The Most Famous

SOCIAL ACTIVISTS from Peru

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This page contains a list of the greatest Peruvian Social Activists. The pantheon dataset contains 840 Social Activists, 3 of which were born in Peru. This makes Peru the birth place of the 41st most number of Social Activists behind Saudi Arabia, and Belgium.

Top 6

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Peruvian Social Activists of all time. This list of famous Peruvian Social Activists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

Photo of Túpac Amaru II

1. Túpac Amaru II (1738 - 1781)

With an HPI of 67.25, Túpac Amaru II is the most famous Peruvian Social Activist.  His biography has been translated into 44 different languages on wikipedia.

José Gabriel Condorcanqui (c. 1742 – 18 May 1781) – known as Tupaq Amaru II – was an Indigenous leader who led a large Andean rebellion against the Spanish in Peru as self-proclaimed Sapa Inca of a new Inca Empire. He later became a mythical figure in the Peruvian struggle for independence and indigenous rights movement, as well as an inspiration to myriad causes in Spanish America and beyond.

Photo of Abimael Guzmán

2. Abimael Guzmán (1934 - 2021)

With an HPI of 61.15, Abimael Guzmán is the 2nd most famous Peruvian Social Activist.  His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Manuel Rubén Abimael Guzmán Reynoso (Latin American Spanish: [maˈnwel ruˈβen aβimaˈel ɡusˈman rejˈnoso]; 3 December 1934 − 11 September 2021), also known by his nom de guerre Chairman Gonzalo (Spanish: Presidente Gonzalo), was a Peruvian Maoist guerrilla leader. He founded the organization Communist Party of Peru – Shining Path (PCP-SL) in 1969 and led a rebellion against the Peruvian government until his capture by authorities on 12 September 1992. He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism and treason. In the 1960s and 1970s, Guzmán was a professor of philosophy active in far-left politics strongly influenced by Marxism, Leninism, and Maoism. He developed an ideology of armed struggle stressing the empowerment of the Indigenous people. He went underground in the mid-1970s to become the leader of the Shining Path, which began "The People's War" or the "Armed Struggle" on 17 May 1980.

Photo of Hilda Gadea

3. Hilda Gadea (1925 - 1974)

With an HPI of 60.78, Hilda Gadea is the 3rd most famous Peruvian Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Hilda Gadea Acosta (21 March 1925 – 11 February 1974) was a Peruvian economist, Communist leader, and author. She was the first wife of communist revolutionary Che Guevara. Gadea Acosta was Secretary of the Economy of the Executive National Committee for Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana (APRA, American Popular Revolutionary Alliance). Her activities in Peru led to her exile in 1948. She first met Guevara in Guatemala in December 1953. Gadea and Guevara moved to Mexico due to pressure from their politics. She introduced Guevara to several Cuban rebels. Gadea married Guevara in Mexico in September 1955, after learning she was pregnant. The marriage ended in a divorce in May 1959. They had a daughter named Hilda Beatriz "Hildita" Guevara Gadea in February 1956 who died of cancer in 1995. Following the Cuban Revolution, in which Guevara fought, Gadea came to Cuba, to be confronted with the announcement by Guevara that he had fallen in love with another woman, Aleida March, and requested a divorce. Gadea remained loyal to Guevara's political movement; she died in Havana in 1974. She wrote the memoir My Life With Che. Gabriel San Roman, a writer for Z Magazine, began writing a play about Gadea.

Photo of Micaela Bastidas

4. Micaela Bastidas (1744 - 1781)

With an HPI of 51.01, Micaela Bastidas is the 4th most famous Peruvian Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Micaela Bastidas Puyucahua (born in Tamburco, 1744; died in Cusco, May 18, 1781) was a pioneering indigenous leader against Spanish rule in South America, and a martyr for Peruvian independence. With her husband Túpac Amaru II, she led a rebellion against the Spanish and like him, suffered martyrdom of execution by the Spaniards when the revolt failed. She was a very full partner in her husband's enterprises before the revolt, and "an exceptionally able leader of the rebellion." She has been described as the "celebrated wife of José Gabriel Condorcanqui Momento Maren (Túpac Amaru II)... who played a paramount role in the logistics of the rebel army in Cuzco in 1780 and 1781.

Photo of María Elena Moyano

5. María Elena Moyano (1958 - 1992)

With an HPI of 40.49, María Elena Moyano is the 5th most famous Peruvian Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

María Elena Moyano Delgado (29 November 1958 – 15 February 1992) was an Afro-Peruvian community organizer and feminist who was assassinated by the Shining Path. She grew up in poverty in the Villa El Salvador pueblo joven, then became involved in local activism. She was twice president of FEPOMUVES (the Popular Federation of Women of Villa El Salvador) and at the time of her death was deputy mayor. Her funeral was attended by 300,000 people and resulted in a downturn in support for the Shining Path. She received the Peruvian Order of Merit posthumously.

Photo of Máxima Acuña

6. Máxima Acuña (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 33.49, Máxima Acuña is the 6th most famous Peruvian Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Máxima Acuña is a Peruvian subsistence farmer and environmentalist, who is known for her fight to remain on land wanted for a new mine, the Conga Mine, enduring years of violent intimidation by Newmont Mining Corporation and Buenaventura (mining company), for which she received the 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize.

People

Pantheon has 6 people classified as Peruvian social activists born between 1738 and 1970. Of these 6, 1 (16.67%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Peruvian social activists include Máxima Acuña. The most famous deceased Peruvian social activists include Túpac Amaru II, Abimael Guzmán, and Hilda Gadea. As of April 2024, 3 new Peruvian social activists have been added to Pantheon including Micaela Bastidas, María Elena Moyano, and Máxima Acuña.

Living Peruvian Social Activists

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Deceased Peruvian Social Activists

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Newly Added Peruvian Social Activists (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Social Activists were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 4 most globally memorable Social Activists since 1700.