Kuélap through the eyes of Heinz Plenge

The renowned heritage photographer Heinz Plenge has visited Kuélap since 1971, managing to illustrate - to date - the historical mosaic of this exceptional archaeological monument, a center of Chachapoya culture. This photographic exhibit documents the uniqueness of the main monument, capturing the essence of a majestic civilization and its intricate relationship with its visible and spiritual surroundings.

Plenge presents a visual exploration of how material culture is preserved by scientific archaeological records and at the same time kept alive by the living expression of its inheritors: the communities and Maestros, master healers, who maintain an ancient and profound connection with the sacred site. Plenge's photographs allow us to travel back in time as witnesses to the enduring legacy of a civilization that masterfully combines tangible and intangible heritage.

During a hunting expedition at Kuelap in 1971, the sudden appearance of a female deer deeply moved Plenge, who decided to give up hunting forever—switching from shooting with a shotgun to shooting with a camera—and fully dedicate himself to the defence of natural and cultural Heritage. With this image begins the work of Heinz Plenge, starting from the exceptional landscape of the Kuélap area, the most important archaeological monument in the northeastern Peruvian region, which is in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

We are approaching Kuélap by air as a bird would do. The first gaze on the site embraces the circular landscape of the mountain, the architecture, the high Amazon forest, and the water-supplying bromeliads. Can you spot the character in the picture? (close in to the center of the image)

Getting closer we can see the oval shape of a wall that contains funerary structures and crowns the summit of a majestic Apu (mountain) at sunset.

Approaching the site early in the morning, we are welcomed by the majestic eastern front wall with its monumental entrance oriented towards the equinox. The wall is illuminated by the first rays of the raising sun creating an impressive welcoming scene making the visitor feel small and humble in front of such a powerful landscape.

Once crossed the protecting wall and entered the site we can discover and observe architectures and memories of past lifes: here the curved shape of a large platform that snakes its way through the surrounding nature. Thanks to its textures and colours it is harmoniously integrated into the natural landscape. 

The sunset reveals the unique stonemasonry around one of the main temples of Kuélap, and awakens the memory of the ancient Chachapoya inhabitants, revived by the presence in this image of their contemporary heirs: their aim is to protect an intact environment and to worship the eternal ancestors who become visible in the twilight of the day.

A ray of light crosses the cloud forest, unveiling a memory of daily life as it could have happened in the Chachapoya era and as it is kept alive in some villages today. A shepherd walks his lama through the pasture, intersecting the urban space of Kuélap with rural activity in an unexpected harmonious way. 

The labyrinth of walls in Kuélap that surrounds a restored building highlights the urban form of the site but also reveals the hidden atmosphere of more private activities. After sunset, the spark of the evening around domestic fireplaces becomes suddenly visible.

Already back in 1893 a study by the Swiss Swiss archaeologist, Adolph Bandelier demonstrated that the Chachapoyas were an autonomous civilization and provided the 1st architectural relief of the site. Carrying on his legacy, archaeologist and anthropologist Alfredo Narvaez conducted the most extensive and informative archaeological study between the 20th and 21st century, continued afterwards by Jose Bastante. 
In the picture one of Narvaez’s students appears, cleaning the ceramic offerings connected to a funerary context.

On this stone appears a multi-zoomorphic figure, integrating different attributes of animals into one single being. The figure displays the head of an Amazonian condor, a feline tail, and serpent-like leg, symbolising the unification of the Andean cosmovision of the three worlds: 1) Hanan Pacha, the higher world represented by the condor, 2) Uku Pacha, the lower world, represented by the serpent, and 3) Kay Pacha, the world of the here and now, represented by the Jaguar.

In this scene, master healers of Chachapoya tradition, called Maestros, use medicinal plants from the forests surrounding the sacred sites to prepare remedies and perform ceremonies seeking the integral well-being of individuals.

Not only plants but also animals such as the guinea pig (Cuy) are part of the diagnostic ceremonies during which the the spiritual world of the monument and its sacredness inspire the Maestro in reading and interpreting the patient's illness. The guinea pig is a medical device applied to the patient’s body (rubbed onto the surface of the body) to mirror their pathology into the Cuy’s minute body. 

This scene depicts one of the last dramatic historical moments of life in Kuelap before its abandonment around the second half of the 16th century. A man jumps form one point to another in combat attitude expressing the desperation of a last gesture. Form that moment the site has been shrouded in mystery for many centuries.