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Centering on the Indian peoples in the two provinces of rural Cuzco (Peru) where the most important Indian rebellion in the colonial period--the Thupa Amaro rebellion--erupted, my dissertation analyzes the efforts of the native peoples to maintain their way of life under the pressure of increasing colonial demands, ethnic division and rapid population growth.
Moving the historical debate beyond the state and economy, I examine ways in which culture affected the impact of material and political considerations on Indian society, at the same time that these factors altered culture. The analytical concept of moral economy, at the crossroads of culture and economy, is expanded upon and adapted to the Andean context where deep cultural traditions of reciprocity make it especially appropriate. Moral economy is useful in understanding the importance placed by Indian peoples on face-to-face relations with colonial and Indian authorities. It also illuminates our understanding of resistance. The dissertation also contributes to the regional economy-world systems debate that has altered perceptions of the internal economy once viewed as stagnant.
Using rich ethnographic data obtained from research in local and church archives in Cuzco, as well as research materials from archives in Lima (Peru), Potosi, Sucre (Bolivia) and Buenos Aires (Argentina) I analyze from the "ground up" the extremely complex and contradictory relationships between peoples in the colonial world. Chapters dealing with crime and violence reorient much thinking by demonstrating the importance of inter-Indian, not just European-Indian, conflict in shaping the native peoples' world view. Likewise, cultural proscriptions against theft deterred the emergence of social banditry among Indians. Using materials related to personal relations and religious beliefs, the dissertation also explores the formation and defense of moral values in colonial society. The result is an understanding of both native peoples and Europeans that challenges common assumptions in the course of presenting new interpretations.