ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Maras-Urubamba rebellion 1777

Synopsis
This rebellion, framed within the insurrectional context that led to the Great Tupac Amaru Rebellion of 1780-1782, began in early November 1777. At that time, a revolt of indigenous people erupted in the pueblo of Maras, and by the third day, they managed to descend upon the provincial capital of Urubamba. There, at night, they assaulted and set fire to the houses of the corregidor, the tax collector, and some caciques, as well as the jail and the public archives. Subsequently, they went on to attack the bishop of Cuzco, who was visiting the town, as well as the very Holy Sacrament that he was holding up in an attempt to calm the situation. Behind this uprising, in which mestizos, creoles, and even some Spaniards participated, were previous fiscal grievances against the corregidor, his associates, and the Church, due to resentment over the exactions of the distribution of goods, the increase in taxes, and the excessive tithes and parish rights. Following these tumults, the rebel resistance was not broken, and the insurgents remained armed for many days, holding nightly meetings and controlling the streets and communication routes. In the following months, the rebellion spread to other towns and aimed to enter the city of Cuzco, demonstrating high levels of coordination and organization, being finally brought under control in February 1778, when 26 insurgents were arrested, of which 15 were Indians and 9 were creoles or Spaniards. Most would die in prison within a few years.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 4 months. Name in sources: Sublevación, tumultos. Location: Maras and Urubamba (Province of Urubamba, District of Cuzco) Country (current): Peru. Monarchy: Spanish. Main participants: Indigenous, Local elites, Others. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Anti-colonial, Economic, Fiscal. Leadership: Several. Relevance: medium.

Further reading
O´PHELAN GODOY, Scarlett (1977). “Cuzco 1777: El movimiento de Maras, Urubamba”. Histórica (1/1): 113-128. O´PHELAN GODOY, Scarlett (1985). Rebellions and Revolts in Eighteenth Century Peru and Upper Peru. Colonia: Bohlau Verlag. SERULNIKOV, Sergio (2013). Revolution in the Andes. The Age of Túpac Amaru. Londres: Duke University Press. STAVIG, Ward (1988). “Ethnic Conflict, Moral Economy, and Population in Rural Cuzco on the Eve of the Thupa Amaro II Rebellion”. Hispanic American Historical Review, 68 (4): 737-770.
Cite this entry

(2023) "Maras-Urubamba rebellion 1777", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. (accessed on ).