Re-vision of the Latin American independence projects of the 18th century in the Andean region of Peru and Chile: a view from the otherness of the problem

Abstract

This article proposes a refl ection on the events leading up to the Latin American Independence movement which date back to the 18th century, when its foundations were laid. Within this movement there were two emancipating trends coexisting. These represent very different groups in the Latin American society of that time: the Creoles on one side and the mestizoes, natives and peasants on the other one. The Eurocentric view has favoured the Creole project, silencing the second one. The contributions of Enrique Dussel, Walter Mignolo and Nelson Osorio, among others, will allow us to understand that both projects related in a complex manner, which is far from the belief that puts the native-peasant rebellions on the same level with the Creole rebellions in order to force a common cause of Independence.