Bartolina Sisa

Indigenous Aymara leader who organized a massive rebellion against Spanish rule in Bolivia

Bartolina Sisa (1750–1782) was a Quechua warrior and co-leader of the 1780–1781 anti-colonial uprising in the Andes alongside her husband Túpac Katari. Mobilizing over 40,000 indigenous fighters, she besieged La Paz for six months, demanding an end to forced labor and tribute systems. Her strategic brilliance and bilingualism (Quechua and Spanish) made her a formidable commander.

Captured by Spanish authorities, Sisa endured torture but refused to renounce her cause. Her execution by quartering symbolized colonial brutality, yet her defiance inspired later revolutions. In 1983, the UN declared September 5 as International Indigenous Women's Day in her honor. Modern Bolivian social movements, like the cocaleras, view her as a matriarch of resistance. Discover her legacy at Bolivian National Art Museum.