From rebellion to democracy: The many lives of Túpac Katari

Abstract

In Bolivia, public discourse often focuses on historical personalities in terms of their importance for national identity and agency, one example being the eighteenth-century Aymara leader Túpac Katari, a declared icon of resistance. This article examines the preconditions of the historic figure's incorporation into indigenous cultural memory and how the connotations he evoked have unfolded over time. It reveals how the representation linked with him was redefined and adapted at different points of time due to the prevailing modes of reception.