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The revolution in Charcas (present-day Bolivia) was part of the insurrectional process waged by the Spanish-American people against Spanish colonial administration. Over 16 years, the Charcas territory was the scene of multiple urban and peasant insurrections, four incursions by Argentine auxiliary armies, guerrilla operations, various punitive campaigns by the Royal Army and, finally, the triumphant entry of the Ejército Unido Libertador under the command of Marshal Antonio José de Sucre.

The "Historical Diary of Sicasica and Ayopaya During the War for (South) American Independence", a unique document for the genre written by José Santos Vargas, narrates the events that took place in this historical context. It is the only diary of its magnitude from the period that recounts the heroic deed in which Santos Vargas took part; it is the only surviving account from the beginning of the war in South America in 1814 until the independence and founding of the Republic of Bolivia in 1825. The content is directly or indirectly relevant to Spain, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela, without diminishing the universal human dimension of the testimony. From his modest education and social position, "Tambor Vargas" enlisted in order to write the diary, risking his life to have a story to tell.

José Santos Vargas recounts the day-to-day life of the guerrilla war waged against the Spanish Crown between 1810 and 1825 in the Bolivian valleys of Inquisivi (present-day Cochabamba territory). The detailed account of events recorded over ten years has been cited by renowned researchers who consider it a unique document of the American war of independence. In narrating war events in his diary, Vargas used a language composed of three languages (Spanish, Quechua and Aymara), in which Spanish is most prevalent. Vargas was an amazing fighter, but his writings overshadow his exciting life. He was not always a drummer - the army's first drummer - he rose through the military ranks and retired as a commander.