The fortress of Kuelap is one of the most outstanding archaeological remains of the little-known Chachapoyas culture.
Kuelap is situated on a ridge overlooking the Utcubamba Valley at an elevation of 3000 metres and surrounded by lush bromeliad and orchid covered vegetation. The fortress consists of massive exterior stone walls up to 20 metres high containing more than four hundred buildings and round houses, many decorated with zig zag patterns. The whole site is roughly 600 meters in length and 110 meters in width. Kuelap is thought to have been occupied from 600 AD until the late 1500s AD.