So That History Does Not Repeat Itself

In 1980, Sendero Luminoso imposed a fratricidal war in the zone, establishing a corridor from the south of the department of Cajamarca to the north of the department of Ancash. For this reason, the present work aims to provide a historical account of the process of violence in the corridor used by Sendero Luminoso, from the south of the department of Cajamarca to the north of the department of Ancash, comprising the provinces of Santiago de Chuco, Huamachuco, Cajabamba, and San Marcos, during the years between 1980 and 2000, as a contribution to the historical reconstruction of this part of Peru. For the study and reconstruction of this period of our history, the author visited most of the localities in each of the provinces where political violence unfolded; having worked as a CVR researcher, the author was able to gather the memories and testimonies of various social actors — those involved in and/or witnesses to the violence — through interviews with peasants, students, teachers, authorities, repentant Sendero members, civil defense patrol members (ronderos), and others. (Excerpt from the preface).