Kick-Ass Women from History #8: Bartolina Sisa

Allow me to introduce to you, via song, the only woman from the Americas I know who can rival Lozen for sheer badassery. The song doesn’t actually have anything to do with her, but it does get the vibe right. Sit down, strap in, and get ready to hear about one of the most amazing women to have ever walked our planet: Bartolina Sisa

Background

Bartolina was born sometime around 1750 in Q’ara Qhatu in what is now Bolivia, but then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, to a family of indigenous traders trading coca leaves and textiles. Her family travelled far and wide across the Andean region, exposing her to the injustices and violence faced by indigenous peoples under Spanish rule from an early age. These experiences shaped her awareness of the oppression endured by her community and fueled determination to resist colonial authority.

She married Julián Apaza, better known today as Túpac Katari, a prominent indigenous leader. Together they had four children and, because of her intelligent, resourceful, and strong character (traits that would later define her leadership), they formed a powerful partnership in both family and political life.

Worldview

Bartolina’s spiritual beliefs were an important part of what made her so effective in leadership and rebellion. They were deeply rooted in Aymara and Andean traditions, a set of syncretic beliefs that blended Catholicism with traditional beliefs that at their core revered natural forces, Achachilas (ancestral spirits), and the cyclic concept of pachakuti (tranformation and renewal) that intrinsically connected people to their territory, customs and traditions.

As a result of this, Bartolina’s struggle was not merely a political disagreement with rulers, but rather a struggle for restoration of indigenous identity, dignity, as well as land and resource rights. Her movement also embodied the principle of chacha-warmi (complementarity of men and women) in which she insisted upon gender equity and on the vital role of women in leadership and resistance.

Uprising

In the late 18th century, at age 25(!), Bartolina became a key leader in the largest ever indigenous uprising, consisting mostly of Aymara and Quechua, against Spanish colonial rule in the Andes, alongside her husband Túpac. She began organizing indigenous militias and gathering an army that at its height reached 150 thousand. This army launched the Siege of La Paz on the 13th of March, 1781 with 20 thousand troops, later joined by 80 thousand more. Bartolina herself commanded an army of 40 thousand, organising military camps around all the mountain passes that led to the city and acting as the main commander of indigenous forces. In this role she displayed exceptional logistical and strategic skill, impressing on the Spanish how critical a figure she was to the rebellion, as a Spanish military force attempted, in May, to dissolve the siege and capture Bartolina but failed to do so.

Leadership

Túpac and Bartolina set up court in El Alto and maintained the siege for 184 days. During this period, Bartolina was proclaimed “Queen of the Inca”, an affectionate title, and ruled alongside her husband Túpac, with Bartolina taking total command after her husband was captured in April. Her leadership extended beyond the battlefield: she coordinated logistics, organized women’s participation, and inspired unity among diverse indigenous groups.

Execution

After over six months of siege, the uprising was finally broken by Spanish reinforcements from Lima, La Plata, and Buenos Aires, aided by other indigenous communities that opposed the Aymara and Quechua peoples.

Bartolina Sisa was captured, tortured, and executed by the Spanish on September 5th, 1782. Her death was intended as a warning to others. She was publicly humiliated (and I doubt I need to explain what that is code for), hanged, her body dismembered and then displayed to terrorize the indigenous population with Spanish brutality.

Despite this, however, her legacy endured.

Legacy

Bartolina is celebrated to this day as a symbol of indigenous resistance and the struggle for justice, equality, and self-determination. Even though her siege was ultimately broken by the Spanish, the uprising represented a significant indigenous challenge to colonial power in the Andes, demonstrating the organizational capacity, the unity, and the determination of indigenous peoples inspiring future generations of resistance.

Since 1983, the International Day of Indigenous Women has been commemorated on the anniversary of her death, honoring her sacrifice and leadership. Many indigenous organizations in Bolivia, such as the Bartolina Sisa Confederation, bear her name and continue her fight for the rights of indigenous peoples and women.

Her vision of identity, land, and gender equity continues to inspire contemporary movements for indigenous rights and social justice throughout Latin America. So despite her loss and subsequent horrible execution at the hands of the Spanish, it is clear that Bertolina Sisa was Unstoppable.