Bartolomé de Mesa Túpac Yupanqui: trajectory of a trader of the Lima’s indigenous elite (1774-1810)

Abstract

Analysis of the trajectory of Bartolomé de Mesa Túpac Yupanqui, a member of Lima’s trader elite of indigenous descent, in a period of great changes that go from the implementation of the Bourbon reforms and their consequences in the Limeña economy, passing through the rebellion of Túpac Amaru II until the French invasion of Spain and the emergence of government boards in several American territories.
His study allows us to see the similarities and differences between his actions and that of any Spanish or Creole merchant of the same category and the process of changing his political position, which went from total loyalty to the Spanish Crown, because he was the main financier of the indigenous festivities in honor of Charles IV that were held in Lima in 1790, to participate actively in the conspiracies that occurred in the city with the aim of achieving greater autonomy for local elites. He was linked to Mateo Silva, a lawyer from Lima, main organizer of the secret autonomist meetings in which Bartolomé de Mesa actively participated and for which he was imprisoned and accused of conspiracy.