Chacapoyas and Kuelap

After a hairy trip over the border I arrived in Chacapoyas about 6am. I was on a tour by 6.30am to Kuelap which is supposed to be the "2nd Machu Picchu." It was ashtonishing. It is a huge site with no tourists, we were the only group there. I really enjoyed the day and would definitely say the over night trip to get there was worth it!

These are the views on the way there:

On the way to Kuelap, another duelling:

The city has a huge exterior wall which encompassed 500 dwellings and an interior wall that encompassed the more important people and religious places and palaces.

Entrance to the main part:

Entrance to the inner part:

Crypt/tomb and bones:

Wall for internal palace:

Chacapoyas decorations, there are many ideas of what they may signify but no certainty:

The most well preserved house:

The external wall:

one of the three entrances:

Evidence of the Incas - square buildings:

The Sun Temple:

The view of Kuelap from across the valley:

On Thursday I went on another tour with the same company and people because Kuelap had been so good. We visited Caverna de Quiocta and the Sarcofagos. The Caverna de Quiocta was a sacred place for the local Chacapoyas where they performed a lot of scarafices before the Spanish came so there were skulls all over the place. Before we were allowed to enter we had to perform a ritual to ask for protection, it was very interesting.

Stone used to sacrafice chiefs from nearby tribes if they fought:

Skulls were just lying around all over the place:

including under our feet:

Afterwards we went to see the Sarcofagos:

These are they: (I was expecting something rather larger but I they are half way up a cliff face!)

each is a tomb and apparently contains a mummy and the things they were buried with.

They are hard to see but there are four groups of sarcofagos in this picture:

random human bones lying around:

Through binocolas:

Olivia being dress up by the local girls: