The Chachapoyas Cloud Warriors of Ancient Peru – Part 1/3: Shady Origins (9th – 15th C AD)
The Chachapoyas people of ancient Peru, also known as the “Warriors of the Clouds”, was a culture belonging to the cloud forests of the Amazonas region. Although most of the information about these people is secondhand – since they didn’t develop a writing system of their own – there are many excavated archaeological sites that have yielded artifacts and architecture, which has assisted in the reconstruction of this group’s history.
The name ‘Chachapoyas’ was actually given to the group by the Inca, who conquered the Cloud Warriors in the 15th century – currently, no one knows what name the Chachapoyas used to refer to themselves. It is widely believed that the name ‘Chachapoyas’ is an Incan variant of the Quechua phrase ‘sacha puya’, which means ‘people of the clouds.’
The Origins of the Cloud Warriors
Second-hand accounts of the Chachapoyas by later Spanish conquistadors reveals that their skin was much lighter than that of other surrounding tribal groups, which may suggest that the culture did not originate in the Amazon region but that they were originally Andean. Their origins may also be revealed through their burial customs – such as burying their dead in anthropomorphic sarcophagi that wear wooden masks – which has also been seen in the Wari culture, a group whose civilization actually lasted four times longer than the Inca!
If they came from the Andes, the Chachapoyas probably expanded into the Amazonian area of the Andes for the purpose of expanding their agricultural territory, which is visible in land terracing spots throughout their known territory. As for what the land looked like, the Amazonian Andes is part of a tropical forest mountain range, and would have been covered in thick vegetation during the time of the Chachapoyas.
The architectural remains of the Cloud Warriors have shown that they preferred to live either on raised platforms built on sloped terraces, or inside of circular stone buildings, and often decorated the inside of their structures with symbolic images. They were also known to build monumental fortresses, such as the one found at Kuelap.
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When Cloud Warriors Fight No More (9th – 15th C) - The Ancient Standard at October 8, 2007
[...] previously discussed here on The Ancient Standard, most of what the world knows about the Chachapoyas culture of ancient Peru comes from their burials and several pieces of monumental architecture, [...]
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