Born in Upper Peru, Tomás Katari was a reformist who envisioned a self-governing indigenous community within the Spanish state. A confirmed pacifist, when he saw the economic oppression of his people getting out of hand, Katari went to Buenos Aires (the capital of the viceroyalty) to speak his piece. Upon arriving, he was arrested, which sparked an uprising of the people and soon led to his release. Named cacique, or chief, Katari ruled briefly before being caught and executed by royalists.

Katari’s rebellion was subsequently picked up by many others, though the original goal—an autonomous indigenous community within the Spanish state—and the method by which to obtain it—non-violence—were lost. Nevertheless, the rebellions that followed were the start of a long chain of uprisings that would eventually lead to Bolivian independence.