Rupay

One of Latin America's bloodiest and longest-running revolutionary movements is told here in graphic form. Rupay means “ember, fire” in Quechua. On May 17, 1980, the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso), a Maoist group in Peru, burned the voter rolls of a small town in the Ayacucho region to ignite a revolution that would set all of Peru ablaze. This graphic novel reconstructs the events around the start of the conflict between 1980 and 1984 as well as the political violence that continued until 1990.

Cossio Guevara depicts the Shining Path's first subversive acts, the government's reaction, the escalation of violence, the resonance in the media and among Peruvian intellectuals, and the brutality and impunity with which the repression was carried out. Covered topics include:

• the burning of electoral records in Chuschi
• the Lucanamarca massacre
• the mass graves of Putis
• the massacres of Aranhuay and Paccha

Masterfully drawn, this graphic novel is a chronicle of the tragedy and barbarity that struck the poorest and most vulnerable members of Peruvian society. It lays bare the racist, class-based, and apathetic attitudes of perpetrators, government officials, military, business groups, and uninvolved civilians alike. This book is a memorial to the victims and preserves the record so that this tragic history is not forgotten or repeated.