Chachapoya cliff tombs
The Chachapoya placed their dead on cliffs and in caves, out of reach.
Two kinds of tomb
Archaeologists distinguish two burial traditions among the Chachapoya. In the north, around Luya, single bodies were placed in standing clay sarcophagi. In the south, around Leymebamba, groups of dead were placed in tomb houses built against the rock.
Both kinds were set on ledges and in shallow caves high on limestone cliffs. The dry air under the overhangs helped to preserve the bundles.
Sarcophagi
The sarcophagi, called purunmachus, are hollow figures of clay over a cane frame. The best-known group is at Karajía. Others stand on cliffs across the province of Luya.
Tomb houses
At Revash and at the Laguna de los Cóndores the tombs are small buildings of stone and mud plaster, painted red and cream. Each held many mummy bundles.
Leymebamba
The mummies recovered from the Laguna de los Cóndores in 1997 are kept in a community museum at Leymebamba. Many are still wrapped in their original textiles.
In pictures
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