Salomón P’uchi

A Quechua leader who fought for indigenous land rights in Peru, catalyzing Latin America’s modern indigenous rights movement.

Salomón P’uchi (1920–1989) was a Peruvian Quechua activist and founder of the Quechua-Aymara Indigenous Federation (FEC). Born in the Andean highlands of Ayacucho, he organized peasant strikes in the 1950s against hacienda landowners who exploited indigenous labor. His 1960s Comunidades Campesinas movement reclaimed over 2 million hectares of ancestral land, leading to Peru’s 1973 agrarian reform law.

P’uchi’s 1974 hunger strike in Cusco drew international attention to indigenous rights, influencing the UN’s Declaration on Indigenous Rights. He also preserved Quechua language through radio programs and literacy campaigns. His 1980 book 《The Andes Will Not Die》 became a cornerstone of indigenous studies.

Despite assassination attempts during Peru’s internal conflict, P’uchi’s legacy endures in Bolivia’s Law of the Andean Peoples and Ecuador’s plurinational constitution. His portrait appears on Peru’s 50 Nuevo Sol banknote.