Why Mummy’s the Word in Peru’s New Machu Picchu

A remote region of northern Peru, long famed for its ancient mummies and mysterious cliffside tombs, is fast emerging as the country’s next major archaeological destination. With plans underway for a new cable car and airport expansion, the mountainous Chachapoya region — home to the monumental fortress city of Kuelap — is being hailed as the “Machu Picchu of the North.”

A Hidden Kingdom in the Clouds

High in the Andean Amazon, the Chachapoya built their civilization centuries before the Incas rose to power. Their monumental architecture, circular stone homes, and intricate burial traditions reveal a culture as sophisticated as it was elusive.

Archaeologists have described Kuelap, a 1,300-year-old city perched 3,000 meters above sea level, as a pre-Columbian stronghold — a political and religious hub that once dominated northern Peru. The walled city contains more than 400 round houses, many built over tombs where the dead were buried beneath the living.

“Approximately 90 percent of Chachapoyan archaeology is undiscovered,” says historian and former mayor Peter Lerche. “Every week you could have a new story about a newly found site.”

The Inca Mummies of Laguna de Los Cóndores

The region first captured global attention in 1997, when Peruvian archaeologists unearthed more than 200 remarkably preserved mummies at Laguna de Los Cóndores, south of Kuelap. Many belonged to the Inca elite who governed the area after conquering the Chachapoya.

Bio-anthropologist Dr Sonia Guillén, one of Peru’s leading experts on mummification, led the research that followed. “Laguna de Los Cóndores has allowed us to look at the other side of the moon, archaeologically speaking,” she explains. “We could examine organs, soft tissue, and trace ancient diseases — something we had never been able to do before.”

Looters damaged many of the burial chambers soon after their discovery, forcing researchers to remove the mummies for conservation. Today, 219 mummies are preserved in the Leymebamba Museum, south of Kuelap, as part of a conservation project supported by the British Museum.

The site has become a cornerstone for understanding Inca health, diet, and social hierarchy. Analysis of hair and textile fibers has revealed trade links stretching from the Pacific coast to the high Andes and into the Amazon Basin.

Sarcophagi and Skeletons in the Walls

Across the steep cliffs of Chachapoya, sarcophagi carved in human form gaze out over valleys — silent guardians of a vanished culture. The best known are at Karajía, where human-shaped coffins cling to sheer rock faces, unreachable except by climbing.

Inside Kuelap itself, archaeologists have uncovered over 100 skeletons sealed within the 20-meter-high perimeter walls and beneath domestic floors. These burials illustrate the Chachapoyan belief that ancestors continued to protect their descendants from within their homes.

When the Incas conquered the region around 1470 AD, they gradually replaced these interments with formal mummification rituals. Yet, both cultures shared a reverence for the dead — a connection that permeates every archaeological discovery here.

The Race Between Tourism and Preservation

For decades, the remote location of Kuelap kept visitor numbers low. Reaching the site required a 12-hour journey from Lima followed by a steep mountain trek. That isolation preserved much of its authenticity but also limited local economic opportunities.

Now, change is coming quickly. A US $21 million cable-car project and a new airport expansion will cut travel time to three hours from Lima. Authorities hope these upgrades will transform Kuelap into northern Peru’s tourism centerpiece.

“Thirty thousand people visited Kuelap last year,” says Carlo Magno Galoc, president of the Association of Travel Agencies in Chachapoyas. “That number will double in the first year the cable car opens.”

Local entrepreneurs are preparing for the boom. In the nearby village of Nuevo Tingo, hotel owner Miriam Cauenero Mori is expanding her property. “Now, most tourists pass us by,” she says. “But the cable car will bring more visitors asking for accommodation.”

Balancing Progress and Preservation

While the tourism projects promise growth, some experts fear the rush could outpace conservation. “Some sectors of Kuelap are in emergency,” warns historian Lerche. “There are no plans to invest in excavation, restoration, or consolidation. The site is maybe five percent excavated.”

Dr Guillén agrees that research funding remains critical. “We are interested in a new site discovered in 2011 filled with sarcophagi,” she says. “If more tourists come, we’ll have more funds — we’ll be able to focus on archaeology, not just survival.”

Preserving fragile mummies, cliff tombs, and mountain ruins will require careful management. Without it, the influx of visitors could threaten the very heritage that draws them.

A New Chapter for Northern Peru

Despite the challenges, many locals view the transformation with optimism. Tourism has already boosted employment in small villages and spurred investments in roads, museums, and cultural centers. For residents who once depended solely on farming, the prospect of sustainable tourism brings hope.

“Chachapoyas will change completely,” says Galoc. “International businesses are coming, and local families are investing in hotels and restaurants. Tourism is growing — and with it, opportunity.”

The Promise of Discovery

Beyond its economic potential, the Chachapoya region remains one of South America’s greatest archaeological frontiers. From unstudied cliff tombs to settlements hidden by jungle, each season reveals new layers of its past.

Archaeologists call Kuelap the “pre-Columbian Vatican” — a spiritual and political capital that once linked the Amazon, the Andes, and the Pacific through trade networks. As more of its secrets emerge, it may finally earn the global recognition its builders deserve.

Peru’s southern icon, Machu Picchu, will always draw millions, but Kuelap offers something different — a glimpse into the mysterious world that came before the Incas, preserved in stone, wood, and the faces of its mummified kings.

For travelers seeking to understand the depth of Andean civilization, the “Machu Picchu of the North” is not a rival but a revelation — one that connects past and present in the clouds of Chachapoya.

Sources

• BBC News – Peru’s ‘Machu Picchu of the North’ to Boost Tourism with Cable Car Project
• The Guardian – Ancient Fortress of Kuelap Set to Rival Machu Picchu
• Smithsonian Magazine – The Mummies of Laguna de los Cóndores
• National Geographic – Peru’s Forgotten Cloud Warriors: The Chachapoya Civilization
• Reuters – Northern Peru’s Kuelap Fortress Poised for Tourism Boom