Indigenous uprisings and colonial unrest in Peru (1630s)

Timeline

1. 1630–1635Huancavelica mercury mining district · Huancavelica regionIn the early 1630s indigenous miners at Peru's Huancavelica mercury mine died or were injured in huge numbers in extremely dangerous pits; survivors fled their ayllus to avoid mita conscription. This mass flight caused severe labor shortages in the mining districts, and local officials resorted to coercive measures to pursue fugitives, sparking larger community unrest and passive resistance.
2. 1635–1638Cajamarca and the hills of northern Peru · Northern PeruBetween 1635 and 1638 local armed clashes erupted around mission stations in the hills of northern Peru and along the edge of the Amazon lowlands; indigenous leaders (curacas), using their knowledge of the terrain, led their people to attack Spanish inspectors and church tax collectors. Though small in scale, these conflicts showed the persistent tension caused by the structural oppression of the colonial system across the Andes.
3. 1638–1640Viceregal palace, Lima · LimaFacing mining unrest and continuing indigenous flight, the viceregal government of Peru issued several administrative orders between 1638 and 1640, attempting to curb the worst abuses in the mines and fine-tune mita conscription quotas; however the reforms were limited and poorly enforced, the fundamental contradictions remaining, accumulating deep causes for larger uprisings such as that of Túpac Amaru in the later 17th century.