Religious pluralism has been embedded in Peruvian culture since pre-Hispanic times. The Incas transferred the deities of their defeated enemies to Cusco, the centre of their government, where they were placed hierarchically under the Sun, sacred fount and origin of the Inca dynasty. During the Spanish colonial regime, the Catholic Church was organised by parishes and dioceses on a territorial basis, differentiating those aimed at the Indians from those for the Spaniards. Some parishes were in the charge of religious congregations with different charisms and traditions, while others were under diocesan priests. The focus that will guide this essay is religious diversity in Peru, which can be traced back to pre-Hispanic times and continued through the colonial and republican periods until the present century, on which we will concentrate.

Christian Diversity and Religious Pluralism

In the first decades of the sixteenth century, Spaniards arrived in the lands of the Incas, known as Tahuantinsuyo. Here the Incas had developed a complex society organised around religious and political bases, similar to a European kingdom. It had incorporated, through wars and commerce, other cultures and nations under the political and armed control of the Incas. In the early sixteenth century, at a moment of internal struggle for dynastic power, Spanish expeditions succeeded in capturing and defeating Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor. After a short period of struggle for Spanish domination the Viceroyalty of Peru was established in the city of Lima. This coincided with a time of political and religious conflict in Europe, which divided Christianity. During the sixteenth century the Spaniards continued the struggle to gain control of the whole territory. By the end of the century, the Viceroyalty of Peru was an established colony based on the Incas’ power structure, the presence of the Catholic Church throughout the territory and the Spanish political and economic command and administration.

Between 1780 and 1783, the most important Indigenous rebellion took place, led by José Gabriel Condorcanqui, also known as Túpac Amaru II, cacique of Tungasuca in Cusco. He was an Inca descendant who aspired to be recognised in his political role as a member of the Inca dynasty.