We analyze the actions of Tupac Amaru II presented in a sample of school textbooks published in the context of the commemoration of the Peruvian Bicentennial. What interpretations are offered about the events led by Tupac Amaru II? Is Tupac Amaru II an opponent to the Bourbon reforms, a messianic leader who wants to reinstate the Inca Empire or a precursor of Peruvian Independence? Methodologically, the textbooks are approached from critical discourse analysis (CDA); a sample of social science textbooks edited and approved in Peru for use in schools between 2019 and 2023 has been selected. Three categories of analysis feed the inquiry of the texts: social origin of Tupac Amaru II, anti-reformist, precursor or restorer of the Inca. Finally, it is observed that the rebellion of Tupac Amaru II is colonized by the national narrative in school textbooks, the rebellion is presented as a milestone within the set of causes leading to Independence, an idea that is also contemporized in the bicentennial celebrations.