JUAN SANTOS ATAHUALPA

• JOSE SANTOS ATAHUALPA (2008) series –  1/25
• Serigraphs – 19.7 x 27.6 inches (70 x 50 cm.)
• Numbered – original artist signature – watermark – certificate
• Hand printing over cotton paper.

Juan Santos Atahualpa was an enigmatic character in the Peruvian Amazonian history of the colonial era. He was the leader of a significant indigenous and messianic rebellion that broke out in 1742. The jungle was always impenetrable for the colonists, which is why characters like him became a legend. Juan Santos was a Jesuit-raising intellectual mestizo who was fluent in Spanish, Latin, Quechua, and other native languages. His aim was always to be the restorer of the Incan Empire, taking the coast, mountains, and jungle. He came to have more than two thousand men in his charge, uniting the entire central jungle. In reality, very little is known of his life. There is not even a known date or place of death. It is only said that his passing was around 1756, but nothing else is known about him. Juan Santos was also known as “The Messiah” Inca.

“It is said that for Juan Santos, the coca leaf was ‘The Herb of the Gods’… He claimed to have descendants from Atahualpa and proclaimed himself ‘Apu Inka’ (Lord). The date of his death is not known; that is, he just disappeared … everything around him is very mysterious. This is how Juan Santos becomes the ‘Myth’ of the impenetrable jungle. Another ‘superhero’ in Peruvian history. It is said that someday he will return …” —Cherman