Kuelap Mummies

Kuelap is a walled settlement that can be located near the towns of Maria and Tingo, in the Laguna de los Condores area. The mummies were discovered quite recently in 1997, south of the walled city. The city is 700 years older than that of Machu Picchu and was built 3,000 meters above sea level by the Chachapoya around 800 AD. Construction of the city continued after the arrival of the Incas in 1470 AD.

The dead were very important to both Inca and Chachapoya people which is evident throughout the fortified city of Kuelap. According to the article written in 2015, more than 100 mummies have been found within the 20-meter high walls and the foundations of the homes.

The Chachapoya people were "exceptional warriors who were headhunters and eventually scalpers too, shamans, farmers, traders, architects, climbers and cavers". Archaeologists believe that the Kuelap city was a religious and political site for the Chachapoya people.

The Peruvian government is hoping to bring more tourists to the area by making travel to the area much more accessible. The archaeologists are hoping that tourism will boost funding for the site, as it is only 5 percent excavated and the site has been damaged and looted.