Chachapoya culture
- This article is about the pre-Columbian civilization. For the contemporary city, see Chachapoyas, Peru.
The Chachapoyas, also called the Warriors of the Clouds, were an Andean people living in the cloud forests of the Amazonas region of present-day Peru. The Incas conquered their civilization shortly before the arrival of the Spanish in Peru. The name Chachapoya is in fact the name that was given to this culture by the Inca; the name that these people may have actually used to refer to themselves is not known.
Since the Incas and the Spanish conquistadors wrote the principal sources on the Chachapoyas, unbiased first-hand knowledge of the Chachapoyas remains scarce. Writings by the major chroniclers of the time, such as El Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, were based on fragmentary second-hand accounts. Much of what we do know about the Chachapoyas culture is based on archaeological evidence from ruins, pottery, and other artifacts.
Geography
The Chachapoyas civilization was located in the northern regions of the Andes in present-day Peru. The contemporary Peruvian city of Chachapoyas derives its name from this ancient culture. The Chachapoyas occupied the region between the Marañón and the Huallaga rivers. Due to the great size of the Marañón river and the surrounding mountainous terrain, the region was relatively isolated from the coast and other areas of Peru, although there is some archaeological evidence of interaction between the Chachapoyas and other cultures.
History
Although there is archaeological evidence that people began settling in this geographical area as early as 200 C.E., the Chachapoya culture is thought to have developed around 800 C.E. The major urban centers, such as Kuélap and Gran Pajaten, may have developed as a defensive measure against the Huari, a Middle Horizon culture that covered much of the coast and highlands.
In the fifteenth century, the Inca empire expanded to incorporate the Chachapoyas region. Although fortifications such as the citadel at Kuélap may have been an adequate defense against the invading Inca, it is possible that by this time the Chachapoyas settlements had become decentralized and fragmented after the threat of Huari invasion had dissipated. The Chachapoyas were conquered by Inca ruler Tupac Inca Yupanqui around 1475 C.E. The defeat of the Chachapoyas was fairly swift; however, smaller rebellions continued for many years. Using the mitamaq system of ethnic dispersion, the Inca attempted to quell these rebellions by forcing large numbers of Chachapoya people to resettle in remote locations of the empire.
When civil war broke out within the Inca empire, the Chachapoyas were located on middle ground between the northern capital at Quito, ruled by the Inca Atahualpa, and the southern capital at Cuzco, ruled by Atahualpa's brother Huascar. Many of the Chachapoyas were conscripted into Huascar's army, and heavy casualties ensued. After Atahualpa's eventual victory, many more of the Chachapoyas were executed or deported due to their former allegiance with Huascar.
It was due to the harsh treatment of the Chachapoyas during the years of subjugation that many of the Chachapoyas initially chose to side with the Spanish colonialists when they arrived in Peru. Guaman, a local ruler from Cochabamba, pledged his allegiance to the conquistador Francisco Pizarro after the capture of Atahualpa in Cajamarca. The Spanish moved in and occupied Cochabamba, extorting what riches they could find from the local inhabitants.
During Inca Manco Capac's rebellion against the Spanish, his emmissaries enlisted the help of a group of Chachapoyas. However, Guaman's supporters remained loyal to the Spanish. By 1547, a large faction of Spanish soldiers arrived in the city of Chachapoyas, effectively ending the Chachapoyas independence. Residents were relocated to Spanish-style towns, often with members of several different ayllu occupying the same settlement. Disease, poverty, and attrition led to severe decreases in population; by some accounts the population of the Chachapoyas region decreased by 90% over the course of 200 years after the arrival of the Spanish.
Archaeological Sites
The Chachapoyas people built the great fortress of Kuélap, with more than four hundred buildings and massive exterior stone walls, possibly to defend against the Huari around 800 C.E. Referred to as the 'Machu Picchu of the north,' Kuélap receives few visitors due to its remote location.
Other archaeological sites in the region include the settlement of Gran Pajáten, Gran Saposoa, the tombs at Revash, and the burial site at Laguna de los Condores (Lake of the Condors), among many others.
References
- von Hagen, Adriana. An Overview of Chachapoya Archaeology and History from the Museo Leymebamba website.
- Hemming, John. Conquest of the Incas. Harcourt, 1970.
- Muscutt, Keith. Warriors of the Clouds. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1998.
- Savoy, Gene. Antisuyo: The Search for the Lost Cities of the Andes. Simon & Schuster, 1970.