from the crops and were trained to perform tricks to provide entertainment and some were painted and sacrificed. In some legends you may read that the Huancas started to eat dogs because before that they used to eat humans although, it is said this was a lie created by the descendants of the Gods Pariacaca and Yanamka. Now, at the same moment that the Huancas were expanding the Incas were also expanding and starting from app. 1438 A.D the Inca Manco Capac started a rapid expansion through war and peaceful assimilation, many nations were incorporated into the Inca Empire however, the Huancas fought hard against the Incas. It was in 1460 when the Huancas fell to the Incas, under the command of Inca Yupanqui a large Inca army invaded, fierce fighting over the course of several months ensued but due to hunger and the lack of water the Huancas surrendered to the Incas. The Incas then exiled the Huanca people to far off lands and destroyed the capital Siquillapucara. When the Huancas learnt of the Spanish arrival to the land they quickly allied themselves with them, supplying the Conquistadores with men, women, food and information. The Huancas were not the only ones to see the Spaniards as force that could release their lands from the Incas, others communities joined another well-known group called the the Chachapoyas also joined the Spanish. After the fall of the Inca Empire, the Huancas requested compensation for the help they provided to the Spanish Empire many of their requests were denied and the Spanish crown refused to allow them to take back control of their land. However, under Philip II, King of Spain the Huancas received recognition for their service and was provided with a coat of arms to symbolize the union.

 The culture of the Huanca still thrives today, the language Jauja Wanka Quechua and Waylla Wanka Quechua is still spoken, these forms of Quechua are slightly different to the Quechua spoken by the descendants of the Inca and they have football team called Deportivo Wanka. If you are interested in some more information based on the Spanish-Huanca alliance read this great book below:

Link about Huanca Culture

By: GringoPerú