Kuélap

Kuélap, often known as the Macchu Picchu of the North, is a majestic 9th-century citadel that was formerly the stronghold of the Chachapoyas people, a tribe who resided in the region until soon before the Spanish invasion.

Kuélap, at 3,000 meters above sea level, is a spectacular sight, with limestone walls around a village of about 450 stone dwellings. It used to be home to up to 3,000 people, and many of the buildings still have thatched roofs and elaborate woodwork. The stronghold itself has the ruins of an ancient tower, guard posts, and eight-meter-high walls with reinforced entranceways, which were built to keep off enemy groups such as the Huari.

The Chachapoyas people began construction on the site in the 6th century AD, although the majority of the constructions were completed between 900 and 1100 AD. It's unknown whether the Incas actually took control of the site, but it was certainly abandoned by 1570, following the Spanish conquest. The site was rediscovered in 1843, but it wasn't properly explored until the mid-twentieth century.

The Templo Mayor (also known as El Tintero – the inkpot) is the site's most intriguing and spectacular structure, harboring animal bones that are thought to have been sacrificed. According to some archaeologists, the location was once used as a solar calendar. Scattered around the ruins are stone tombs known as ‘purunmachus’, which were built in the shape of people: these were reserved for the mummified remains of Chachapoyas

Location: Amazonas Region, Peru.