Main content

Skip to main content

Magnicides, Ep. 02 - Bartolina Sisa

View on the Pragda STREAM site

Bartolina Sisa Vargas was an Aymara leader, freedom fighter, and anti-colonial heroine from Bolivia. She grew up witnessing the exploitation of Indigenous peoples under Spanish colonial rule and played a central role in organizing Indigenous uprisings against the Spanish. She was instrumental in the 1781 Siege of La Paz, where she commanded armies and managed logistics for tens of thousands of fighters. During this time, she was proclaimed "Queen of the Inca."

The rebellion was eventually crushed by Spanish reinforcements. Sisa was captured, tortured, and executed in 1782 as a warning to others. Despite her death, she remains a symbol of Indigenous resistance and empowerment. Her legacy is honored annually on September 5th, the International Day of Indigenous Women.

Related Films

Pakucha

In a Peruvian Andean community, a family celebrates rituals evoking alpaca…

Martírio

Filmed over the course of 40 years, indigenous expert and filmmaker Vincent…

Sun and Daughter

Ten-year-old Lucía builds her daily in a small village near Lake Titicaca…