Smoldering Ashes Cuzco and the Creation of Republican Peru, 1780-1840

"This is a very good book, and may even come to be a classic in this cutting-edge sub-field of Latin American history. It imaginatively explores questions about the nature of Indian political participation in the new national Peruvian state, the social and political bases of caudillo rule, and the specific history of important episodes such as the Tupac Aaru and Pumacahua uprisings. The research is impressively deep, the writing clear, engaging, and rising at points to lyricism" - Eric van Young, University of California at San Diego "This pioneering study of the changing links between the state and its Indian subjects through the transition to the Republic is not only a truly brilliant reconstruction of a complex and enigmatic process but a vital contribution to the current effort to make sense of the painful birth of modern Spanish America." - Tulio Halperin Donghi, University of California at Berkeley "[an] important contribution to 19th-century Latin American historiography."--Choice "The culmination of a number of minor revolts in the highlands around Cuzco in 1780 provides the setting for this impressive history that examines a much-documented event from a new interpretative perspective... Walker deftly presents his perspective with a combination of thorough research and skilfully written narrative ... he has produced an enlightening and well-written source of reference." - British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America, October 1999 "This is a very fine book... While the broad contours of Walker's thesis are perhaps not surprising , the intelligence and insight that he brings to his analysis lift this book into an entirely different category of reading experience. His text is full of small detail and sub-arguments that are a pleasure to read... Most fascinating of all he provides splendid information on the use of the inca empire as a counter-hegemonic symbol throughout the entire picture."--History, Vol 86, No. 284, October 2001B