Sky fortress Kuelap and rock mummies of the mysterious Chachapoyas (13 photos + 1 video)

In the mountains of Northern Peru, far from the tourist centers of Machu Picchu and Cusco in the south, lies an amazing structure built by representatives of a culture much more ancient than the Incas. The Chachapoyas, the cloud warriors of the Andes, built the grandiose walled settlement of Kuelap, a fortress hidden from prying eyes high in the mountains.





This mysterious fortress was built in the 6th century AD, 700 years before the greatness of the Incas. But they left behind more than just stone walls. The region is also famous for its mummies, the largest collection of intact bodies in Peru.



Kuelap Sky Fortress

The bodies of members of the Chachapoya civilization, preserved using Incan methods, lie high on the cliff sides overlooking the settlements in the valley. They are still found today. So, in 1997, a huge cache of bodies was discovered south of Kuelap, in the Laguna de Los Condores area.

Cloud Warriors





The development of the Kuelap area began about 2400 years ago, in 400 BC. The Chachapoya built their great fortress here in the 6th century and added most of the structures around 900-1100 AD. They continued to build on the site until the Incan conquest in the 1400s.

The Kuelap fortress was the political center of the pre-Inca Chachapoya society, which flourished here from 900 to 1400. What they left behind was monumental and massive - a castle in the air almost 600 meters long, located in the Utcubamba River valley, and surrounded by stone walls almost 20 meters high.



Kuelap Fortress - view from the inside

Even this impregnable fortress could not save the Chachapoya people from the Inca conquest in 1470. However, even in defeat, they survived, resisting the unsuccessful attempts of the Incas to oust them from their native lands. In 2017, a study found that the indigenous people currently living in the area remain genetically Chachapoya.

The Inca's rule lasted only a century, after which they and the former Chachapoya territory were conquered by the Spaniards. After this, the region was forgotten for hundreds of years. Only now are they being talked about again.

Kuelap is currently being considered for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Sky Fortress



Main entrance to Kuelap

Kuelap is a completely walled settlement. The walls are built from limestone blocks, some of which weigh up to 3 tons. Each block is very well crafted, some have animals or strange faces carved on them.

There are only three entrances to the city - two in the east and one in the west. The main entrance was probably built solely for defense. It rises steeply, going deeper, and continues to narrow until there is only room for one person.



El Tintero

There are more than 550 buildings inside the walls. Almost all of them have a round shape. The walls are often decorated with diamond and zigzag figures set into stone. Some buildings have been restored, others lie in ruins, hidden under dense vegetation.



Some buildings are clearly the central points of the complex. On the south side of the settlement there is a large building - a tower in the shape of an inverted cone 5.5 meters high, called El Tintero ("inkwell" in Spanish). Some finds suggest that it may have been used as an observatory.

On the northwest side is Pueblo Alto ("high city"). Nearby is the Torreon (“tower”), the tallest building in Kuelap, which was apparently used for defense.



Zoomorphic and geometric patterns have been preserved everywhere on the stones. And it is here that evidence of how the Chachapoya treated their dead before the Inca conquest is located: numerous burials have been found in walls and in circular structures. To date, more than 100 skeletons have been discovered buried in this manner, before the burial tradition was replaced by mummification after the Inca invasion.

Ancient rock burials



The region's rocks are filled with sarcophagi, mummies and other artifacts left behind by the Chachapoya people and their Inca conquerors. Almost 90% of archaeological finds in the area remain unexplored.



But the most striking and noticeable influence on the landscape came from the burials on the slopes of the cliffs. Tombs carved into the cliff face and mummified remains preserved in anthropomorphic jars give the landscape an eerie feel. It’s as if the dead are closely watching the living from above.

It is not even clear how the dead were transported to their final resting place. The terrain in this area is extremely complex and difficult to pass. And placing bodies on steep cliffs was likely difficult and dangerous.



Ancient remains provide much more to explore than skeletons. Scientists can examine internal organs, which will help learn about diseases of that time. However, the mummies were vulnerable to looters and had to be removed after several were damaged or stolen. There are now 219 mummies at the Leymebamba Museum, south of Kuelap, awaiting study.

Skeletons in the foundations and walls



The city is about 700 years older than Machu Picchu, built by the Incas, and no less mysterious. Archaeologists believe that Kuelap was the religious and political center of the Chachapoyas. But that's not all, is it? Did they live next to their dead buried within the walls? If this site was purely cultic, why was it built with such an emphasis on defense? If it was planned for trade, then why is it so inaccessible and deleted?



Initially, the journey from the nearest settlement took two days. But with the advent of a new cable car, tourists can reach the sky fortress in an hour. With the support of the Peruvian government, this northern Machu Picchu can finally receive the fame and recognition it truly deserves.