Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Women have been fighting for their rights in Peru for centuries. At the end of the eighteenth century, during the time of Tupac Amaru II and Tupac Katari's rebellions, female commoners and leaders alike protested the tax abuses levied by the colonial government. While the most prominent figure was Micaela Bastidas, wife of Tupac Amaru, other Quechua and Aymara women played major roles in the taxation uprisings in the southern and central Andes. Nevertheless, involvement in these movements by women was almost always in connection with their family relationships. Around 1821, demonstrations against the colonial regime also included women, and although they did not make demands related to their feminine identity, their actions brought into question the patriarchal regime. Many young Creole women supported libertarian causes, collaborating in the defeat of royal armies. The mid-nineteenth century was a period of political stability that opened up the possibility for broadening the horizons of life for women. One expression of this process was the proliferation of written works by urban women. They founded magazines such as El Album in 1874 and La Alborada in 1875. They also collaborated and contributed to existing ones, like La Revista de Lima and El Correo del Peru (1871–7). This publishing activity was linked to so-called “veladas literarias,” literary gatherings created in ... log in or subscribe to read full text