"Terruco" and Worse... Insult and Stigma in Peru's Dirty War

This article explores the brief but intense history of the word terruco, a colloquial term used as a substitute for terrorista (terrorist). In particular, it seeks to demonstrate that the use of terruco as an insult — though initially directed at members of armed insurgent groups — contributed decisively, during the years of the dirty war and even in more recent times, to stigmatizing various sectors of the Peruvian population, including human rights defenders, relatives of detainees and other victims of political violence, and people of indigenous origin in general. Its recurrent use in torture sessions and episodes of sexual assault adds an additional dimension to the connection between the term terruco and the widespread practice of forms of abuse and violence that were considered, by many Peruvians, necessary and even legitimate during the years of internal armed conflict.