Sarcophagi of Karajía

The sarcophagi of Karajía are eight clay coffins shaped like standing human figures, perched on a narrow limestone ledge on a cliff face above the Utcubamba valley. The Chachapoyas people placed their elite dead in these extraordinary clay structures — some 2.5 metres tall with elongated heads — in a location accessible only by rope, seemingly as much to impress the living as to protect the dead.

The viewing point is reached by a 45-minute walk from the village of Cruzpata, along a path that crosses the valley and climbs through cloud forest. The figures are clearly visible from the viewing platform; binoculars help with detail. The skulls of additional individuals are visible in niches beside the main figures. The site combines well with a visit to the Gocta Falls on the same day trip.

things to do sight history
A story
The Karajía sarcophagi were hidden in plain sight for centuries — they sit on a limestone cliff face visible from the valley below, but the scale of the valley and the camouflaging colours made them easy to overlook. They were not formally documented until 1985. The mummies inside have never been disturbed; the coffins are sealed onto the cliff with clay, 50 metres above the valley floor.

Other places in Things to Do