Kuelap, the Machu Picchu of the north

A few hours drive away by car from Chachapoyas is Kuelap.This fortress is the largest stone structure of South America. It contains more than 450 stone houses. It is located on a mountain higher than Machu Picchu, is much older than the Inca Empire. This Machu Picchu of the North was found in better condition than the one in the South. The Kuelap complex remains relatively unknown in this remote zone, which only thirty years ago took two months to walk out to from the nearest road. The fortress is filled with a million air plants, bromeliads and orchids, high on a mountain top, in this mysterious cloud forest. I asked my student and friend, Lucy, to take me as well as 2 of my fellow teachers Lora and Charlie. So early one weekend morning, we all jumped in a cab and traveled up to Kuelap. It was another terrifying cab ride along the narrow, steep, bumpy, windey, unpaved dirt roads!

Lucy and her 12 yr. old son, Oliver with the fortress wall behind

Lucy was a wealth of knowledge;however, she only spoke Spanish. So Charlie, one of the teachers with us helped us a bit...

One of many houses and walls

Me and Lucy in passageway on our way out

Close up of the walls showing the triangular details

Top of the passageway leading back down with our group

The interior of one of the houses; standing around a grain storage hole

Charlie and Lora at the top of the lookout tower

Charlie and Lora walking around remains of houses

Oliver with wild Llama behind him

 It was a 1/2 hour walk back down to where the taxi said he would wait to take us back to Chachapoyas and we were hoping that he would still be there! If not, we would be in big trouble since we were 2 hours away!