The Chachapoya sociopolitical organization: implications of the archaeological evidence from the Luya province (Amazonas department)

Abstract

Most researchers studying the history of the ancient Chachapoya (approx. 800- 550 AD) postulate that they were organized in a large number of autonomous and separate chiefdoms. However, the archaeological evidence does not necessarily support this hypothesis. Rather, it seems that the Chachapoya people lived before the Inca conquest in almost segmentary societies lacking political authorities. Archaeological evidence (forms of burial, rock paintings) recorded by the author in the Province of Luya solely indicate the presence of war chiefs. This evidence is corroborated by some of the colonial chroniclers stating that the chiefdom system of “curacazgos” had been introduced by the Inca. But how was it possible for the Chachapoya to build monumental architecture like the “fortified settlement” of Kuélap?. The architectural complex had to be designed and its construction made it necessary to organize extensive labor forces. This leaves us to deduce that, possibly, at some point in their history the Chachapoya lived in a more complex society with a ruling class. In this article the author uses the available archaeological and ethnohistorical data to discuss the pros and cons of the suggestions about the sociopolitical organization of the Chachapoya.