1. Death In The Andes (Novel)
And
Paloma de Papel (Film)
By: Amanda Garibay in History 141(31644)

2. During the 17-year incubation period, Sendero

established a network of supporters and guerilla
fighters in relatively secluded areas.
 Beginning in 1980, the movement launched
attacks on areas of agricultural production in
the central Andes, the Upper Huallaga Valley
(UHV), and the southern department of Puno, in
an attempt to sever urban areas from their
sustenance in Peru’s periphery. In the
process, the group ousted or murdered local
government officials and assumed their
functions.
This gives you an idea of why Mario Vargas llosa called his novel
“Death In The Andes”

3. The Guerilla

Movement consisted
The Guerilla movement seriously challenged the
of:
Peruvian government throughout the 1980s and
early 1990s, and which is mentioned in the
 harassment and
novel.
terrorizing peasants
 car bombings
 fiestas
 Drinking
Two major competing groups have

historically perpetrated most of
 And much more
the threat. In its heyday in the
unpleasant activities
late 1980s and early 1990s, the
were involved.
larger Sendero Luminoso (SL), or
“Shining Path,” once possessed a
formidable force of roughly 5,000
guerillas.

4. In sharp contrast, the Tupac

Amaru Revolutionary
Movement (MRTA) of that
era maintained a mere
force of 100 to 150 fighters.
Owing mostly to desertions
and counterterrorist
measures by the Peruvian
government, the numbers
of both have declined
drastically over the last 10
years.
The U.S. State Department now
estimates the Sendero’s numbers
to be around 200, though recent
developments have prompted
fears of the group’s resurgence.

5. “Set in the Peruvian Andes during the
chaotic 1980s, this tense drama follows a
group of paramilitary guerillas trying to
survive in the midst of a bloody civil war.
It's the incredible (and incredibly
frightening) coming-of-age story of a
youngster named Juan (Antonio Callirgos)
who struggles to survive
poverty, corruption and violence when
Shining Path guerrillas sweep through his
town and forcibly recruit him into their
ranks.”

6. In 1981 terrorism attacks intensified.

The government orders the military to
restore order. 1982 state of emergency is
declared. Army take control of
Ayacucho. The military used this power
extremely heavy-handedly, arresting
scores of innocent people, at times
subjecting them to torture and rape. In
several massacres, the military wiped
out entire villages. Military personnel
took to wearing black ski-masks to hide
their identity as they committed these
crimes.
The Shining Path start wearing civilian

clothes to blend in with the rural
communities. The Military torture the
poor for information. Slaughter and
disapperances are widespread in the
rural communities with attrocities on
both sides, the poor are stuck in the
middle. Lima tolerates this brutality
from a distance.
Terrucos: Terrorists

7. Ronderos: Village self-defense group
Faced with a hostile population, the guerrilla war began to falter. In some
areas, peasants formed anti-Shining Path patrols, called rondas. They were
generally poorly-equipped despite donations of guns from the armed forces.
In March 1983, rondas brutally killed Olegario Curitomay, one of the
commanders of the town of Lucanamarca. They took him to the town square,
stoned him, stabbed him, set him on fire, and finally shot him.