Although the agrarian reform in Peru brought ruin and prolonged crisis to the rural sector of the country, its rhetorical justification—in this speech in particular—had lasting influence on Peruvian political and cultural language, partly due to government initiatives, such as the mass production of posters and the organization of art competitions associated with the image of the indigenous insurgent.
José Gabriel Condorcanqui, Túpac Amaru II (1738–81), was a curaca or chief of Incan descent who, in 1780, led the most important Andean uprising against the Spanish empire. Largely ignored by traditional Spanish-American historiography, his figure was the emblem of the so-called Gobierno Revolucionario de las Fuerzas Armadas during its first period (1968–75), which was characterized by social reform and by an interest in symbolic representation.
The graphic representations of the image of Túpac Amaru II with a hat by artists and designers such as Jesús Ruiz Durand (b. 1940) would become key to understanding the political uses of artistic creation. The important role of cultural agents in social change is evident in the fact that journalist Efraín Ruiz Caro (1929–2007) has often been credited with writing this speech by Velasco Alvarado.
[For further reading on Túpac Amaru II, see the following articles in the ICAA digital archive: by General EP Felipe de la Barra “¿Cómo fue Túpac Amaru?” (doc. no. 865441); (unsigned) “Convocan a concurso: monumento a Túpac Amaru se levantará en el Cuzco” (doc. no. 1053438); by Alfredo Arrisueño Cornejo “Convocan a concurso de pintura para perpetuar la imagen plástica del mártir José Gabriel Condorcanqui” (doc. no. 865422), and “Declaran desierto el Concurso de Pintura ‘Túpac Amaru II’” (doc. no. 865498); (unsigned) “En busca de la imagen arquetípica de Túpac Amaru” (doc. no. 865702); by Daniel Valcárcel “El retrato de Túpac Amaru” (doc. no. 1052165); and by A. O. Z. “Túpac Amaru: ¿verdadero retrato?” (doc. no. 865460)].