Blood River: Andean Messianism Erupts in Peru

Abstract

Why did liberals condemn President Castillo while masses of Indigenous Andeans rose up in his support? Liberals are unable to affirm Andean messianism, including notions of yawar mayu (blood river), pachakuti (world reversal), ukhu pacha (inner/under world), and calpa/camaquen/camac (spirit power). Concepts of justified violence and historical redemption challenge the foundation of who and what we are as modern individuals. This paper critiques liberal intellectuals who ignore Indo-socialist literary traditions in Peru, tending to miss Indigenous notions of messianism and their political implications. The vision of Indigenous socialism proposed by Mariátegui, Vallejo, Arguedas, Blanco, and Galindo gives us a lens through which to critique liberals who conflate socialism and authoritarianism in their misunderstanding of Andean worlds. As leftists, we must enact an onto-epistemic break, reclaim our imaginations, and join the fight for justice.