Túpac Katari or Catari (c. 1750 – 15 November 1781), born Julián Apasa Nina, was a leader in the rebellions of indigenous people

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 of Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

 against the Spanish Empire

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....

 in the early 1780s.

A member of the Aymara, Apasa took the name "Tupac Katari" to honor two rebel leaders: Tomás Katari

Tomás Katari

Tomás Katari or Catari was an Aymara chief who, in claiming indigenous rights, led a popular uprising in Upper Peru in the 18th century....

, and Túpac Amaru II

Túpac Amaru II

Túpac Amaru II was a leader of an indigenous uprising in 1780 against the Spanish in Peru...

. He raised an army of some 40,000 and laid siege to the city of 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...

 in 1781. Katari and his wife, Bartolina Sisa

Bartolina Sisa

Bartolina Sisa was an Aymara woman, an indigenous heroine and the wife of Tupac Katari. Her date of birth is uncertain, some sources give it as August 24, 1753, while others give it as August 12, 1750...

 set up court in El Alto

El Alto

At one time merely a suburb of adjacent La Paz, Bolivia, on the Altiplano highlands, the city of El Alto is today one of Bolivia's largest and fastest-growing urban centers. As of the 2001 census, the population was 649,958. In 2010, the population may be nearly 900,000, or more. The city contains...

 and maintained the siege for 184 days, from March to June and from August to October.