Antonio Huachaca was a Peruvian indigenous peasant and loyalist of the Spanish Empire who fought for Spain during the Viceregal era, and then for the Royalist cause during and after the Peruvian War of Independence, reaching the rank of brigadier general of the Royal Army of Peru. He later took part in establishing the Peru–Bolivian Confederation, eventually holding the title of "Justice of the Peace and Governor of Carhuaucran District" until the Confederation's dissolution in 1839.
After the defeat of Iquicha, Huachaca changed his name to José Antonio Navala Huachaca, with José having been chosen in reference to the name of Antonio José de Sucre and his surname Navala referring to the Peruvian Navy.Bonilla, 1996: 148 Finally, after the defeat of his armies, he continued his guerrilla warfare until 1839.
Early life Huachaca was born to an indigenous family on an unknown date in San José de Santillana, known also as San José de Iquicha, at the end of the 18th century.Meneses, 1974: 74 He had at least two brothers: Prudencio and Pedro, who fought with him in his first rebellion. Prudencio died in 1827, and Pedro in 1828.Husson, 1992: 43, 90 It is possible that while he was still a child, Túpac Amaru II was executed in 1781.Tomaylla, 2005: 86 He grew up as an illiterate muleteer and no estate, being part of the peasants of the community. His carriage routes, commercial networks, and extensive kinship relationships allowed him to associate with landless farmers living in the jungle, villagers, and locals in Huanta.Cristóbal, 1983: 17Méndez Gastelumendi, 2008: 170
By 1813 he is already as a very popular leader,Husson, 1992: 82 leading the indigenous peasants in defiance of the orders of the Huamanga administration in protest of the inability of the local mayor to stop the abuses of government tax collectors, since the Cadiz Constitution had abolished indigenous tribute and non-salaried work in public works (minka). This was a direct consequence of the revolt that had affected the city of Huamanga the previous year, the promulgation of the liberal constitution and the conflicts of the liberal revolutionaries with the absolutist viceregal authorities. The Iquichan locals had no problem supporting both an absolutist king and the reforms of a liberal constitution since both benefitted them.Galdo, 1992: 164; Méndez, 2005a: 100 However, in the face of the insurrection that soon broke out in Cuzco, Huachaca and his people decided to support the king's representatives, indicating that the disrespect for ordinances was more a reaction against a concrete abuse than a movement inspired by some ideology.
Military career He began his military career facing the insurrectionists from Cuzco, mobilizing against the Angulo brothers, just as they had done in 1780 against Túpac Amaru II.Méndez, 2005a: 107 The fighting between the Huantinos and Cusqueños took place from late 1814 to early 1815, with Huachaca acting as guerrilla chief under the command of the landowner and militia commander, Pedro José Lazón, and receiving the rank of brigadier general for these actions in the Royal Army from José de la Serna.Méndez, 2005a: 108 The main action in which the Iquichans participated at that time was the successful defense of Huanta, on October 1, 1814, when a column of 5000 Morochucos (only 300 of them armed with rifles) with four cannons and cavalry tried to take the city. Unlike the Iquichans, prominent royalists, the Morochucos from Cangallo distinguished themselves as fierce patriots.Cornejo, 1961: 31
Later guerrilla movements The guerrilla uprising in Huamanga was not the only one, but nevertheless the most successful one. As the republican armies advanced, guerrillas favorable to one side or the other began to emerge. Many pro-independence parties had managed to surround Lima while José de San Martín occupied Huara and Ica.Luna, 1982: 116 A series of very successful military operations coordinated between soldiers and montoneros began to be launched. Pío de Tristán launched a series of campaigns to the highlands with the support of guerrillas from Huamanga and when José de Canterac approached Callao, his forces were constantly harassed.Salas, 2008: 274
Among the commanders, patriot Cayetano Quirós, leader of a guerrilla of 200 Morochucos in Ica, stands out; He also managed to act in Cangallo, Jauja and Huancayo in aid of the dispersed forces of the Liberating Expedition.Cáceres-Olazo, 1999: 14 He is later defeated and shot in May 1822, with Ica becoming a royalist stronghold for another three years.De Priego, 2000: 17
In the second half of 1826, patriot José de la Riva-Agüero recruited 3,000 guerrillas scattered in Huarochirí, Yauyos, Yauli, Jauja and Tarma for the division of General José de La Mar, while Andrés de Santa Cruz drafted 2,000 men in Jauja, Huancayo and Huancavelica.Basadre, 1998: 96
In this way, the main fields of confrontations and operations between montoneros were the municipalities of Huamanga, Huancavelica and Ica. During 1823, while the quite devastating advance of the United Liberation Army of Peru began in numerous cities and towns of the Peruvian central highlands, irregular units were organized that began to act as guerrillas, informants and even reinforcements of the Royal Army, greatly diminished by the long war.García, 1846: 117 The monarchical resistance in central and southern Peru ended with the defeat of Viceroy De La Serna in Ayacucho on December 9, 1824.
Rebellion of San José de Santillana Huachaca was accompanied by other leaders, all of them indigenous with the exception of the Frenchman Nicolás Soregui, a merchant and former officer of the Spanish Army in Peru.Bonilla, 1996: 154; 2001: 162Husson, 1992: 103 They are described as a very disciplined force despite being armed mainly with slings and spears due to the shortage of rifles.Ceinos, 1992: 350; Reynaga, 1989: 166 Although most of them were armed with sticks, stones and sticks, there were those who had rifles and units on horseback, even those who wore uniforms.
Huanta was once again surrounded and taken, with most rebels coming from the district of Iquicha in Ayacucho.Reynaga, 1989: 166 They were merchants or muleteers,Bonilla, 2001: 167 and there was also indirect participation by Spaniards and mestizos, who helped with organization and propaganda.Bonilla, 2001: 153 The monarchy had created a mystified version of the figure of the Catholic King or Inca among the population.Aljovín, 2000: 196 He was seen as an envoy of God, defender of his worldview of the world, his religiosity and traditional way of life;Del Pino, 2008: 252Garayar, 2003: 56 the vassal relationship with his lord was therefore sacred. Therefore, the republic was considered by the Andean people as the enemy of their people and their faith.Altuve-Febres, 1999: 1 The intendancy was populated mainly by Indians, except for the homonymous capital and the surrounding area.Husson, 1992: 49 The first sign of rebellion came when the rebels executed Lieutenant Colonel Celedonio Medina in Guano, who was taking Bolívar's report to Lima reporting the victory in Ayacucho in early December 1824.
The first phase of the rebellion occurred between March and December 1825 when the indigenous people of Iquicha mobilized, but were quickly contained by the patriot army that was in Huanta. Peace would be very short, however. In January 1826 another mobilization took place that also protested against the collection of the coca tithe. This assured them a relatively good economic position.Bonilla, 2001: 152
In June 1826, the rebels under the command of Huachaca and Soregui managed to seize the town of Huanta, turning it into a center of operations. The small republican garrison fled and when the Iquichanos arrived, they simply entered the town and set fire to the barracks, the municipality and other buildings.Witt, 1992: 231. Later, and with the support of two deserting factions of the Húsares de Junín, they tried to take Huamanga, but were defeated by the garrison of the city. The city was defended by eight trenches with one cannon each. When the rebels withdrew from Huanta, Huachaca he ordered the town to be burned, but no one complied with that order.Witt, 1992: 231. In July 1826, the general and president of the Governing Council, Andrés de Santa Cruz, personally traveled to Ayacucho to fight the rebels. As a consequence of these events, a fierce campaign of repression against the rebels began; Frequent were the executions of those who refused to pay taxes to the authorities, the humiliation of women, the execution of prisoners and the desecration of churches by the so-called peacekeepers or republican troops.Cavero, 1953: 57; Witt, 1991: 29
The third phase of the rebellion began on November 12, 1827, when the rebels from Iquicha retake Huanta, after a weak resistance from the Pichincha battalion under the command of the elusive Sergeant Major Narciso Tudela. The Iquichans were led by Huachaca, and by the commanders of the guerrilla forces, among whom stood out (his brother) Prudencio Huachaca, the French Basque Nicolás Soregui, Francisco Garay, Francisco Lanche, Tadeo Chocce and the priest Mariano Meneses, chaplain of the Iquichan army. Tadeo Chocce was a literate Indian with a farm in the puna. On the heights of Iquicha the monarchical banner had once again risen, and his plans were very ambitious: to take Huanta, liberate Huamanga and Huancavelica and, finally, the "Restoration of the Kingdom",Del Pino, 1955 extirpating the republicans, proclaiming a counterrevolutionary and illiberal ideology, supported by clergymen.Cavero, 1953: 29
Keeping the city under his control for two weeks, Huachaca is appointed by locals as "Great Chief of the Restorative Division of the Law", a troop of around 3000 community members.Reynaga, 1989: 166; Urbano, 1991: 172 Then, hoisting the Cross of Burgundy and shouting "Long live the King!", The Iquichans again attacked Ayacucho in numbers from 1500 to 4000, but they are defeated a second time by the skilful defense of the prefect Domingo Tristán y Moscoso in the battles of Mollepata hill and Honda ravine (November 29 and 30, respectively).Altuve-Febres, 1999: 2 This defeat would mark the end of the movement.Urbano, 1991: 173 In December they lose Huanta again. Until June 1828, all the leaders with the exception of Huachaca were arrested. In December of the same year, Soregui and three other leaders are sentenced to death. After overcoming the resistance of the guerrillas, they massacred the indigenous people of Huanta without discrimination of any kind and shot the prisoners without prior trial. Two years later and before the appeal presented by the accused, the Superior Court of Justice of Cusco annulled all the death sentences and Soregui is exiled for ten years along with other leaders.Bonilla, 2001: 150-151
After the fall of Huanta, the irregular phase of the campaign began, known as the guerrilla phase or phase of the castles of Iquicha, named as such due to the Andean peaks having served as fortresses for the monarchical resistance of the indigenous peasantry. Colonel Vidal organized a campaign of counter-henchmen to repress and exterminate the "fanatics" who upheld tradition as the ancestral right to self-determination. For this he took the last 150 regular soldiers who still remained in Huamanga.Witt, 1992: 231