Kuelap Archaeological Complex is located at the top of Barreta plateau, left margin of the Utcubamba River, some 3000 m.a.s.l., in the humid, montane “cloud forest” ecological zone of the northern Amazonian Andes of Peru. Since its discovery in the year 1843 A.D., Kuelap has been considered the most representative and important site of the cultural tradition known as the “Chachapoya”. Archaeological excavations have revealed that the site was occupied between 500 and 1570 A.D.
The Chachapoya dominated a vast territory in the northern Andean slopes of Peru, to the east of the Marañón River, which has been anciently the natural border between the Amazonian cultures and those from the central highland Andes. Although little is known about the social and political organization of this macro-ethnic group, the settlements and other elements of their material culture share similar formal characteristics. Apparently, the Chachapoya were a conglomerate of semi-autonomous chiefdoms with a common cultural substrate, but without a centralized political entity. Nevertheless, according to colonial documents and ethnohistoric accounts, once they were incorporated to the Inca Empire, political unification was imposed to these independent groups in order to manage the area and have the control of their resources.
The Protected Zone of the Kuelap Archaeological Complex has an extension of 218.33 hectares, and the proposed Buffer Zone has an area of 609.67 hectares (see attached plan). Inside the Protected and Buffer Zone, there are at least 12 archaeological sites, all of them part of the Kuelap Archaeological Complex. It include burial areas with sarcophagi located on the top of the cliff faces surrounding the Barreta plateau, a main urban-ceremonial sector (The Fortress), a large unfinished extension located south of the urban-ceremonial sector, and an extensive rural area with groups of circular structures associated to extensive agricultural terraces on the east side of the complex.
In addition to the Protected Zone and the Buffer Zone, an Influence Zone surrounding the property is preliminarily proposed as an area to be included under official approval. At present, only the Protected Zone has been officially approved by the Ministry of Culture. The delimitation of the Buffer Zone proposed in the Management Plan involves the current population of the Kuelap Community, including the sector called Pampas de Uxul, inhabited by 65 families dedicated to agro-business activities. In this area, there are a number of small archaeological sites that exist within pre-hispanic cultivation fields, many of which continue to be used by the local population. The most important sites are: Pampa Linda, El Imperio, San José, Las Americas and El Lirio.
Beyond this agro-business production zone, the geological formation where Kuelap is located contains a natural landscape with very pronounced slopes not suitable for dwelling or farming purposes. This area is delimited by the Utcubamba River to the east, the Tingo River and the Sigsicucho Canyon to the north and northwest, and the Celcas Canyon to the south. The Tingo River, as well as the Celcas River, flow to the Utcubamba River. This area has been proposed as the Influence Zone, which is adjacent to small agricultural properties located at the bottom of the valley. The management of this zone is crucial regarding the need to control the fires originated by current farmers who use the technique of controlled fires (slash and burn technique) in extensive areas in order to prepare lands for cultivation and cattle pastures.
