The Chachapoyas Cloud Warriors of Ancient Peru – Part 2/3: Conquered by Tupac?! (9th – 15th C AD)
Chachapoyas Material Culture
Although the Chachapoyas never reached the same level of technology in their material culture as other Peruvian cultures like the Moche or Nazca, they created simple and functional pieces of art that reflected what was important to them. Remnants of textile fabrics have shown that the Cloud Warriors preferred to dye their clothes red, and in some cases, painted decorations of birds or people would be added to larger, more elaborate pieces.
Many small, ceramic pitchers were recovered with cordoned motifs, while interior walls of domestic and public buildings were frequently painted – one building even depicted a story, with each wall representing a different stage in a ritual dance where couples held hands.
Funerary tradition could be conducted in one of two ways: a burial might take place in a cave located at the highest point of a precipice, with the mummified body placed inside a vertical sarcophagus, or it might involve the construction of mausoleums that looked like miniature houses, located inside of caves along the side of a cliff.
The Rise and Fall of the Cloud Warriors
While the archaeological evidence suggests that there were people living in the Amazonian Andes as early as 200 AD, the Chachapoyas probably didn’t arrive until the 9th century. The neighboring Wari culture may have influenced the rapid development of the major urban centers of the Cloud Warriors, mainly for defense purposes – and even if the Chachapoyas developed out of the Wari culture, it is likely that they would have been a group who split away due to irreconcilable differences.
The Kuelap citadel was likely the Cloud Warriors’ first line of defense against invading tribes, but in the 15th century, the Chachapoyas found themselves unable to stave off the Incan Empire – and were conquered by the ruler Tupac Inca Yupanqui! Although the might of the Inca quickly overpowered the Cloud Warriors, the people refused to go lightly – for decades afterward, the Inca found themselves troubled by rebellions and civil unrest. They attempted to quell the frequent rebellions by sending large groups of Chachapoyas into remote locations inside the empire… but as the Inca soon learned, this simply encouraged the Cloud Warriors to make more trouble.
When the Incan Empire inevitably broke out into civil war, the Chachapoyas were ready – they had formed an alliance with the Huascar, ruler of the southern capital, who warred against his brother Atahualpa of the northern capital, and many of them joined his army in hopes that winning would result in better treatment of their people. Unfortunately, the other side won – and many Chachapoyas were deported or executed for their alliance with the losing side.
However, this wasn’t the end for the Cloud Warriors – the Spanish colonialists had yet to arrive…
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Tomorrow: The conclusion!
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