Between the national and the local: Celebrations and tensions during the commemoration and post-celebration of the centenial 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.