Putumayo genocide
slavery in the Amazon
During the Putumayo genocide (1879-1912), the Peruvian Amazon Company systematically killed and enslaved indigenous people in the Amazon.
| Putumayo genocide | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Amazon rubber boom | |
_(14782203995).jpg) Huitoto Amerindians in conditions of slavery | |
| Location | Colombia and Peru |
| Date | 1879 – 1912 |
Attack type | Slavery, Genocidal rape, torture, Crimes against humanity |
| Deaths | 40,000 to 250,000+[1][2] |
| Perpetrators | Peruvian Amazon Company |
Estimates say that the Peruvian Amazon Company killed between 40.000 and 250.000 indigenous people during the genocide.[1][2]
History
changeIn the late 19th century, rubber was discovered in the Amazon Basin. Rubber was very valuable at the time, and the Peruvian Amazon Comany was responsible for harvesting it. When they did, they forced people to work as slaves.
Most of the genocide happened in the area between Río Putumayo and Japurá River. Today, this area is on the border between Colombia and Peru.
The book The Dream of the Celt by Mario Vargas Llosa describes these events.
Related pages
changeReferences
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Cien años después, la Amazonía recuerda uno de sus episodios más trágicos". BBC News (in Spanish). 12 October 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 White, Matthew (15 July 2019). "Twentieth Century Atlas - Death Tolls". Necrometrics. Retrieved 30 July 2021.