In the period under study (1956-1966), a prolonged drought precipitated a series of crises. The mismanagement of American aid, sent to the suffering peasants, became a national cause célèbre. As migration to Peru’s coastal cities reached large-scale proportions, several peasant movements were launched in the department. To rechannel local discontent, an autonomous development corporation was created for Puno by the Peruvian Congress. This, plus the institution of local elections in 1963, provided ample opportunity for the coalition of dissident mestizos, cholos, and peasants to pursue their “revolutionary” goals.
A rivalry between two major towns, Puno (the department’s capital) and Juliaca (the commercial center), furthered the conflict between conservative mestizos and the peasant-cholo movement. Juliaca’s attempt to secede from the department in November 1965 set off a series of violent strikes and counterstrikes in both cities. Intervention from the national level by government troops put an end to the crisis for the time being. But the continued need for land reform in the department, combined with institutionalized means for political participation, kept the peasants mobilized and the atmosphere of conflict alive.
In the period under study (1956-1966), a prolonged drought precipitated a series of crises. The mismanagement of American aid, sent to the suffering peasants, became a national cause célèbre. As migration to Peru’s coastal cities reached large-scale proportions, several peasant movements were launched in the department. To rechannel local discontent, an autonomous development corporation was created for Puno by the Peruvian Congress. This, plus the institution of local elections in 1963, provided ample opportunity for the coalition of dissident mestizos, cholos, and peasants to pursue their “revolutionary” goals.
A rivalry between two major towns, Puno (the department’s capital) and Juliaca (the commercial center), furthered the conflict between conservative mestizos and the peasant-cholo movement. Juliaca’s attempt to secede from the department in November 1965 set off a series of violent strikes and counterstrikes in both cities. Intervention from the national level by government troops put an end to the crisis for the time being. But the continued need for land reform in the department, combined with institutionalized means for political participation, kept the peasants mobilized and the atmosphere of conflict alive.
![Politics in the Altiplano: The Dynamics of Change in Rural Peru](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.10.4)
Politics in the Altiplano: The Dynamics of Change in Rural Peru
234![Politics in the Altiplano: The Dynamics of Change in Rural Peru](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.10.4)
Politics in the Altiplano: The Dynamics of Change in Rural Peru
234Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781477301500 |
---|---|
Publisher: | University of Texas Press |
Publication date: | 01/01/1969 |
Series: | LLILAS Latin American Monograph Series , #15 |
Pages: | 234 |
Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d) |