Peru Chachapoyas Province is located in the amazonas region. The capital is Chachapoyas city, and is located in the mountains. Two main rivers run through this territory, the Utcubamba and the Sonche. A big part of the province is constituted by soils of puna, located between 4,000 and 5,000 metres (13,000 and 16,000 ft).
Chachapoyas city still preserves its wide colonial casonas of big courts and lounges, with roofs made of tiles, the Plaza de Armas is located to the west of the city. The city’s geographical location has determined its isolation until recently, when better roads were constructed between Chachapoyas and the cities of the northern Peruvian coast.
Peru Chachapoyas Province
In Shihual, a Magdalena’s district, there are a lot of calcareous caverns, which stalactites and stalagmites formations serve as habitat to diverse night birds. La Jalca has the privilege of being the first Spanish city that has been founded in the region: in effect, captain Alonso de Alvarado, conqueror of the Amazonas, on September 5, 1538 founded there the first city of San Juan de la Frontera de los Chachapoyas, which then would be moved to the place that it occupies now.
For Peter Lerche, an anthropologist, in la Jalca there is the legitimate Andean pre-Hispanic indigenous Peruvian culture, with traditional towns like Conila, Levanto, Colcamar, Luya. Fruit of his investigations initiated in 1980, he has published “Chachapoyas, travelers’ guide”. In this book he proposes some tourist circuits.
The first one of them, the shortest, can take in average 5 days, and the others, for more adventurous spirits, can take in average 15 days. There is daily service by bus to Chiclayo and Cajamarca.
Chachapoyas Climate
Peru Chachapoyas is unique for its climate and mountain range scenery. One of the peculiarities of this scenery are its extensive and matted wooded formations. During the rainy season, these formations are covered with a thick haze, from which the city’s name may be derived (from the Quechua word: sachapuyos, meaning “mount of haze”).
Another interpretation of the name Chachapoyas is the one that alludes its meaning of “strong male”. This meaning was reaffirmed by the courage of those who faced Tupac Inca Yupanqui and his 40 thousand soldiers with tenacious resistance.
In this part of the Peru, located in the eyebrow of the jungle, the average temperature is 18 °C and average relative humidity is 74 percent. However, in some areas the temperature can drop to 2 °C. Chachapoyas has a temperate climate and is moderately rainy.
