The Lost Cloud People of the Andes

Submitted by taratara on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 16:57

People Of The Clouds

In the remote and forbidding eastern Andean region of the Amazon in present-day Peru, an ancient and mysterious civilisation known as the Chachapoya or the ‘Cloud People’ existed. The harsh and hostile environment in the cloud forests makes sustained scientific archaeology an arduous and costly enterprise and there are still many gaps in what is known about this enigmatic and haunting tribe. But thanks to exciting new archeological finds and discoveries, the mystery of the ‘Cloud People’ is slowly starting to unravel.

Who Were The Chachapoya?

The name ‘Chachapoya’ is thought to come from the Quechua for ‘cloud people’, a name given to the ancient tribe by the Incas in reference to their home in the high ‘cloud’ forests.

There is evidence of settlers in this area from as far back as 200 AD; but it wasn’t until 800AD that the Chachapoya inhabited the region. They occupied what was thought to be an empty wilderness. Living in the mountainous Andean tropical cloud forests between the Marañón and Huallga river valleys, with the Marañón river canyon providing a natural boundary to the west, the Chachapoya navigated through a harsh, and often dangerous, terrain.

Extending north and south to the Utcubamba river valley, the territory formed a triangular-shaped region. Isolated from the coast, and relatively cut-off from other regions, the Chachapoya lived in a scattered patchwork of autonomous communities or ayllu (clan groupings). Instead of being a united people, it is thought there were continually shifting alliances, and internecine conflicts. Three pre-Inca cultural boundaries have been identified, although chronological and sociological evidence on this is scant.

Pale And Interesting

Archaeological discoveries in the area have revealed the archetypal style of the Chachapoya’s architecture and relics, and also highlighted the breadth of regional variation within the tribe.

The Chachapoya are believed to have had lighter skin than other natives of the region, leading to much speculation about their origins. In fact, the extent of their physical fairness is not actually known, and there is little evidence to suggest that they are of European or Mediterranean descent. Scientists have found that they more closely resemble Andean ancestry.

Ancestral Mummies

A deeply spiritual people, the pre-colonialised Chachapoya had a great deal of respect for their ancestors. The dead would be mummified, and interred into open sepulchers built into cliff faces or protected in underground caves. The living would routinely visit the dead, and consult with them on earthly matters. Ancestral spirits, embodied by mountains, rocks, and trees, were thought to watch over the community and bring fertility to the land. These beliefs survived through centuries of upheaval and disruption.

Chachapoya art and iconography focuses on these beliefs, as well as on themes of war, male sexuality, and shamanic transformations into other creatures. Serpents are the most prevalent icons, rearing their heads in everything from pottery to architectural adornments.

The Chachapoya were also impressive architects, as discovered through the magnificent circular stone constructions found at the fortified sites at Kuelap, and at Gran Pajatén. These monumental buildings may have been developed to defend the Chachapoya against invasion from the Huari, a Middle Horizon culture from coastal and highland areas.

Invasion

Despite the formidable presence of these structures, invasion came swiftly for the Chachapoya in the 15th Century when the Incan empire expanded. It is believed that by 1475 AD the Chachapoya had become so fragmented that they were unable to protect their people as one whole community, and they were easily conquered by Inca ruler Tupac Inca Yupanqui.

Many Chachapoya rebelled over the Inca years, and were exiled to remote locations of the empire. When Spanish colonialists arrived in Peru around 1535 AD, war and disease began to take its toll, and this once flourishing population decreased by around 90% over the following 200 years.

Back To The Clouds

In 2006 archaeologiests excavated an area of underground caves used as Chachapoya burial sites. Locals call the site ‘Enchanted Water’ because of its spiritual importance. Inside, the walls are decorated with Chachapoyan art. Warrior-like figures protect against intruders and evil spirits, guarding the mummified ancestors entombed there.

But it seems that the ancestral respect so central to the Chachapoya hasn’t survived to the present day, and the painted warriors haven’t prevented the newly-discovered sites and tombs from being looted. Such actions may mean that the Chachapoya will remain straddled between myth and history forever.