Taki Unquy
Encyclopedia
Taki Unquy was an indigenous movement of complex dimensions which arose in the Peruvian Andes
during the 16th century (c. 1564 - c. 1572) in opposition to the recent Spanish invasion
. The movement combines political, religious and cultural elements that make its classification under western criteria difficult.
is "sickness of the chant" or "dancing sickness". The intrinsic Andean connotation is difficult to translate.
The name comes from the Andeans contemporary to the Conquista
, who believed that the huaca
s were annoyed by the expansion of Christianity
. The huacas, Andean spirits, began taking possession of the aborigines, making them dance to music and announce divine will to restore the pre-Hispanic culture, mythology and politics.
Taki Unquy arose in the 1560s in Huamanga
, Ayacucho
, Peru, from where it spread to Lima
, Cusco
, Arequipa
, Chuquisaca
, and La Paz
. At the outset the movement was called "The revolt of the Huacas", which entailed a religious movement that promulgated the rejection of the western and Christian god
which had been imposed by way of violent coercion during Spanish conquest. Furthermore, the movement promoted the return to worship of the huacas, which are dually the pre-Hispanic gods and the grounds in which their worship was practiced. Using this paradigm, it is incorrect to label Taki Unquy as millenarian
, since it does not entail a second coming of the Christ
, given its anti-Christian stance. A more appropriate, but still imperfect, term to categorize the movement would be messianism
.
Paraphrased Translation:
. He took Chocne and the other spiritual leaders to Cusco where they were to reject their beliefs in public. The women participants were imprisoned in convents and the Curaca
s were fined for their participation in the revolt.
, or even the late Tupac Amaru II
rebellion, had only political aspects, and the cultural and religious dimensions were not given salience, which the study of Taki Unquy has allowed.
The concept of Taki Unquy transcended the borders of Peru when the Argentine singer/composer Victor Heredia
published an album titled Taki Ongoy
in 1986.
The playwright, director and actor Hugo Bonnet Rodriguez, born in Azangaro, Puno, crafted a play titled "Taki Onqoy". The play was about the repentance shown by the Andeans after having helped the Spanish destroy the Incas
, and their sorrow for the subsequent historical changes. The play may be found in the book by the same name, Taki Onqoy, along with other works by the author.
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
during the 16th century (c. 1564 - c. 1572) in opposition to the recent Spanish invasion
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
. The movement combines political, religious and cultural elements that make its classification under western criteria difficult.
Historical background
The literal translation of Taki Unquy from QuechuaQuechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
is "sickness of the chant" or "dancing sickness". The intrinsic Andean connotation is difficult to translate.
The name comes from the Andeans contemporary to the Conquista
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
, who believed that the huaca
Huaca
In Quechua, a Native American language of South America, a huaca or waqa is an object that represents something revered, typically a monument of some kind. The term huaca can refer to natural locations, such as immense rocks. Some huacas have been associated with veneration and ritual...
s were annoyed by the expansion of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. The huacas, Andean spirits, began taking possession of the aborigines, making them dance to music and announce divine will to restore the pre-Hispanic culture, mythology and politics.
Taki Unquy arose in the 1560s in Huamanga
Huamanga Province
-Political division:The province covers and is divided into fifteen districts:* Ayacucho * Acocro * Acos Vinchos * Carmen Alto * Chiara * Ocros * Pacaycasa * Quinua...
, Ayacucho
Ayacucho
Ayacucho is the capital city of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru.Ayacucho is famous for its 33 churches, which represent one for each year of Jesus's life. Ayacucho has large religious celebrations, especially during the Holy Week of Easter...
, Peru, from where it spread to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Cusco
Cusco
Cusco , often spelled Cuzco , is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cuzco Province. In 2007, the city had a population of 358,935 which was triple the figure of 20 years ago...
, Arequipa
Arequipa
Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country...
, Chuquisaca
Sucre
Sucre, also known historically as Charcas, La Plata and Chuquisaca is the constitutional capital of Bolivia and the capital of the department of Chuquisaca. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of 2750m...
, and La Paz
La Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
. At the outset the movement was called "The revolt of the Huacas", which entailed a religious movement that promulgated the rejection of the western and Christian god
God in Christianity
In Christianity, God is the eternal being that created and preserves the universe. God is believed by most Christians to be immanent , while others believe the plan of redemption show he will be immanent later...
which had been imposed by way of violent coercion during Spanish conquest. Furthermore, the movement promoted the return to worship of the huacas, which are dually the pre-Hispanic gods and the grounds in which their worship was practiced. Using this paradigm, it is incorrect to label Taki Unquy as millenarian
Millenarianism
Millenarianism is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming major transformation of society, after which all things will be changed, based on a one-thousand-year cycle. The term is more generically used to refer to any belief centered around 1000 year intervals...
, since it does not entail a second coming of the Christ
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
, given its anti-Christian stance. A more appropriate, but still imperfect, term to categorize the movement would be messianism
Messianism
Messianism is the belief in a messiah, a savior or redeemer. Many religions have a messiah concept, including the Jewish Messiah, the Christian Christ, the Muslim Mahdi and Isa , the Buddhist Maitreya, the Hindu Kalki and the Zoroastrian Saoshyant...
.
Relation to Christianity
The ideology had Christian features. According to the new belief, the huacas' powers were within neither stones nor trees as in time of the Incas, instead they would enter into the bodies of people:Paraphrased Translation:
Transformation into Political Revolt
From a rebellion against Christianity, the Taki Unquy devolved rapidly into a political revolt with an ideology in keeping with Andean tradition. It was believed that the huacas would return with all their might and would defeat the Spanish God, as well as the peninsular invaders, re-establishing the equilibrium to a world wracked by the conquest.Repression
The visible leader of the movement was an Indian by the name of Juan Chocne. The revolt was harshly suppressed by the Catholic surveyor (visitador) Cristóbal de Albornoz, who collaborated with the future chronicler Felipe Guaman Poma de AyalaFelipe Guaman Poma de Ayala
Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala , also known as Guamán Poma or Huamán Poma, was an indigenous Peruvian who became disillusioned with the treatment of the native peoples of the Andes by the Spanish after conquest...
. He took Chocne and the other spiritual leaders to Cusco where they were to reject their beliefs in public. The women participants were imprisoned in convents and the Curaca
Curaca
A curaca was an official of the Inca Empire, who held the role of magistrate, about 4 levels down from the Sapa Inca, the head of the Empire. The curacas were the heads of the ayllus . They served as tax collector, and held religious authority, in that they mediated between the supernatural sphere...
s were fined for their participation in the revolt.
Conclusion
The movement declined in a few years, it is estimated that the practice ended in 1572, but the hope of a "reconquest" survived in the folklore and in intellectual circles.Transcendency and importance of the movement
The topic had remained in obscurity for decades, and was reinvigorated by the work of Peruvian historian Luis Millones in 1964. Since that time it has been the subject of revision and analysis, having aided in understanding problems in the contemporaneous Peru, such as the historical process of Andean insurrections against the Spanish. Until that date, it was believed that other movements such as that led by Manco Inca II, Juan Santos AtahualpaJuan Santos Atahualpa
Juan Santos Atahualpa was a leader of an indigenous rebellion in the Andean jungle provinces of Tarma and Jauja, near what was then Spanish Peru in the mid 18th century....
, or even the late Tupac Amaru II
Túpac Amaru II
Túpac Amaru II was a leader of an indigenous uprising in 1780 against the Spanish in Peru...
rebellion, had only political aspects, and the cultural and religious dimensions were not given salience, which the study of Taki Unquy has allowed.
The concept of Taki Unquy transcended the borders of Peru when the Argentine singer/composer Victor Heredia
Victor Heredia
Víctor Heredia is an Argentine singer songwriter. Author of Taki Ongoy, a symphonic work about Taki Unquy, a millenarian movement against the Spanish conquest.-Biography:...
published an album titled Taki Ongoy
Taki Ongoy
In 1986, Victor Heredia composed "Taki Ongoy", a conceptual work that recalls Taki Unquy, the political-religious milenarist movement against the invasion of the Spanish culture in South America .-Songs:...
in 1986.
The playwright, director and actor Hugo Bonnet Rodriguez, born in Azangaro, Puno, crafted a play titled "Taki Onqoy". The play was about the repentance shown by the Andeans after having helped the Spanish destroy the Incas
Inca civilization
The Andean civilizations made up a loose patchwork of different cultures that developed from the highlands of Colombia to the Atacama Desert. The Andean civilizations are mainly based on the cultures of Ancient Peru and some others such as Tiahuanaco. The Inca Empire was the last sovereign...
, and their sorrow for the subsequent historical changes. The play may be found in the book by the same name, Taki Onqoy, along with other works by the author.