Efraín Morote
Encyclopedia
Efraín Morote Best was a Peru
vian anthropologist
and academic administrator. From 1962 to 1968 he served as the Rector (i.e., chief administrator) of San Cristóbal of Huamanga University
in Ayacucho
, Perú.
Morote was born in Ayacucho into a wealthy and established family that owned land in Ayacucho, Abancay, and Cuzco
, in southern Perú. During the 1940s and 1950s, he studied at various Peruvian universities and obtained degrees in literature
, history
, and law
. Morote then became a specialist in the folklore of the Quechua
-speaking native population of the Peruvian Andes
and taught at the University of Cuzco. When the Peruvian government decided to reopen an old Catholic
seminary in Ayacucho and make it into a modern university dedicated to improving the condition of the region's impoverished native population, Morote joined the new institution as professor of anthropology and vice-rector. The university began to operate in 1959. In 1962, Morote was chosen to succeed naval historian Fernando Romero Pintado as the university's leader.
Following a pattern which was not uncommon among Latin America
n intellectuals from upper and upper-middle class backgrounds at the time, Morote embraced first religion (becoming the pastor of an evangelical Christian church) and later Communism
. At the beginning of his tenure as rector, Morote recruited Abimael Guzmán
as a professor of philosophy at the university. Guzmán went on to become the leader of a violent leftist militia, the Shining Path
, which sought to bring about a pro-Communist uprising in Perú modeled after Mao Zedong
's revolution in China
. The Shining Path waged a bloody 13-year long conflict
with both the Peruvian government and rival leftist militants. Osmán Morote Barrionuevo
, one of Efraín Morote's sons, became the Shining Path's second-in-command. Efraín Morote's other two children also became members of the Shining Path.
Some observers, including British
novelist Nicholas Shakespeare
(who fictionalized the capture of Abimael Guzmán in his novel The Dancer Upstairs
), have argued that Efraín Morote was probably the true intellectual leader of the Shining Path. Shakespeare described Abimael Guzmán as a man "absolutely without character" while he claimed that Morote was "incredibly intelligent and without emotion," a truly "evil" man.
Publicly, Morote remained until his death a respected social scientist of leftist political leanings.
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and academic administrator. From 1962 to 1968 he served as the Rector (i.e., chief administrator) of San Cristóbal of Huamanga University
San Cristóbal of Huamanga University
The San Cristóbal of Huamanga National University is a public university located in the city of Ayacucho in southern Perú....
in Ayacucho
Ayacucho
Ayacucho is the capital city of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru.Ayacucho is famous for its 33 churches, which represent one for each year of Jesus's life. Ayacucho has large religious celebrations, especially during the Holy Week of Easter...
, Perú.
Morote was born in Ayacucho into a wealthy and established family that owned land in Ayacucho, Abancay, and Cuzco
Cusco Region
Cusco is a region in Peru. It is bordered by the Ucayali Region on the north; the Madre de Dios and Puno regions on the east; the Arequipa Region on the south; and the Apurímac, Ayacucho and Junín regions on the west...
, in southern Perú. During the 1940s and 1950s, he studied at various Peruvian universities and obtained degrees in literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, and law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
. Morote then became a specialist in the folklore of the Quechua
Quechua languages
Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...
-speaking native population of the Peruvian Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
and taught at the University of Cuzco. When the Peruvian government decided to reopen an old Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
seminary in Ayacucho and make it into a modern university dedicated to improving the condition of the region's impoverished native population, Morote joined the new institution as professor of anthropology and vice-rector. The university began to operate in 1959. In 1962, Morote was chosen to succeed naval historian Fernando Romero Pintado as the university's leader.
Following a pattern which was not uncommon among Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n intellectuals from upper and upper-middle class backgrounds at the time, Morote embraced first religion (becoming the pastor of an evangelical Christian church) and later Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. At the beginning of his tenure as rector, Morote recruited Abimael Guzmán
Abimael Guzmán
Manuel Rubén Abimael Guzmán Reynoso , also known by the nom de guerre Presidente Gonzalo , a former professor of philosophy, was the leader of the Shining Path during the Maoist insurgency known as the internal conflict in Peru...
as a professor of philosophy at the university. Guzmán went on to become the leader of a violent leftist militia, the Shining Path
Shining Path
Shining Path is a Maoist guerrilla terrorist organization in Peru. The group never refers to itself as "Shining Path", and as several other Peruvian groups, prefers to be called the "Communist Party of Peru" or "PCP-SL" in short...
, which sought to bring about a pro-Communist uprising in Perú modeled after Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's revolution in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. The Shining Path waged a bloody 13-year long conflict
Internal conflict in Peru
It has been estimated that nearly 70,000 people died in the internal conflict in Peru that started in 1980 and, although still ongoing, had greatly wound down by 2000. The principal actors in the war were the Shining Path , the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement and the government of Peru.A great...
with both the Peruvian government and rival leftist militants. Osmán Morote Barrionuevo
Osmán Morote Barrionuevo
Osmán Morote Barrionuevo known with the alias of Comrade Nicolas was one of Efraín Morote's sons. At one point in his life, he became the Shining Path's second-in-command...
, one of Efraín Morote's sons, became the Shining Path's second-in-command. Efraín Morote's other two children also became members of the Shining Path.
Some observers, including British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
novelist Nicholas Shakespeare
Nicholas Shakespeare
Nicholas William Richmond Shakespeare is a British journalist and writer. Born to a diplomat, Shakespeare grew up in the Far East and in South America. He was educated at the Dragon School preparatory school then Winchester College and Cambridge and worked as a journalist for BBC television and...
(who fictionalized the capture of Abimael Guzmán in his novel The Dancer Upstairs
The Dancer Upstairs
The Dancer Upstairs is a 1995 novel by Nicholas Shakespeare. It is based on the Maoist insurgency of the 1980s in Peru, and tells the story of Agustin Rejas, a police Lieutenant , hunting a terrorist based on Abimael Guzmán, leader of the Shining Path. In 2002 it was given a film adaptation under...
), have argued that Efraín Morote was probably the true intellectual leader of the Shining Path. Shakespeare described Abimael Guzmán as a man "absolutely without character" while he claimed that Morote was "incredibly intelligent and without emotion," a truly "evil" man.
Publicly, Morote remained until his death a respected social scientist of leftist political leanings.
Works
- Elementos de folklore ("Elements of Folklore"), 1950
- Aldeas sumergidas ("Submerged Villages"), 1988
- Pueblo y universidad ("People and University"), 1990
External links
- Michael L. Smith, "San Cristóbal de Huamanga University", Peruvian Graffiti
- "On the Trail of Abimael Guzmán", interview by Uki Goñi with author Nicholas Shakespeare