The People of the Clouds

History

By Lorraine Caputo

For centuries, clouds have blanketed the Chachapoya. Inca and Spanish conquerors described them as fierce warriors, tremendous shamans, skilled builders and beautiful women. But Chachapoya origins, beliefs and fate remain obscure. All they left behind were burial sites with mummies, ruins of homes and temples, petrographs.

The Chachapoya realm extended west to Río Marañón, east to Huallaga, north to the Utucubamba flood plain and south to Pías. Human occupation began ±8,000 B.C. The classic Chachapoya period was from ±800 A.D. until the Spanish conquest.

The most-accepted Chachapoya origin theory states they were several jungle nations, perhaps of different language groups, that migrated towards the sierra and together developed similar traditions. We must understand Chachapoya was a blanket term for those who lived in this region. When asked by the arriving Spaniards what the peoples of these northern Andes were called, the Inca responded, Chachapoya (sacha + puyu). But this word’s roots are vague. "Sacha" is translated as tree, mountain or cloud, depending on the language; "puyu" as cloud. Linguists have studied what remains of the Chachapoya language: place and family names. They note similarities with Jíbaro and Amazon River basin languages.

How much of what is celebrated today is original Chachapoya traditions or influenced by Inca, other indigenous and Spanish cultures is not known. Their worship probably centered on lagoons and mountains, as many burial sites are located at such places. The snake was probably significant; it appears in many carvings and other representations.

Chachapoya architecture was engineered for its cloud-forest climate: “terraces” and cornices to channel water away from building foundations, steep thatch roofs to allow rain to run off. East of the Utcubamba River and south of Gran Vilaya, the stone buildings have intricate friezes in zigzag and rhomboid designs. Yálape, Kuélap and La Congona are examples of this.

The Chachapoya mummified their dearly departed; some skulls reveal the practice of trepanation. Sarcophagi burials are evidenced in Luya province from Kuélap northward, e.g. Karajía and Pueblo de los Muertos. Southward, chullpas, mausoleums, are more common, though also found in Luya. Frequently petrographs decorate such sites. Burial finds show Chachapoya were skilled weavers and potters. No gold or silver artifacts produced by them have been encountered.

Using mummies, scientists have discovered the genetic markers that make the Chachapoya, described by the Spaniards as being white-skinned (but not blond-haired, blue-eyed), distinct. Findings show the modern rural population is about 65% Chachapoya. Thirty descendent communities have been identified in Peru and Bolivia, thus proving the Inca massively relocated this "rebellious" nation. The greatest depletion of their populations, however, came with the Spaniards' diseases: within 200 years, over 90% of Chachapoya were decimated.

Little by little the veils are lifting, revealing who the Chachapoya were. Yet many of their traditions, like the mountains and lagoons they worshiped, will only be glimpsed through the clouds.