Felipe Quispe Huanca "

Mallku Mallku is a title roughly translating as "prince" or "leader" in the Aymara language of South America. They recognise an Apu Mallku as their "supreme leader" or "king". There is also an institution called the ''Council of Mallkus and Amautas'' ...

" (

Quechua language Quechua (, ), also called (, 'people's language') in Southern Quechua, is an Indigenous languages of the Americas, indigenous language family that originated in central Peru and thereafter spread to other countries of the Andes. Derived from ...

: "condor"), (22 August 1942 – 19 January 2021) was a Bolivian historian and political leader. He headed the

Pachakuti Indigenous Movement The Pachakuti Indigenous Movement (Spanish: ''Movimiento Indígena Pachakuti'') was an indigenist political party in Bolivia founded in November 2000. At the legislative elections in 2002, the party won 2.2% of the popular vote and 6 out of 13 ...

(MIP) and was general secretary of the United Union Confederation of Working Peasants of Bolivia (

CSUTCB The Unified (or Sole) Syndical Confederation of Peasant Workers of Bolivia (, CSUTCB) is the largest union of peasants in Bolivia. The CSUTCB was formed in 1979 in opposition to government-sponsored peasant unions, and immediately replaced th ...

Biography

Quispe founded the Tupak Katari Indian Movement in 1979 and the Tupak Katari Guerrilla Army in 1990. His honorific name, Mallku, refers to the spirit of the mountains that surround and protect the People, and therefore is the source of life. "Mallku" means "peak" both in geography and in hierarchy. In 1984, he was one of the leading organisers of the

Tupac Katari Guerrilla Army Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

, a failed armed insurrection against the government. Quispe was arrested for his involvement in the movement on August 19, 1992. Quispe has worked for the establishment of a Tawantinsuyu republic — which would take the name "

Collasuyu Qullasuyu ( Quechua and Aymara spelling, ; ''Collasuyu, Kholla Suyu''; ) was the southeastern provincial region of the Inca Empire. Qullasuyu is the region of the Qulla and related specifically to the native Qulla Quechuas who primarily resided ...

" — in the

Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...

-majority regions of Bolivia. Quispe was a staunch opponent of the

neoliberal Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pej ...

Washington consensus The Washington Consensus is a set of ten economic policy prescriptions considered in the 1980s and 1990s to constitute the "standard" reform package promoted for Economic crisis, crisis-wracked developing country, developing countries by the Was ...

, and was also strongly against U.S.-led schemes toward

coca eradication Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. Coca leaves contain cocaine which acts as a mild stimulant when chewed or ...

, which he sees as destroying a critical part of Aymara culture. He was involved heavily in the

Bolivian Gas War The Bolivian Gas War (Spanish: ''Guerra del Gas'') or Bolivian gas conflict was a social confrontation in Bolivia reaching its peak in 2003, centering on the exploitation of the country's vast natural gas reserves. The expression can be extend ...

. Quispe ran failed campaigns in the

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and 2005 presidential elections, which saw the victory of indigenous

Evo Morales Juan Evo Morales Ayma (; born 26 October 1959) is a Bolivian politician, trade union organizer, and former cocalero activist who served as the 65th president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. Widely regarded as the country's first president to come ...

, leader of MAS (Movimiento al socialismo). Quispe was a vocal critic of Morales' government, characterising it as representing "neoliberalism with an Indian face". Quispe died on 19 January 2021 in El Alto from

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

References

Bibliography

External links

El Mallku Speaks: Indigenous Autonomy & Coca - The Narco News Interview with Felipe Quispe
1942 births 2021 deaths 21st-century Bolivian politicians Bolivian exiles Bolivian expatriates in Cuba Bolivian expatriates in El Salvador Bolivian expatriates in Guatemala Bolivian expatriates in Mexico Bolivian expatriates in Peru Bolivian guerrillas 20th-century Bolivian historians Bolivian people of Aymara descent Bolivian trade union leaders Candidates in the 2002 Bolivian presidential election Candidates in the 2005 Bolivian presidential election Higher University of San Andrés alumni Indigenous activists of South America Jallalla La Paz politicians Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Bolivia) Pachakuti Indigenous Movement politicians People from Omasuyos Province {{Bolivia-politician-stub