2025-10-26 22:25 Tags:History Do you mean Micaela Bastidas (note the spelling)?

If so — here’s who she was 👇


🇵🇪 Micaela Bastidas (1744–1781)

Micaela Bastidas Puyucahua was a Peruvian revolutionary leader, best known as the wife and key ally of Túpac Amaru II, the leader of the largest Indigenous rebellion against Spanish colonial rule in the Andes.


🧬 Background

  • Born around 1744 in Pampamarca, in the Viceroyalty of Peru (now modern Peru).

  • Of mixed African, Spanish, and Indigenous descent (sometimes described as mestiza).

  • Married José Gabriel Condorcanqui, who later took the name Túpac Amaru II, claiming descent from the last Inca ruler.

  • Together they had three sons and built a successful trading business before turning to rebellion.


⚔️ The Rebellion (1780–1781)

  • The uprising began in November 1780 in Tungasuca, near Cuzco.

  • The goal: end Spanish oppression, abolish slavery and forced labor (mita), and defend Indigenous rights.

  • Micaela played a crucial organizational role:

    • Managed logistics, supplies, and communication networks

    • Organized armies and troop movements

    • Maintained morale among Indigenous fighters

    • Often showed greater strategic vision and discipline than many male commanders


💀 Capture and Execution

  • After several months of brutal fighting, the rebellion was crushed by Spanish forces.

  • Micaela Bastidas was captured with her husband and family in May 1781.

  • She was publicly executed in Cuzco at age 36 — tortured and strangled, then her body dismembered as a warning to others.

  • Her courage during the execution was widely remembered: witnesses said she refused to beg for mercy.


🌹 Legacy

  • Today, Micaela Bastidas is seen as one of Peru’s greatest heroines — a symbol of female leadership, Indigenous resistance, and anti-colonial struggle.

  • She has been honored in:

    • Monuments and schools across Peru

    • A university named after her (Universidad Nacional Micaela Bastidas de Apurímac)

    • Depictions on Peruvian currency (the 200 nuevos soles note)


🧩 Summary

AspectDetail
Full nameMicaela Bastidas Puyucahua
Born–Died1744–1781
RoleRevolutionary leader, wife of Túpac Amaru II
CauseAnti-colonial rebellion against Spanish rule
Known forLeadership, logistics, courage, and sacrifice
LegacyNational heroine of Peru; symbol of Indigenous and women’s resistance

Would you like me to include a map of the Túpac Amaru rebellion or a short paragraph comparing Micaela Bastidas and Túpac Amaru II’s leadership styles?