Julián Apaza, better known as Túpac Katari, was an Indigenous leader captured and quartered by the Spanish in Peñas, Bolivia.

The Aymara leader is revered as the liberator of Bolivia’s Indigenous communities for his courageous rebellion against Spanish colonizers in the 18th century. A judge sentenced him to be “dismembered” using the same barbaric method employed to execute Túpac Amaru II: four horses pulled his limbs in opposite directions until his body was torn apart.

Despite his death, Túpac Katari’s struggle remains unforgettable. He lives on in every Indigenous community, not only in Bolivia but throughout South America.

Katari fought for the liberation of Indigenous peoples subjected to colonial oppression. His famous words, “I die, but I will return, and I will be millions,” are regarded as prophetic.

The Aymara leader raised an army of approximately 40,000 men to challenge Spain’s colonial forces and succeeded in besieging the city of La Paz in 1781.

Today marks 243 years since his execution, but his fight for justice and freedom is more alive than ever.