TRAVEL TO CHACHAPOYAS

CHACHAPOYAS

The Chachapoyas, also called the Warriors of the Clouds, were an Andean people living in the cloud forests of the Amazonas region of present-day Peru. The Incas conquered their civilization shortly before the arrival of the Spanish in Peru. When the Spanish arrived in Peru in the 16th century, the Chachapoyas were one of the many nations ruled by the Inca Empire. Their incorporation into the Inca Empire had not been easy, due to their constant resistance to the Inca troops.

The Chachapoyas territory was located in the northern regions of the Andes in present day Peru. It encompassed the triangular region formed by the confluence of the rivers Maranon and Utcubamba in the zone of Bagua, up to the basin of the Abiseo river, where the ruins of Pajaten are located.

Chachapoyas, the capital city of the department of Amazonas, is the arriving point to these lands, whose extraordinary finds continually amazed the world for instance, the recently discovered Gocta Falls, the third highest waterfall in the world.

Once in the city o f Chachapoyas, you will be bewitched, in a blink of an eye, by its magic. It is a city wrapped in a veil of mystery for it is not a frequented destination: a pity, really, since its narrow streets are absolutely lovely, its desserts and sweets are extremely tasty and the patios of its houses are decked with orchids. Even if Chachapoyas looks like any highland city, it heavy carries the scent of the jungle.

On par with the grandeur of Machu Picchu is 2,000 years old Kuelap, a fortress with 65-feet tall walls and fascinating stone friezes, a symbol of the Chachapoyas culture. Yet, this is just the scratching of the surface when it comes to tourist destinations.

There are literally hundreds of archaeological vestiges strewn along the Utcubamba River Valley, history that rivals that of Cusco. The best example of this is the Karajia sarcophagi, standing 6.5 feet tall en embedded in a cliff wall that falls straight down: these monuments are remainders of some ancient cult of the dead.

You would not want to miss out on the village of Huanca and the pottery its artisans create, or Colcamar and its spinners, the tradition living in Jalca Grande and the cheeses and yogurts from Leimebamba, a charming village and site of a museum which exhibits funeral bundles and other finds of a culture uncovered in the area of Laguna de los Condores (Lake of Condors). Travel to Chachapoyas.

Ttrip to Chachapoyas and Kuelap visit the ruins of the Chachapoyas