San Cristóbal del Olto

Location:
Lámud, Peru

Ruin

By Lorraine Caputo

Leaving the relative modernity of Lámud behind, you begin traversing the Luya countryside. You pass the chapel of El Señor de Gualamita, Lámud’s patron saint. Another hour beyond, you arrive at the traditional village San Cristóbal del Olto. Women sit in their kitchen gardens, pollera skirts fanned around them, spinning wool. The raw-adobe church on one side of the nondescript plaza is in poor repair.

The main attractions of this hamlet lie five kilometers away. A sign near the cemetery points the way to Pinturas Rupestres Chanqui. Walking down that dirt road, you soon see two majestic waterfalls in the distance. You will arrive at the foot of the first, Chacchar. On the other side of the creek, a sign indicates the direction for the second cascade, Lorán, and for the Chanqui petrographs. Five-hundred meters away, half-ways up the rock wall to the right of Catarata Chacchar, is a shallow grotto decorated with dozens of paintings. The pigments are the same red, purple and golden of the rocks common to the area. Nearby are destroyed sarcophagi. The age of this Chachapoya (Luya-Chillao) site is unknown, though probably of the Late Intermediate Period (800 A.D.-1500 A.D.).

Getting There
It is a 2-2½ -hour easy walk from Lámud to San Cristóbal del Olto; ask directions.

Travel Tips: If you don’t want to walk all the way, carros leave Lámud early morning for San Cristóbal del Olto.

If there have been recent rains, the path to the paintings may be overgrown; a guide would be necessary.

Price Description: There is no entry fee to the site. If you decide to take a carro, the fare is 3 soles /$1 one way.

Relative price: Free

Open Hours from:Sunrise

Open Hours to:Sunset

Travel Skills: beginner/easy.

You Need to Bring: Food and water, as few services exist in San Cristóbal del Olto.