Rupay (A Graphic History of Political Violence in Peru, 1980-1990)

One of the bloodiest and longest lasting revolutionary movements in Latin America described in graphic form.

Rupay, in Quechua, means ardor, fire. On May 17th, 1980, the Shining Path, a Maoist group in Peru, burned the electoral records in a small town in the Ayacucho region to ignite the revolution that would set all of Peru aflame. This graphic novel retells the events relating to the start of the conflict, between 1980 and 1984, and the political violence that continued through 1990. Cossio Guevara charts the first subversive acts by the Shining Path, the government response, the escalation of violence, the response from the media and Peruvian intellectuals, and the brutality and impunity with which the repression was carried out, as well as such brutal episodes as the burning of polling in Chuschi, the Lucanamarca massacre, the mass graves in Putis, and the massacres of Aranhuay and Paccha.

Masterfully drawn, this graphic novel is the chronicle of the tragedy and barbarism that challenged the poorest and most vulnerable members of Peruvian society, revealing the racist, classist, and apathetic attitudes from the criminals, government officials, military officers, business groups, and unaffected civilians alike. This book immortalizes the victims and recounts these events so that this tragic history is not lost to obscurity or repeated.