Until recently, historiography had not emphasized Indigenous political protagonism in the struggles for independence. Much remains to be done to bring Indigenous actors into the spotlight. This work draws attention to the life of Andrés Ximénez de León Manco Cápac, an Indigenous priest who fought for independence across a vast territory encompassing present-day Bolivia, Argentina, and Uruguay. He was involved in a large network that included Bishop Pedro José Chávez de la Rosa and Juan José Castelli. Ximénez de León Manco Cápac’s engagement was multifaceted: political, military, and intellectual. He pursued his own political agenda, seeking to break from Spain and reestablish Indigenous sovereignty, thereby connecting political liberalism, the ideals of Inca revival, and the memory of the great rebellions.
