Taki Unquy facts for kids

Taki Unquy (which means "dancing sickness" or "sickness of the chant" in the Quechua language) was an important movement that started in the Peruvian Andes around the 1560s. It was a mix of political, religious, and cultural ideas. The people who started it were Indigenous (native) people who wanted to resist the Spanish who had recently arrived.

What Was Taki Unquy?

The name Taki Unquy comes from the belief that the wak'as (ancient Andean spirits or gods) were upset. They were angry because Christianity was spreading and taking over their old ways. People believed these wak'as would take over Indigenous people, making them dance and sing. Through these dances, the wak'as would share their divine will. They wanted to bring back the old ways of life, beliefs, and politics from before the Spanish arrived.

The movement began in Huamanga, Ayacucho, Peru, in the 1560s. From there, it spread to many other places like Huancavelica, Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, Chuquisaca, and La Paz. At first, it was called "The revolt of the Wak'as." Its main goal was to reject the Christian God that the Spanish had forced upon them. Instead, it encouraged people to go back to worshipping the huacas. These huacas were both the old gods and the sacred places where people worshipped them.

From Religion to Politics

The Taki Unquy movement quickly changed from just a religious rebellion to a political one. Its followers believed that the huacas would return with great power. They thought the huacas would defeat the Spanish God and the Spanish invaders. This would bring balance back to their world, which had been turned upside down by the Spanish conquest.

How the Movement Was Stopped

The main leader of the Taki Unquy movement was an Indigenous man named Juan Chocne. The Spanish stopped the revolt very harshly. A Catholic inspector named Cristóbal de Albornoz led the effort. He worked with Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, who later became a famous writer of history.

They took Juan Chocne and other spiritual leaders to Cusco. There, they were forced to publicly say they no longer believed in their old ways. Women who took part in the movement were put into convents (religious communities). The Kurakas, who were local Indigenous leaders, had to pay fines for being involved.

The End of the Movement

The Taki Unquy movement faded away in just a few years. It's thought that it ended around 1572. However, the hope for a "reconquest" (taking back their land and culture) lived on. This hope stayed alive in their stories, songs, and among thinkers.

Why Taki Unquy Is Important Today

For many years, the story of Taki Unquy was not well known. But in 1964, a Peruvian historian named Luis Millones brought it back into the spotlight. Since then, many people have studied and analyzed it. Learning about Taki Unquy has helped us understand more about problems in Peru's past. It also helped explain how Indigenous people rebelled against the Spanish.

Before this, people thought that other rebellions, like those led by Manco Inca II, Juan Santos Atahualpa, or even Tupac Amaru II, were only about politics. But the study of Taki Unquy showed that these movements also had important cultural and religious parts.

The idea of Taki Unquy even went beyond Peru. In 1986, the Argentine singer and composer Victor Heredia released an album called Taki Ongoy.

A playwright, director, and actor named Hugo Bonnet Rodriguez wrote a play called "Taki Onqoy." This play was about the sadness and regret of the Andean people. They felt bad for helping the Spanish destroy the Incas and for the big changes that followed. You can find this play in a book with the same name, Taki Onqoy, along with his other works.

See also

In Spanish: Taki Unquy para niños

• Inkarri
• Syncretism
• Ghost Dance