LA PAZ For centuries they were shadow people, a defeated underclass banished to the margins of society and forced to work, and obey, in silence. But a largely peaceful revolution has empowered Bolivia's indigenous majority this year and transformed the country into a 21st-century standard-bearer for South America's native populations.

Under the banner of Evo Morales, the country's first indigenous president, Aymara, Quechua and other indigenous groups have seized political control and uncorked a renaissance in arts, music and traditional institutions.

Exploiting victory in a constitutional referendum earlier this year, which refounded Bolivia and gave sweeping rights to indigenous groups, the “little Indians”, as they were once known, have placed their language and customs at the heart of the new state and reinvented elements of their culture through modern forms such as hip-hop and rap.

“We are recovering our history and identity; we are reclaiming our heroes,” said Eugenio Rojas, mayor of Achacachi, an Aymara stronghold in the highlands above the capital, La Paz.

The municipality has erected a giant statue of Tupac Katari, an 18th-century rebel who was captured, tortured and executed by the Spanish in 1781. “Katari is a symbol of resistance,” said Rojas. Behind the mayor's desk hung a wiphala, a brightly coloured emblem representing indigenous people that was officially established earlier this year as the dual flag of Bolivia, along with the traditional, colonial-era red, yellow and green one.

Meanwhile, civil servants are busy learning Aymara and Quechua, the two main indigenous languages. State media reinforce the message that the Spanish language dominance is over. “Indigenous communities are getting more space on TV and that is a reflection of the country's reality,” said Leila Cortez, head of the state TV network.

The aboriginal peoples survived years of oppression and torture. We are now recovering that identity. The reinvention extends, to a lesser extent, to highland cholitas — women who wear bowler hats, flouncy skirts and pigtails, and once were either peasants or servants.

The president has also championed elements of indigenous culture that were under attack. Previous governments targeted the coca leaf in US-backed crackdowns on cocaine trafficking. Morales, in contrast, has embraced the leaf as a national symbol.

For indigenous movements in Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela and Central America, Bolivia has become a beacon. The pace of change has been startling. As recently as the 1950s, indigenous people were not allowed to vote or even cross the plaza in front of the presidential palace.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service