WikiPeru • The Encyclopedia of Peru
The AIgorythm project
Playwright and actor
Novelist
Writer and poet
Volleyball player
Italian-Peruvian naturalist and geographer
Singer and percussionist
Last Inca emperor
Politician, former prime Minister
Journalist and TV host
Poet
Inca warrior
Actor and comedian
Biophysicist
Poet
Doctor and researcher
Businessman, Interbank group
Journalist and writer
Poet and writer
Singer and songwriter
Writer
Film director, Berlin Golden Bear winner
Football player
Writer and journalist
Doctor and scientist
Photograph
Chess player
Industrialist
Former general
Specialist in public health
Actress and singer
Afro-Peruvian music singer
Mathematician and engineer
Indigenous chronicler
Neurologist and anthropologist
Painter
Football player
National hero, military leader
Intellectual and reformer
Chef and entrepreneur
Fashion designer
Singer-songwriter
TV presenter
Marathon runner
Indigenous Peruvian chronicler
Theologian
Former national team captain
Economist and former health minister
Inca princess
Writer and television host
Folk musician
Poet and guerrilla
Former UN secretary-general
Chef, known for fusion cuisine
Football player
Peruvian aviation pioneer
Poet and artist
Marxist philosopher and writer
Industrialist and businessman
Novelist and ethnologist
Painter and muralist
Opera tenor
Fashion designer
Cardinal of Lima
Peruvian tennis player
Football coach
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Military hero
War of the Pacific hero
The youngest mother in history
Politician
Creole music singer
Tennis player
Musician
Writer and politician
Politician and founder of the Christian Democratic Party
Founder of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae
Archaeologist and anthropologist
Military leader and politician
Television host
Actress and singer
Contemporary sculptor
Women’s rights activist
Beauty queen
Astrophysicist
Heroine of independence
Mathematician and archaeologist
Historian and anthropologist
Military figure and historical figure
Fashion photographer
Writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Politician
Revolutionary leader
Environmental activist
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Musician from Gaia band
War hero
Military leader and politician
Chef, known for Nikkei cuisine
Volleyball coach and former player
Environmental activist
Television personality
Writer
Football player
Epidemiologist and former health Minister
Inventor and aerospace pioneer
Soldier and inventor
Rock singer
Chef and co-owner of Central restaurant
Painter
Football player
TV presenter and actress
Actor
Writer and historian
Journalist and lawyer
Archaeologist, founder of Caral site
Monk and Saint
Saint, patron of Latin America
Physicist and engineer
World champion surfer
Actress
Oncologist
Singer, Latin Grammy winner
Former mayor of Lima
Singer
Actress
Former football player
Painter
Former football player
Painter
Inca leader
Archbishop, saint
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Revolutionary indigenous leader
Diplomat and intellectual
Sculptor and painter
Political leader, founder of APRA
Lawyer and Former prime minister
Chef of Central restaurant
Former head of secret services
Popular singer
Fashion designer
Exotic music singer
Felipe Huamán Poma de Ayala (c. 1535-1616) was a Peruvian indigenous chronicler, best known for his work Nueva corónica y buen gobierno (New Chronicle and Good Government). Written between 1600 and 1615, this vast document describes the life of the Incas before and after the Spanish conquest. Huamán Poma's work serves as both a critique of colonial rule and a plea for reforms to improve the lives of the native populations under Spanish governance. He was born into an Inca noble family, which provided him with a bilingual education in both Quechua and Spanish, essential for his role as a chronicler.
Huamán Poma was born into a noble family in the region of Ayacucho. His Quechua name, Felipe Huamán Poma, translates to "eagle" and "mountain lion," reflecting the Incan tradition of giving symbolic names. He grew up during a time of significant political and social upheaval, as the Inca Empire had been conquered by the Spanish in 1532. Despite his noble heritage, Huamán Poma witnessed firsthand the difficulties and abuses endured by the indigenous population under colonial rule.
Between 1600 and 1615, Huamán Poma embarked on writing his masterpiece, the Nueva corónica y buen gobierno, a sprawling document of over 1,000 pages in which he meticulously described the daily lives of the Andean peoples and sharply criticized the Spanish administration. Addressed to King Philip III of Spain, his work aimed to expose the abuses committed by Spanish colonizers and propose a new model of colonial governance that would respect indigenous cultures and protect the rights of native peoples.
The Nueva corónica is not just a chronicle of Inca life before the arrival of the Spanish; it is also a searing indictment of the colonial system. Huamán Poma detailed the injustices inflicted on the indigenous people by the encomenderos, priests, and colonial officials. According to his work, the colonial administration was rife with corruption and brutality, leading to the exploitation of indigenous people and the destruction of their culture.
One of the most striking features of the Nueva corónica is its nearly 400 illustrations, which depict life in The Andes before and after the conquest. These drawings provide a visual account of Andean customs, traditions, and rituals, as well as the abuses of colonial rule. Huamán Poma's illustrations are among the earliest graphic representations of indigenous history in the context of colonization, making his work a rare and valuable visual and literary document.
Despite its significance, the Nueva corónica remained unknown for centuries. The manuscript was sent to the king of Spain but never reached royal hands and was lost in the archives until it was rediscovered in 1908 at the Royal Library of Copenhagen, Denmark. Since its rediscovery, Huamán Poma's work has been the subject of numerous studies and publications, and he is now recognized as one of the great chroniclers of colonial Peruvian history.
Today, Felipe Huamán Poma de Ayala is regarded as a defender of indigenous rights and a pioneering critic of colonialism. His work has had a profound influence on later studies of Andean history and the role of indigenous peoples in the making of colonial Peru. His ability to combine art with social critique has left an indelible mark on Latin American historiography, and his legacy remains relevant in contemporary struggles for indigenous rights.
Felipe Huamán Poma de Ayala is not only a key figure in Andean history but also a symbol of the intellectual and cultural resistance of indigenous peoples to colonization. His Nueva corónica y buen gobierno remains a crucial work for understanding the colonial history of Peru and the complexities of the interaction between colonizers and indigenous peoples. Through his writings and drawings, Huamán Poma left a lasting legacy that continues to inspire historians, artists, and human rights advocates worldwide.