It is a common lament that history has left us few sources reflecting the experience and perspective of indigenous peoples in the Americas. That is not the case when it comes to the Andean revolution of the early 1780s. The vast insurrection and its suppression generated voluminous documentation, though it is true that most of the material concerning the indigenous population was produced by the colonial state. There is however a fascinating body of correspondence written by the indigenous leaders that falls outside these state constraints. A new volume presents 33 letters exchanged between the maximal authority José Gabriel Tupac Amaru, who claimed Inka royal descent; his consort Micaela Bastidas; and their collaborator Tomasa Tito Condemayta, the cacica (female governor) of the town of Acos. Their communications offer insight into the highest levels of the leadership of the movement in Cuzco. Charles Walker, editor of the volume, provides a sure-handed introductory essay and excellent notes clarifying obscure references and the general significance of each letter.

The correspondence illuminates two particular moments in the war: late November to early December 1780, when Tupac Amaru was mobilizing in the south near Lake Titicaca and Bastidas was impatiently waiting to attack the city of Cuzco, and late December to early January 1781, after the attack eventually failed. These are letters from a time of war, but not dry, formal military correspondence. They are not love letters, as the subtitle suggests, but they do indeed take us into the intimate terrain of their authors’ hopes, fears, frustrations, and everyday affairs.

The letters provide fascinating evidence about the remarkable authority of Andean women in the insurrection, as well as the constraints they could face. A total of 19 of the letters are from Micaela Bastidas to her partner. They show the multiple facets of her leadership—she was a counselor and strategist for Tupac Amaru, a military decision-maker in his absence, a steward of camp logistics, and the Cuzco movement’s treasurer, as well as the custodian of her family. Her tone with her husband could be blunt and emotionally unreserved. The title of the book is taken from her excoriation of Tupac Amaru while he was dallying in the southern provinces instead of marching on Cuzco. Referring to the deteriorating conditions in early December, she despaired, “Your absence has been the cause of all this” (81).

The five letters from Tomasa Tito Condemayta show that she exercised similar authority roles. But especially striking is her letter to Bastidas in which she shared her frustration at the patriarchal constraints she faced within the Cuzco movement: “Being a woman, I have had to do so much to defend myself in my role… I don’t know what to do. I am so disadvantaged for being a woman” (111).

Tupac Amaru’s nine letters here are less personally revealing, but they do provide key information about one of the most debated points of the insurrection—his delay in besieging the city of Cuzco, which allowed the Spaniards time to mount a successful defense. He stressed his aim of blocking a rearguard attack by Spanish forces from Puno, Arequipa, or Buenos Aires; the need to dismantle the authority structure of the corregidores (provincial magistrates); and his success in mobilizing troops in the south.

Walker’s introduction helps us to appreciate some of the ways in which these intimate letters shed light on the wider world of the revolution. Other issues await further examination. For example, a study of the terms of address may allow us to see how the insurgent movement acquired more formal political pretentions over time and Tupac Amaru assumed more formal Inka identity. We would also benefit from more analysis of the role of scribes in the composition and rhetoric of the letters, especially in the case of the women, whose literacy is less assured.

In sum, this is a delightful volume that is well suited for general audiences of Spanish-language readers. It includes photo reproductions of a few of the manuscripts, and a dossier of the work of Cuzco photographer Alfredo Márquez. Walker also provides information on the contemporary public memory of Tupac Amaru, Bastidas, and Tito Condemayta in the rural provinces of Cuzco where the insurgency took place. The book will undoubted be widely appreciated in Peru and engaging for readers beyond Peru.