"Chachapoyas" a Chachapoyas Travel Page by K-nalla

Chachapoyas, give it a few years, maybe 5 or 6, and you will be talking about the next Cuzco in southAmerica. Getting there is already an adventure. One of the most beautifull roads in Peru is the Celendin (departamento de Cajamarca) - Chachapoyas. Takes quite a bit of time, much longer and not as safe as Chiclayo-Chachapoyas, but definitely worth it. Let it all be in adventure's sake. One in Chachapoyas you can visit the ruins of Kuelap, the Gocta Falls (3rd highest in the world), la Laguna de los Condores (where a mummy cementery was found less than a decade ago and studies are still made to this day), and the rest of the smaller ruins around Chachapoyas. Chachapoyas offers a great climate, sunny but dry, a perfect rainforest day. The food is to fie for, DO NOT FORGET YOUR TACACHO CON CECINA, and you can use Chachapoyas as your platform into the Amazon. Now try and give me a reason not to come here.... Hey, you might even be lucky enough and find El Dorado (which is thought it lays hidden in the basin of the Amazon river)

When talking about precolombine cultures in southAmerica, most people remenber the Mayans, the Aztec and the Incas. Very few people remember that the southamerican rainforest was filled with culture and people. The Inca Empire during its peak extended from Colombia to Chile along the coast but was stopped in its conquest of the rainforest by one powerfull culture: The Chachapoyas. I guess it's wrong to call the Chachapoyas a culture, as they were many distinct tribes in constant dispute amongst them, but when word came that the Inca empire was coming their way with conquest in mind, they united to fend themselves from them. The greatest example of this union is the Fortress of Kuelap (not really a fortress but I digress), where different architecture styles can be seen within the same complex. It was a fierce war with the Incas that did not end until the spagniols came along. The infamous "Filipillo" was Cacique Huaman, a Chachapoyan Cacique. Lets do understand that the Chachapoyas was NEVER conquered by the Incas, which shows their strenght in numbers and in culture. Some historians believe Chachapoyan to even be a greater culture: it is believed (yet not proved) that they had a written language (which the Incas lacked), and the use of the circle in their architecture shows some greater understanding of mechanics. They also use a moon calendar for the growing of their crops.
All and all, a great culture.

This Chachapoyan culture is still preserved, hidden by a dense forest, and is not till recent years when a strong peruvian tourist policy has decided to rescue these magnificent ruins. Today (2006), the ruins of the Chachapoyan culture can still be seen in their raw nature. Unlike the Inca who used valleys for their constructions, the Chachapoyan used mountain tops. Soooooo, be ready for a hike everytime you want to see some ruins. And that adds to the experience. There is no pretty road, a pretty train or a pretty road to take you there. After fighting vegetation on a dinky trail you will walk into these buildings that just make you feel the presence of a powerfull people. You get the sense of being some sort of Jack Cousteau when arriving at these locations. Enjoy the ride!!