The War of the Vicuñas and Basques ( es, Guerra de Vicuñas y Vascongados), or sometimes just Vicuña War, was an armed conflict in

Alto Perú Upper Peru (; ) is a name for the land that was governed by the Real Audiencia of Charcas. The name originated in Buenos Aires towards the end of the 18th century after the Audiencia of Charcas was transferred from the Viceroyalty of Peru to th ...

, present-day

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, that lasted between June 1622 and March 1625, fought between

Basques The Basques ( or ; eu, euskaldunak ; es, vascos ; french: basques ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Bas ...

and "Vicuñas" (an informal term for non-Basque Spaniards in Alto Perú, a name obtained through the habit of wearing hats made of vicuña skins)... Competition over the control of the silver mines in

Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...

, Lípez and Chichas surged in the early 17th century, pitting Basques and Vicuñas against each other. The Vicuñas had initially employed legal and political measures attempting to block the Basque attempts to monopolize control over the Cabildo (municipal government) of Potosí and the silver mining sector. However, these efforts did not yield results. Violent incidents began in 1615, and escalated in 1622 following the assassination of a Basque on a street in Potosí.Cole, Jeffrey A.
The Potosí Mita, 1573–1700: Compulsory Indian Labor in the Andes
'. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1985. p. 50 The Vicuñas were led by Antonio Xeldres.. The creole, Mestizo and indigenous populations largely sided with the Vicuñas. The Vicuñas themselves were not always unified, though, as they suffered from internal feuds between Andalusians on one hand and New Castilians and Extremadurans on the other (the former group eventually withdrew from the rebellion). The war pitted different sectors of the viceregal administration against each other, as some supported the Basque claims for hegemony whilst others had a conciliatory approach to the Vicuña rebels. Personalities involved in the conflict included the president and oidores of the

Royal Audiencia of Charcas The Real Audiencia of Charcas ( es, Audiencia y Cancillería Real de La Plata de los Charcas) was a Spanish '' audiencia'' with its seat in what is today Bolivia. It was established in 1559 in Ciudad de la Plata de Nuevo Toledo (later Charcas, to ...

, treasury officials and the corregidor of Potosí and the visitador (sent to the area in order to audit fiscal accounts). The Vicuña rebels had killed 64 men by March 1624. However, the Basque control over the city and the mines had not been broken. Basque leaders pleaded to the King of Spain,

Philip IV Philip IV may refer to: * Philip IV of Macedon (died 297 BC) * Philip IV of France (1268–1314), Avignon Papacy * Philip IV of Burgundy or Philip I of Castile (1478–1506) * Philip IV, Count of Nassau-Weilburg (1542–1602) * Philip IV of Spain ...

, to intervene. The King in return ordered the

Viceroy of Peru The viceroys of Peru ruled the Viceroyalty of Peru from 1544 to 1824 in the name of the monarch of Spain. The territories under ''de jure'' rule by the viceroys included in the 16th and 17th century almost all of South America except eastern Brazi ...

to act decisively against the Vicuñas. Between 1624 and 1625, the viceregal authorities managed to capture several key Vicuña leaders, executing forty of them. The war would last for three years. The war did not end in any decisive victory for any side, but rather as a result of mutual exhaustion. An agreement to end hostilities was reached.Douglass, William A., and Jon Bilbao.
Amerikanuak: Basques in the New World
'. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2005, pp. 82–83 The marriage between the children of two of the leaders of the opposing camps, the son of the Basque leader Francisco Oyanume and the daughter of the Vicuña general Castillo, was part of the settlement of the conflict. In April 1625, a royal decree was issued, pardoning all Vicuñas fighters except those having committed blood crimes.Azcona Pastor, José Manuel, and William A. Douglass.
Possible Paradises: Basque Emigration to Latin America
'. Reno, NV: Univ. of Nevada Press, 2004, pp. 208–9 Some Vicuñas continued acts of banditry in the following years, but without the ethnic or political overtones as during the war with the Basques. Basque-Vicuña rivalry did, however, continue for a century. On March 15, 1626, the ingenios of Potosí were destroyed by massive flooding. This event was interpreted as a divine punishment for the past violences. Later histiography has sought to emphasize the socio-economic contradictions as catalysts for the war, framing it as class warfare.

References

{{reflist Civil wars involving the states and peoples of South America Basque history Conflicts in 1622 Conflicts in 1623 Conflicts in 1624 Conflicts in 1625 1625 in South America 17th century in Bolivia Viceroyalty of Peru 1623 in South America Mining in Bolivia