Chachapoyas: the cloud people by lightmediation

Chachapoyas: the cloud people The first evidence of this mysterious people dates back to 800 a.D., before the Inca age. The key to the Cachapoyas culture is their cult of the dead. They had enormous respect for their ancestors and they hid them away for protection. Their funerary sites were built in remote, hidden and inaccessible locations of the Peruvian Andes... A Photo story by Stefano Torrione/LightMediation

2363-20: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. The mausoleum and Sarcophagus complex of Ayachaqui, in Jucusbamba canyon, ascribable to the Chillao people, one of the many autonomous clans that formed part of the Chachapoyan nation.

Contact - Thierry Tinacci - LightMediation Photo Agency +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 email:thierry@lightmediation.com

2363-01: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. The Andean people of Chachapoyas inhabited northern Peru from IX to XV century. This ancient culture honored its

2363-02: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. Local guide Martin Aguilar along the muddy path of the Laguna Negra that leads to the

2363-03: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores, one of the sites of Chachapoyas culture. In this area covered by a thick Amazonian vegetation

2363-04: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores.

2363-05: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. Hidden in a narrow natural shelter, l00 meters above the Laguna de los Condores, the funeral

2363-06: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. The remains of the ancient site of Llaqtacocha, on the way to the "chullpas" (mausoleums).

2363-07: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Local guide Martin Aguilar is about to climb the steep ladders that lead to the "chullpa" (funerary site) of Laguna de los

2363-08: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. One of the herdsmen of the Laguna loads up the horses for the trip back to Leimebamba, one

2363-02: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. Local guide Martin Aguilar along the muddy path of the Laguna Negra that leads to the "chullpa" (funerary site).

2363-09: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores.

2363-10: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. A high crag with a view to heaven-like Laguna Negra was where the Chaschas decided to build

2363-11: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. The remains of the ancient site of Llaqtacocha, on the way to the "chullpas" (mausoleums).

2363-12: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. The young wife of one of the herdsmen who work in the pastures of the Laguna Negra pokes

2363-13: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, village of Cocta. A woman invokes God's mercy.

2363-14: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. Market day in the village of Cocta.

2363-15: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. Market day in the village of Cocta.

2363-16: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. The school of the village of Kruspata.

2363-17: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. A young mother and her baby in their home in the village of Kruspata.

2363-18: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. The village of Kruspata.

2363-19: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. A young boy helps in the corn harvest in the village of Kruspata.

2363-21: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. The funerary site of Revash is situated at an altitude of 2,800 m above sea level in the calcareous rock formation of Cerro Carb贸n in Alto

2363-22: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. The mausoleum and Sarcophagus complex of Ayachaqui, in Jucusbamba canyon, ascribable to the Chillao people, one of the many

2363-23: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Luya, Karajia, a funerary site 48 km from the town of Chachapoyas. Anthropomorphic wooden coffins located under a mountain cliff. They contained the

2363-24: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. The mausoleum and sarcophagus complex of Ayachaqui, in Jucusbamba canyon, ascribable to the Chillao people, one of the many

2363-25: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores exhibited for the first time in Europe at the Archaeological Museum of Alto Adige

2363-40: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. Marcelita Hidalgo was born here and she works for the Leimebamba Museum. She takes care of the mummies in an air-conditioned room created for their preservation.

2363-26: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores exhibited for the first time in Europe at the Archaeological Museum of Alto Adige

2363-27: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores exhibited for the first time in Europe at the Archaeological Museum of Alto Adige

2363-28: Peru, department of Amazonas, Chachapoyas district, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores exhibited for the first time in Europe at the Archaeological Museum of Alto Adige in

2363-29: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores.

2363-30: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores.

2363-31: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores.

2363-32: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores.

2363-33: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores.

2363-25: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores exhibited for the first time in Europe at the Archaeological Museum of Alto Adige in Bolzano, Italy.

2363-34: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. Mummies from the Laguna de los Condores.

2363-35: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores.

2363-36: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores.

2363-37: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. Peruvian archaeologist Sonia Guillen who is responsible for the study and conservation of the mummies at Leimebamba Museum.

2363-38: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. One of the mummies found at the mausoleum of Laguna de los Condores now safe and protected in the Museum of

2363-39: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. Marcelita Hidalgo was born here and she works for the Leimebamba Museum. She takes care of the mummies in an

Chachapoyas: the Cloud People / 2363-45: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. Marcelita Hidalgo was born here and she works for the Leimebamba Museum. She takes

2363-41: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Luya. An old Quechua woman sits outside her house in the village of Puente de Santo TomĂ s.

2363-42: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, in the town of Leimebamba.

2363-43: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, town of Leimebamba. A family of farmers leaves the village after selling wood to shopkeepers.

2363-44: Peru, department of Amazonas, town of Chachapoyas. German anthropologist Peter Lerche in front of his house with one of his children. Mr Lerche has been one of the first explorers to study the

2363-45: Peru, department of Amazonas, town of Chachapoyas. A local band plays for a town feast at Los Maderos bar.

2363-46: Peru, department of Amazonas, town of Chachapoyas. Young people dance at a musical party at Los Maderos bar.

2363-47: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. Visitors at the archaeological site of Kuelap.

2363-48: Peru, department of Amazonas, town of Chachapoyas. Faith-healer Jorge "Calamina" cures a patient with rituals in the back of his repair shop.

2363-49: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. A dog in the village of Kruspata.

2363-38: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. One of the mummies found at the mausoleum of Laguna de los Condores now safe and protected in the Museum of Leimebamba together with more than 250 mummies and 2000 objects from the Chachapoyas.

2363-50: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. A group of students from the village of Coechan prepare for a parade.

2363-51: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. An old woman spins wool in the traditional way in front of her home in the village of Coechan.

Chachapoyas: the cloud people. My journey on Chachapoyas' tracks began a few years ago in Italy. In 2006 Chachapoyas mummies, discovered in the remote region of Amazonas, in northeastern Peru, were exhibited in Bolzano for the first and only time in Europe. Back from the University of Vienna, twelve mummies from Leimebamba Museum, in the Peruvian Andes, were displayed in the hometown of one of the most famous mummies in the world, the Similaun Man. It was the last day of the exposition; some specialists were opening the cases containing the mummies and were preparing their trip back to Peru. I had already seen mummies before, but I was surprised by Leimebamba women's maternal care in taking them on their lap and carrying them across the museum not at all perturbed by the idea of death. Only later I found out that only some Peruvians are allowed to touch mummies and that only a few among them have accepted to do it because of superstition and popular beliefs. Archaeologist Sonia Guillen was the responsible of the Peruvian delegation, she was the one who rescued the mummies and she told me about the incredible story of the discovery of such an important archaeological heritage. Who are we talking about? Who are the Chachapoyas? The first evidence of this mysterious people dates back to 800 a.D., before the

Inca age. Much of what we do know about these light-skinned and fair-haired warriors is based on archaeological evidence from funerary sites, ruins, pottery, and other artefacts. 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 Marañón and Utcubamba in the zone of Bagua, up to the basin of the Abiseo river, where the ruins of Pajáten are located. Their culture had Andean roots; the reason for an Andean people to inhabit the Amazonian Andes seems to be the need to expand agrarian land, as evidenced by extensive terracing throughout the region. The agricultural environments of both the Andes and the coastal region, characterized by its extensive desert areas and limited soil suitable for farming, became insufficient for sustaining a population like the ancestral Peruvians, which had grown for 3000 years. In the thick and cloudy tropical woods of this inhospitable region they built self-sufficient, fortified towns. The major urban centres, such as Kuélap and Gran Pajáten, may have developed as a defensive measure against the Huari, a Middle Horizon culture that covered much of the coast and highlands. Chachapoyas grew potatoes and quinoa, and corn at lower altitudes, they imported yucca and fruit from the forest, they carved wood and were excellent weavers. In the fifteenth century, the Inca Empire expanded to incorporate the Chachapoyas region. Their incorporation into the Inca Empire had not been easy, due to their constant resistance to the Inca troops. The name Chachapoya is in fact the name that was given to this culture by the Inca and its meaning may have been derived from the Quechua construction sacha

puya, or "people of the clouds", probably because they occupied a high rainfall and hardly accessible land. It was due to the harsh treatment of the Chachapoyas by the Inca during the years of subjugation that many of the Chachapoyas initially chose to side with the Spanish colonialists when they arrived in Peru. By 1547, the Spanish colonisation effectively ended the Chachapoyas independence and their history vanished enveloped in the clouds of their mysteries and of their unexplored land. The key to the Cachapoyas culture is their cult of the dead. They had enormous respect for their ancestors and they hid them away for protection. They treated corpses with quite simple procedures; the skin was embalmed through some natural treatment using oil, lime and aromatic herbs; they were put in foetal position and wrapped up in bundles like cocoons called fardi, and they were finally decorated with stylized drawings that gave them human looks. But the extraordinary part was the place of burial. Their funerary sites were built in remote, hidden and inaccessible locations, and we can notice the presence of two funeral patterns. One of them is represented by sarcophagi, anthropomorphic wooden coffins placed vertically and located in caves that were excavated in the highest place of the precipices, as we can see in Karajia and Ayachaqui. The other funeral pattern consists in groups of mausoleums (chullpas) constructed like tiny houses located in caves worked in cliffs, like the ones found at Laguna de los Condores. All this can be interpreted, together with a desire of protection, as a symbolic return to sacred nature, to the mountains adored by all Andean peoples. The recent discovery of the mummies, which was told me in Bolzano by the archaeologist who saved them, inspired

my trip to Peru in the Chachapoyas' land. The road to Amazonas is long; Chiclayo is 500 km far from the town of Chachapoya. We ride along the North-eastern carrettera that skirts Maranon River. Here the Cordillera dives into Amazonia, in the area that the first map of Peru (1900) drawn by the Italian explorer Antonio Raimondi reported as "region inexplorada". "It is still unexplored, unknown and scarcely visited", says German anthropologist Peter Lerche, one of the first researchers of Chachapoyas culture who moved to Amazonas over thirty years ago. He fell in love with this place and its people and his affection had been rewarded: he is one of the rare foreigners who have been elected alcalde (mayor) of the city of Chachapoyas. Mr. Lecher has worked for National Geographic Magazine, he has opened passages through the forest, he has discovered chullpas (mausoleums), he has climbed untouched rocky walls to reach and closely observe the funerary treasures of the Chachapoyas. I met again archaeologist Sonia Guillen in Leimebamba, a remote outpost of Amazonas that is now the centre of Chachapoyas culture since the mummies from the Laguna de Los Condores found their definitive collocation in its small but excellent museum. The events that have brought to the discovery of over 200 mummies sound like a tale from the olden days. Laguna de los Condores is ten hours walk from Leimebamba. It is a remote place where they say it rains 14 months a year and it was frequented only by the herdsmen and cattle of Don Julio Ullilen, the owner of the homestead. His herdsmen spotted the signs of a funerary site on the cliff over the lake and discovered the tombs in November 1996.

herdsmen spotted the signs of a funerary site on the cliff over the lake and discovered the tombs in November 1996. They began looting the mausoleums, ripping apart mummy bundles and scattering artefacts in search for gold. The brouhaha surrounding the discovery of the mummies first reached Don Julio, who proclaimed himself owner of the mummies. But when the rumours about the discovery got to Lima, to the ears of the archaeologists leaded by Sonia Guillen, Sonia conducted a vigorous rescue operation, moving objects from the lake to the community. For months, with the help of Leimebamba people, the archaeologists recovered the remains of the ancient warriors of the clouds one by one. Among the group there was Xavier Farje, who is now my guide to the Lagoon. It has been raining for days, the path is feo, very treacherous, and in order to avoid sinking in the mud like two of our horses did, we have to check the ground by means of a long stick. Xavier walks rapidly along the path; he is regarded as the best guide of the area. We spend the night in the herdsmen's hut, not the looters, but two young boys who work for Don Julio in turns of fifteen days at the Laguna. We leave at dawn for the chullpa. The lake is like a black water basin surmounted by foggy peaks. We cross the remains of the village of Laqtacocha and we reach the lagoon shore. We hardly climb wooden ladders and lianas among the thick vegetation and still we can't see any sign of the necropolis. More than a hundred meters above the lake, the chullpa reveals itself at last. Nothing else has been touched in this sacred place made of tiny burial buildings perched high

on a ledge. A skull lies on the wooden planks that once covered the buildings, some cloth shreds are scattered around the place, the last traces of the pillage. A well-preserved rock painting in a niche attracts me; in their protected cleft, the tombs enjoy a dry microclimate in a region that is notorious for its rainfall. It is this, as much as the mummification that has led to the remarkable preservation of their contents. It is still raining very hard and Xavier asks me if I have any children. "I have two" is my answer. "I have got three," he tells me. "If you want to see them again, we'd better stop here. Going further is impossible". The council of the elders of Leimebamba and Don Julio had granted me permission to go further along the ridge of the rock face to reach another chullpa that has been recently discovered and that still keeps its hosts inside. Xavier's words convince me to stop here and we start our way back to Leimebamba. In this area, as anthropologist Lerche told me, there are several other burial sites, but exploration is made difficult by the mountainous configuration of the land and the environmental conditions of the cloud forest. The sacred nature deeply worshipped by the Chachapoyas still protects the mystery of their burial cult. Back to Leimebamba I meet Marcelita Hidalgo at the museum. In the air-conditioned room with 200 mummies from the Laguna I observe her moving the "bundles" in an extremely natural manner. I look around me, there are no smells and the atmosphere is totally calm. She escorted the mummies to Bolzano on their travel to Europe, she was once a housewife and now her main occupation is taking care of her precious ancestors. Leimebamba Museum, supported by the Bioanthropology Foundation Peru, offered new jobs to local people and represents a

good opportunity for the development of one of the most disadvantaged regions of Peru. For the ones that, like Marcelita, have overcome superstitions and popular beliefs, the mummies symbolize the pride of a people who have faith in the most authentic and powerful nature.

Captions. 2363-01: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. The Andean people of Chachapoyas inhabited northern Peru from IX to XV century. This ancient culture honored its dead, embalming and placing them in ornate sarcophagi and laying them to rest in remote and inaccessible areas. The "chullpa" of Laguna de los Condores is located in Leimebamba district; it ia a funerary site built on the vertical cliffs that drop down into the dark lake. More than 200 mummies from the ancient warrior of the clouds have been found there. 2363-02: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. Local guide Martin Aguilar along the muddy path of the Laguna Negra that leads to the "chullpa" (funerary site). 2363-03: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores, one of the sites of Chachapoyas culture. In this area covered by a thick Amazonian vegetation a group of archaelogists found six mausoleums containing more than 200 mummies of the ancient Chachapoyas in August 1997. 2363-04: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. 2363-05: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. Hidden in a narrow natural shelter, l00 meters above the Laguna de los Condores, the

funeral site composed of six chullpas or tombs remained abandoned for almost 500 years. 2363-06: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. The remains of the ancient site of Llaqtacocha, on the way to the "chullpas" (mausoleums). 2363-07: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Local guide Martin Aguilar is about to climb the steep ladders that lead to the "chullpa" (funerary site) of Laguna de los Condores. 2363-08: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. One of the herdsmen of the Laguna loads up the horses for the trip back to Leimebamba, one day and a half away. 2363-09: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. 2363-10: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. A high crag with a view to heaven-like Laguna Negra was where the Chaschas decided to build their huge funerary chambers. Six almost intact mausoleums containing more than 200 mummies have been discovered on one of the steep wooded slopes bordering the Laguna de Los Condores, one day and a half away from Leimebamba. 2363-11: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. The remains of the ancient site of Llaqtacocha,

on the way (mausoleums).

the

"chullpas"

2363-12: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba district. Laguna de los Condores. The young wife of one of the herdsmen who work in the pastures of the Laguna Negra pokes the fire to cook dinner. 2363-13: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, village of Cocta. A woman invokes God's mercy. 2363-14: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. Market day in the village of Cocta. 2363-15: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. Market day in the village of Cocta. 2363-16: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. The school of the village of Kruspata. 2363-17: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. A young mother and her baby in their home in the village of Kruspata. 2363-18: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. The village of Kruspata.

part of the Chachapoyan nation. 2363-21: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. The funerary site of Revash is situated at an altitude of 2,800 m above sea level in the calcareous rock formation of Cerro Carb贸n in Alto Utcubamba Valley. It is composed by a group of small painted houses that hosted the mummies of the members of the Chachapoyas 茅lite. 2363-22: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. The mausoleum and Sarcophagus complex of Ayachaqui, in Jucusbamba canyon, ascribable to the Chillao people, one of the many autonomous clans that formed part of the Chachapoyan nation. 2363-23: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Luya, Karajia, a funerary site 48 km from the town of Chachapoyas. Anthropomorphic wooden coffins located under a mountain cliff. They contained the mummies of the Chachapoyas most honorable members. Locally called Purunmachos, the coffins are 2.50 mt tall and they were discovered by Peruvian and American archaeologists in 1983.

2363-19: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. A young boy helps in the corn harvest in the village of Kruspata.

2363-24: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. The mausoleum and sarcophagus complex of Ayachaqui, in Jucusbamba canyon, ascribable to the Chillao people, one of the many autonomous clans that formed part of the Chachapoyan nation. The sarcophagi still contain mummies.

exhibited for the first time in Europe at the Archaeological Museum of Alto Adige in Bolzano, Italy. 2363-26: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores exhibited for the first time in Europe at the Archaeological Museum of Alto Adige in Bolzano, Italy. 2363-27: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores exhibited for the first time in Europe at the Archaeological Museum of Alto Adige in Bolzano, Italy. 2363-28: Peru, department of Amazonas, Chachapoyas district, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores exhibited for the first time in Europe at the Archaeological Museum of Alto Adige in Bolzano, Italy. 2363-29-30-31-32-33-34-35-36: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. A mummy from the Laguna de los Condores. 2363-37: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. Peruvian archaeologist Sonia Guillen who is responsible for the study and conservation of the mummies at Leimebamba Museum. 2363-38: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. One of the mummies found at the mausoleum of Laguna de los Condores now safe and protected in the Museum of

Leimebamba together with more than 250 mummies and 2000 objects from the Chachapoyas. ` 2363-39: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. Marcelita Hidalgo was born here and she works for the Leimebamba Museum. She takes care of the mummies in an air-conditioned room created for their preservation. 2363-40: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, Leimebamba. Marcelita Hidalgo was born here and she works for the Leimebamba Museum. She takes care of the mummies in an air-conditioned room created for their preservation. 2363-41: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Luya. An old Quechua woman sits outside her house in the village of Puente de Santo TomĂ s. 2363-42: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, in the town of Leimebamba. 2363-43: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas, town of Leimebamba. A family of farmers leaves the village after selling wood to shopkeepers. 2363-44: Peru, department of Amazonas, town of Chachapoyas. German anthropologist Peter Lerche in front of his house with one of his children. Mr Lerche has been one of the first explorers to study the Chachapoyas. He is now alcalde (mayor) of the town of Chachapoyas. 2363-45: Peru, department of Amazonas, town of Chachapoyas. A local band plays for a town feast at Los Maderos bar.

2363-46: Peru, department of Amazonas, town of Chachapoyas. Young people dance at a musical party at Los Maderos bar. 2363-47: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. Visitors at the archaeological site of Kuelap. 2363-48: Peru, department of Amazonas, town of Chachapoyas. Faith-healer Jorge "Calamina" cures a patient with rituals in the back of his repair shop. 2363-49: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. A dog in the village of Kruspata. 2363-50: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. A group of students from the village of Coechan prepare for a parade. 2363-51: Peru, department of Amazonas, province of Chachapoyas. An old woman spins wool in the traditional way in front of her home in the village of Coechan.