UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The corner of the living : local power relations and indigenous perceptions in Ayacucho, Peru, 1940-1983 Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6km2m6d7 Author La Serna, Miguel Publication Date 2008 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO The Corner of the Living: Local Power Relations and Indigenous Perceptions in Ayacucho, Peru, 1940-1983 A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in History by Miguel La Serna Committee in charge: Professor Christine Hünefeldt, Chair Professor Nancy Postero, Co-Chair Professor Everard Meade Professor Michael Monteón Professor Eric Van Young 2008 Copyright Miguel La Serna, 2008 All rights reserved. The dissertation of Miguel La Serna is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm: ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Co-Chair ________________________________________ Chair University of California, San Diego 2008 iii For Joy iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page……………………………………………………………………………iii Dedication………………………………………………………………………………...iv Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………….....v Maps………………………………………………………………………………………vi Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………..viii Vita……………………………………………………………………………………....xvi Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………xvii Introduction: The Corner of the Living………………………………………….........................1 Chapter One: Butchers, Killers, and Cattle Stealers: Internal Conflict and Resolution…………………………………………………40 Chapter Two: Dictators of the Consejo, Kings of the Hacienda: Race and Class………………………………………………….………………122 Chapter Three: Beyond the Rivers and Mountains: Inter-Community Relations and Conflict……………………………………….201 Chapter Four: Crossing the River: Initial Peasant Support for Shining Path………………………………………..268 Chapter Five: Defending the Mountaintop: Initial Peasant Resistance to Shining Path……………………………………...311 Conclusion: Turning the Corner……………………………………………………………...383 References………………………………………………………………………………397 v Map 1: Peru and the Department of Ayacucho Source: Wikimedia vi Map 2: Ayacucho Department Source: GIS Laboratory, University of California, San Diego vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When I first entered graduate school, I wondered how any one person could complete a task as daunting as a doctoral dissertation. I now realize that no one can accomplish such a feat alone; it takes many. And it is with this in mind that I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to those who had a hand in my intellectual and professional development culminating in the completion of this project. Thirty minutes into my first History lecture at the University of California, Davis, with U.S. historian Alan Taylor discussing the scandalous love affair between Sally Hemmings and Thomas Jefferson, I decided to declare a major in History. The courses I took and the relationships I cultivated over the next four years with UCD historians Arnold Bauer, Charles Walker, and Clarence Walker, as well as with anthropologist Stefano Varese, prompted me to begin asking sophisticated questions about the dynamics of race and class in the Americas. Their inspiration, guidance, and overall confidence in my scholarly potential made my decision to pursue a graduate degree an easy one. Heeding the recommendations of these professors, the Latin Americanist faculty of the Department of History at the University of California, San Diego, took a chance on this (once) young scholar, accepting me into the Ph.D. program in Latin American history. Christine Hünefeldt, my advisor, has an intellectual depth that is matched only by her kind spirit. From the start, she urged me to explore as many studies, theories, and methodologies as possible before settling on a topic; I emerged with a much more developed project as a result. Professor Hünefeldt always seemed to know just how to challenge me academically while still respecting and supporting my interests and viii findings. Michael Monteón also offered a tremendous amount of patience and guidance as I struggled to define a viable and original topic, and whatever achievements I have made through my research and writing are a direct reflection of his hands-on mentorship during the early stages of my graduate work. Conversely, it was during the latter stages of my doctoral studies that Everard Meade offered valuable research and writing tips. Professor Meade is also an exceptional teacher after whom I have modeled my own classroom instruction, and I dare say that I am a better teacher as a result. Although our studies vary drastically in terms of time and place, my work has benefitted tremendously from Eric Van Young’s vast scholarship, expertise, and tutelage with respect to indigenous peasant mobilization and culture. Although under no obligation to do so, Professor Van Young graciously critiqued drafts of my proposals, papers, and chapters each step of the way, and it was he who advised me to solicit anthropologist Nancy Postero to be my minor field advisor. As my own work began to take a methodological turn towards anthropology, Professor Postero accepted a position as my co-chair, introducing me to a whole new world of methodologies, theories, studies, and contacts in the field of anthropology and offering thoughtful direction as I entered the research and writing stage of my project. She truly is a talented teacher, innovative researcher, and dedicated mentor. I sincerely thank each of these committee members for their tireless encouragement, support, and friendship. Other personalities at UCSD have also offered valuable assistance. Department Chair John Marino endorsed me on more than one occasion with strong letters of support and departmental nominations for various academic enrichment opportunities, while Chicano historian Luis Alvarez shared his expertise on the “art” of grant-writing. Were it ix not for the selfless clerical assistance rendered to me by Carol Larkin, Nadyne Nawar, Danielle Swenson, and Maissha Stewart of the Department of History, I most certainly would not have made it this far. I am grateful to Rosalind Streichler of the Center for Teaching Development for the useful tips on balancing teaching and writing. I would be remiss not to thank our Latin Americanist bibliographer, Karen Lindvall-Larson, for always taking the time to point me in the right direction regarding sources, and to Michael L. Smith of the university’s Geographic Information System laboratory for taking the time to create a map of Ayacucho. It was my fellow graduate students whose moral and intellectual support I truly appreciated. To this end, a special thanks is due Latin Americanists Zach Brittsan, Nancy Egan, Mateo Jarrín, Jorge Montesinos, Stephanie Moore, Jesús Pérez, Cody Petterson, Adam Warren, and Chris Wisniewski, as well as to my non-Latin Americanist friends and colleagues, John Bracht, Lauren Ivans, Jimmy Patiño, Sjahari Pullom, Ronnie Sokotoff, Brendan Thornton, and Todd Welker. I have also benefited from communications with other professionals and experts outside of San Diego. Orin Starn took an early interest in my research, offering me tips, literature, contacts, and encouragement as if I were his own student. One of his actual students, Caroline Yezer, volunteered everything she knew about life and research in Ayacucho. Charles Walker gave me helpful advice and encouragement at all stages of my graduate research and continues to be a source of inspiration. Kimberly Theidon and María Elena García oriented me to the major works on Shining Path back when I was still searching for an original topic, while Cecilia Méndez and Billie Jean Isbell graciously tolerated my early queries about conducting research in Ayacucho. In fact, I accredit my Fulbright I.I.E. Fellowship to Professor Méndez’s thoughtful commentary on my research x proposal. I also benefited from a methodological and theoretical training workshop run by the Regional Oral History Organization (ROHO) at the University of California, Berkeley, which equipped me with a solid foundation of oral history techniques before I embarked on my research. Once I had completed my research, Jaymie Patricia Heilman rendered valuable insights on writing twentieth-century Ayacuchan history. She, Susan E. Ramírez, and Brandon Williams commented on portions of the text, while Sally Ades proofread the penultimate draft. I am grateful to these peers for improving the overall quality of the manuscript. But it was my Peruvian contacts who most directly impacted my research. This started with my pleasant experience in Lima. I thank instructor Nilda Guillén of the Universidad Pontificia de la Católica’s Centro de Idiomas in Lima for her flexibility in offering me crash courses in Quechua for three consecutive summers before I embarked on my field research. During my research year, I was fortunate enough to have obtained the institutional affiliation of the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos, which would not have been possible without the warm consent of Martín Tanaka Marisa Remy. Historian Carlos Contreras is the IEP researcher to whom I owe the greatest debt of gratitude, however, for he went out of his way to explain to me the ins-and-outs of Peruvian archives, introduce me to his colleagues who specialized