Unreachable and perfectly aligned, like watchful birds on a high cliff, you will find the so-called “purunmachus”, or “wise men”; monumental anthropomorphic sarcophagi associated with the Chachapoyas culture.
More than one thousand years old, these capsules each hold the mummified mortal remains of a single individual, together with their funerary offerings. They are located at the top of a mountain, beneath the sun, protected from the living, as evidence of the great respect in which this culture held its dead.
Seeing them from so far away, one question comes to mind: How did they get there?
How to get to the sarcophagi of Karajia?
Route 1
Chachapoyas - Cruzpata
2 h approximately
Cruzpata - Sarcophagi of Karajia
30 min approximately
What to do at the Sarcophagi of Karajia?
You can buy handcrafts in San Miguel de Cruzpata.
Spot hummingbirds and Peru’s national bird, the cock-of-the-rock.
Discover many different varieties of orchids.
General information
Times:
8:00-17:00*Referential times
Altitude:
2 713 meters above sea levelClimate:
Min. 11 ℃/ Max. 23 ℃Price:
General public: S/ 5
Children: S/ 3
Essentials:
Camera, insect repellent, sunscreen, hat.
