Evidence for ancient bone surgery found at Kuelap Fortress

A study by the University of Florida published in the International Journal of Paleopathology claims to have discovered the first ever evidence for ancient bone surgery found in Peru.

Dr. J Maria Toyne details that two skeletons (dated 800-1535 CE) from the pre-Colombian site of Kuelap demonstrate pathology similar to trepanation. Trepanation is the surgical practice of drilling holes into bones and is the oldest example of surgical intervention.

The two moderately healthy male skeletons, one an adolescent and the other an adult of 30-34 years of age, were found to have drilled holes in the bones of their legs.

The placement and depth suggest to the bioarchaeologists that the holes are not random but were perhaps done to relieve pressure from a physical injury and or severe infection. The holes would have been administered to cure build-up of fluid in the leg.

Firman concesión del Proyecto Telecabinas Kuélap de Amazonas

Kuélap es una construcción arqueológica de la cultura Chachapoyas, conocida por sus grandes muros de piedra que se asemejan  a una fortaleza. Para llegar a esta zona es necesario hacer una larga caminata a través de la selva y los valles que la circundan, en el departamento de Amazonas. Es por ello que se autorizó la construcción de un teleférico que facilite a los turistas el acceso a la zona arqueológica.

El proyecto autorizado por el Ministerio de Comercio Exterior y Turismo (Mincetur), ha sido otorgado a la empresa Telecabinas Kuélap S.A., conformada por la empresa francesa Pomagalski S.A.S. y la peruana Ingenieros Civiles y Contratistas Generales S.A., que construirán lo que se ha llamado Sistema de Telecabinas Kuelap, con una inversión de US$ 17´893,191.

Kuelap: Machu Picchu alternative

Machu Picchu may be closed to visits for several months, but you don’t have to cancel your Peru trip. In Peru’s less-visited northern highlands, the country’s second-most thrilling archaealogical site, Kuelap, is still open. Rain is not an issue up here.

Kuelap, about 22 to 24 hours from Lima by bus (with changes in the coastal city Chiclayo, and another at Chachapoyas), was home to the mysterious Chachapoyas, or ‘People of the Clouds,’ from AD800 to the 14th century.

Visitors reach the monumental stone-fortified city atop a craggy limestone mountain via a two- or three-hour trek from nearby villages. A number of guesthouses are in the village nearby, such as Tingo (a 9.8-km walk away). Another option is the lovely hacienda-style compound Estancia Chillo.

With more stone than the Great Pyramid of Egypt, Kuelap had a population of about 3500 residents. You enter via three deep, lean gates — an ingenious security system to force attacking parties into easily defeated single file. There are ruins of over 400 circular dwellings across three levels, including a lookout tower with excellent views of the city surrounded by bromeliad-covered trees and exotic orchids.

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Kuelap, Cajamarca
Kuelap photogallery