The Chacapoyas: Background information when reading The Lost City

The Chacapoyas

This article relates to The Lost City

Jackson's search for La Joya (pronounced la hoi-ya) is a search any of us could embark on, but we might find it more expedient to visit one of the easier to locate Chachapoya sites. The Chachapoyas, the Warriors of the Clouds, lived in the Andes in what  is now Northern Peru - and La Joya, one of many ruined Chachapoyan cities, can be visited today along with other ancient sites (map of the region). It is believed that the Chachapoyas tribe lived in the region from about the 9th-10th century. They were conquered by the Incas in the 16th century who gave them the name 'chachapoyas'; their original name is unknown.

Their origin is also unknown and somewhat mysterious - evidence indicates that they had different architecture and burial practices than other Amazonian tribes. In ,A HREF="https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/2094/the-lost-city">The Lost City, Padre Beltran shows Jackson and Sarah two mummies, one with rust colored hair. The Chachapoyas were rumored to have been lighter skinned than other Native Americans and their women were reputed to be very beautiful. Padre Beltran even speculates that the Chachapoyas may have been descended from the Vikings. Beyond speculation and some artifacts, little is known about these people. The limited information in existence comes mainly from Spanish and Incan sources, which are presumably biased, and some archeological evidence, such as pottery and tombs.

Interesting Link: An extensive article on the Chacapoya Indians from the Encyclopedia of Anthropology

Filed under People, Eras & Events

This "beyond the book article" relates to The Lost City. It originally ran in February 2008 and has been updated for the April 2009 paperback edition. Go to magazine.