Rupay

Rupay means in the Andean language Quechua: burning, heat, and fire. On May 17, 1980, the Sendero Luminoso, or Shining Path, burned the ballot boxes in the Peruvian city of Ayacucho in one of its first actions. This marked the beginning of a phase of armed struggle aimed at igniting the flame of revolution into a wildfire. More than a decade of brutal class warfare followed. A total of 69,000 people were kidnapped, tortured, and murdered, yet neither the state nor the church acknowledged their responsibility for a spiral of violence fueled by inequality, arbitrariness, and injustice. This gripping narrative recalls these dramatic struggles with clear and expressive illustrations and a few original photographs.