Santa Ana Church

The Santa Ana Church on the block of Chincha Alta Street near the Plaza de Santa Ana is considered one of the oldest churches in the Amazonas region, dating to the 16th century. Its simple whitewashed facade and modest dimensions reflect the early colonial period, when Chachapoyas was a remote Spanish outpost on the edge of the Amazon basin.

The church's interior has been restored and contains colonial religious art including paintings and carved wooden furnishings. The Plaza de Santa Ana in front of the church is a quiet secondary square — smaller and less frequented than the main Plaza de Armas, but with its own low-key charm. A walk between the two plazas, about five minutes, takes in the historic centre's colonial streetscapes and gives a sense of how compact and walkable the old city remains.

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A story
Santa Ana Church dates from the mid-16th century, making it one of the oldest churches in northern Peru. Chachapoyas was founded in 1538 — barely a decade after the Spanish conquest — and Santa Ana was among the first Catholic buildings erected in the Amazonas region. The church served as the main parish for the indigenous population of the early colonial city, while the cathedral served the Spanish settlers. The two buildings, so close together, reflect the rigid social separation of early colonial Peru.

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