Kuelap - Ancient Fortress of the Chachapoyas Culture of Northern Peru

We went to a place near the present town of Chachapoyas, Peru in September 2014 to learn a little about this ancient culture which flourished between 500 and 1,400 a.d.  The ruins are located somewhere above 3,000 meters and twenty-some kilometers from a paved road down in the valley.  We went with a group in a 12 passenger van  and just the shelf road was quite an experience.  Photos do not do justice to the views.


Residences were circular.  Archiologists speculate that this design was more resistant to earthquake than rectangular structures - an important consideration in the Andes.  The structure shown below is a controversial reconstruction.

Before I forget, let me apologize to my Greek readers who patiently tell me that it isn't Ancient if it is less than 3,000 years old.

Though the pictures don't show it, early phase of the construction involved building a wall around the whole site with limestone quarried five kilometers away.  Then fill material was placed within the wall to make a relatively level space for residences and temples.

When the Incas came to conquer the Chachapoyas, they had to find another way to breach the citadel or run the gauntlet through one of two access ports with Chachapoyas warriors raining death and destruction down from above.

Apparently there was a third option which was to prevent the Chachapoyas from leaving to access their water supplies beyond the walls.