KUÉLAP

Perched on a limestone ridge above the Utcubamba Valley, Kuélap (8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, $3) must have been a nearly impenetrable fortress. This imposing stone citadel, 700 meters long and 110 meters at its widest, is surrounded by huge walls and sheer cliff faces. Visitors enter from the east, via one of three narrow passageways that penetrate the massive and remarkably intact walls, which were backfilled with mud and blocks to create Kuélap’s six-hectare (15-acre) platform. Above are the ruins of more than 400 round stone homes, some of which were as wide as grain silos. Roofed with a peaked thatch roof, these two-story homes have stones protruding from their sides that were probably gutters to keep rain away from the foundations. Friezes with zigzag, rhomboid, or serpentine shapes wrap around many of the buildings. Nogal and other cloud-forest trees grow around the ruins, which are heaped over with moss and bromeliads. Cool mountain breezes flow through the complex, mingling with the buzzing of hummingbirds.

From the east entrance, there is a network of poorly marked paths to the right (northwest) that leads to an area that was once the most fortified part of the citadel. At the top of a stone lookout tower, archaeologists found a cache of 2,500 shaped rocks—ammo for the Chachapoya slings. Glancing down the vertiginous walls, it is easy to understand why Manco Inca wished to use Kuélap as the center of his rebellion from the Spaniards. But the Inca’s envoys were slaughtered by the Chachapoya, who were bitter after years of Inca repression and forced relocation. After Manco Inca’s 1539 rebellion was crushed, he retreated to the jungle of Vilcabamba instead.

Square buildings, which some say were built by the Incas, lay near the center of the platform. Canadian anthropologist Morgan Davis and a team from Levanto have reconstructed a round house nearby, complete with its thatched roof, which gives a good idea of what the city may once have looked like. Kuélap’s most famous building, however, is a stone tower whose walls widen as they go up, like an upside-down ink well or tintero—its name in Spanish. Animal sacrifices were found inside, so archaeologists believe this building had a religious purpose, though other say it was a solar observatory or a cemetery. It bears an odd resemblance to the similarly shaped tombs at Sillustani, near Lake Titicaca.

Many backpackers arrive via the traditional approach to Kuélap, a five-hour, 10-km hike from the village of Tingo that follows a trail of stone slabs laid by the Chachapoyans. The trail, best hiked in the cool of the morning, rises 1,210 meters from Tingo and is marked with red arrows. The National Institute of Culture operates a backpacker’s hostel near the ruins ($3 pp), which is pleasant and has electricity though no running water. Ask to stay here and inquire about meals when you sign in for the ruins. There are a few hospedajes in Pueblo Maria with basic accommodations and meals. Since the road was completed in 1982, most visitors now arrive at Kuélap via a day tour or combi from Chachapoyas, a three-hour drive. After a 15-minute hike to the entrance gate, most visitors meet Gabriel Portocarrero, who sells Kuélap tickets from a small booth. He may be the best living example of what Chachapoya warriors once looked like: fair skin, clear eyes, rugged six-foot frame. After meeting him, theories about the Vikings founding the Chachapoya confederation do not seem far-fetched.

From Chachapoyas, $3 combis leave from the corner of Grau and Salamanca at 4 p.m. and 4 a.m. If you book your place on the morning bus the night before, it will pick you up at your hotel. Often the afternoon bus is full, so arrive ahead of time. The bus passes Tingo, Choctamal, Longuita and Maria en route to Malcapampa, a 15-minute walk from Kuélap. There are no fixed return combis. In the case of Kuélap, it seems most sensible to go with a local Kuélap agency for as little as $10. If you have a group, A private combi can be rented in Chachapoyas for the round-trip journey to Kuélap for about $30.