Revash

The Chachapoya people in northeastern Peru flourished about 750-1470 AD, at which time they were conquered by the Inka culture. The Inka were in the process of creating an empire that extended from Quito, Ecuador, to central and southern Chile and Argentina. A system of roads connected all points of the empire, paved with stones. The llama was their means of transport of goods.

The Chachapoya interred their leaders in tombs carved into vertical cliffs. One type of burial was mausoleums made of clay and resembling small houses where they would place several well prepared mummy bundles, wrapped in woven textiles. The above photo was found on the Internet and shows a probable reconstruction at a place known as Revash, not far from the town of Leymebamba. The site was carefully chosen so that the interred ancestors faced the rising sun, guarding the people in the many villages below. It is thought that it was built about one thousand years ago.

From Leymebamba I hired a car and driver to go up in the mountains to the village of San Bartolo, close to the ruins, at about 2,800 meter elevation (9,186 feet).

Typical construction in villages found all over the Andes. The house at the rear of the photo is not yet complete. The structure is framed with logs cut from the forest and covered with a tile roof. Then mud mixed with straw is inserted between the logs, as in the foreground. There are also some adobe bricks and some red bricks that are used less often. There is no chimney. Smoke from the cooking fire escapes between the tiles, creating a less than healthy environment.

New adobe bricks are drying in the sun along the road to San Bartolo.

A moderate hike of 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) brings us to the cliff where the tombs are located. If I knew how to insert a red arrow, it would show the location of the tombs on the lower left, where you can see a lighter color in the stone. My driver, Gonzalo, suggested we hike down to the tombs. My heart jumped a beat as I cautiously agreed.

Looking down to the valley below was a little unsettling.

Looking out on the vast panorama was awesome.

Then I turn toward the cliff and see plants clinging to the vertical rock. Can you see the path (far right, center)? That's where we will go, a muddy and narrow descent. My pulse is racing again just as I prepare this blog.

We arrive at the tombs, called chullpa in the Quechua language, but it's very difficult to get a view of the scene with our noses practically against the rock face.

What a thrill to see the chullpas up close. The surviving mummy bundles and other artifacts have all been removed and properly preserved and studied elsewhere.

As I peek inside, I see chambers on different levels. Unlike some other ancient burials in Peru that contain only one mummy, the chullpa likely contained several individuals. Concentric circles and animal figures are painted on the rock.

After an hour or so in awe of this scene it's time to return. It's a lot easier to go up this path than it was to come down. After the site was built in the 14th century, the Chachapoya destroyed the path that led to the chullpas. That was to protect the site. Unfortunately, rodents and looters eventually destroyed much of the contents.