I took a trip to the Revash funerary complex and to Leymebamba.

General

Revash is located approximately 60 km to the south of Chachapoyas near the small village of Santo Tomás. It is only accessible on foot.

The custom of building funerary complexes emerged relatively late in the 14th century within the Chachapoyan culture. It was not generally adopted by all Chachapoyan communities. The mausoleums can hence only be found in this region. As the Inca conquered the area a hundred years later, this custom is not in any way induced by or related to the Inca culture.

The Funerary Mansions

The Chachapoya constructed the mausoleum mansion from stones and mud mortar in the cavity of rocky walls. Typically, they had 2 levels. They were arranged in clusters that resemble villages, and housed the mummies of several individuals. The mummies are long gone, as they were looted and torn apart by rodents.

The Visit

We visited 2 complexes that are placed behind one another in the wall. To reach the second mausoleum, a little bit of climbing was necessary, and the trail became even narrower. Not all of the group went. I however enjoyed the high Indiana Jones factor…

People

The group was comparatively small: I met Marcello from Italy again. Also Anna from nearby Stuttgart had booked the tour in addition to Stéphane, Sabine, and Michel, a French Family from nearby Paris. Communication was fun, as except for Anna, always somebody needed translation. Not that it is of particular interest, but here a little communication matrix (just looking for an opportunity to give the table plugin a try ) 🙂