According to a 2003 report by the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the guerrilla group Shining Path was very active in the Huanta Province since the start of the Internal conflict in Peru in 1980.

[3] To parry this threat, the Peruvian Army established a military base in Putis in November 1984 and called on all refugees to return to the town.

[5] It is believed that the reasons for these executions were suspicions that the inhabitants of Putis were sympathetic to Shining Path and a desire to steal and sell the cattle of the community.

[6] The total number of victims is estimated at 123 men and women from the settlements of Cayramayo, Vizcatánpata, Orccohuasi and Putis; 19 of those murdered were minors.

[11] Despite the exhumation procedures, no one has been indicted so far for the Putis massacre as the Peruvian Military refuses to give any explanation about the events, claiming all related documentation was destroyed in a fire.