BETWEEN THE NATIONAL AND THE LOCAL: CELEBRATIONS ANDTENSIONS DURING THE COMMEMORATION AND POST-CELEBRATIONOF THE CENTENNIAL OF THE BATTLE OF AYACUCHO IN CUZCO

Abstract

This paper examines the commemoration and post-commemoration of the
Centennial of the Battle of Ayacucho in Cuzco in December 1924, offering a
detailed analysis of its unfolding. Despite the magnitude of this event within
the republican calendar, centennial celebrations in Peru’s regions have received
little attention in historiography. Drawing on local sources, the article traces
step by step the course of the official ceremonies and the tensions that emerged
within them. It underscores the role of regional elites, the incorporation of religious
symbols into civic ritual, and the vindication of figures such as Agustín
Gamarra. In addition, it analyzes the gesture of the indigenous leader Miguel
Quispe as a form of subaltern agency that challenges the national narrative on
its own terms. The study proposes a two-phase periodization and contributes
to historiography by offering a decentralized reading of this commemoration,
highlighting the role of regional actors in the celebrations.