Warriors of the Clouds: A Lost Civilization in the Upper Amazon of Peru

Discovered in a remote and rugged area of the Amazonian Andes in 1843, seventy years before Machu Picchu was brought to public attention, the colossal ruin known as Kuelap was built by members of a regional culture or group of cultures known as the Chachapoya. Now author-photographer Keith Muscutt examines in fascinating detail the history of the Chachapoya. In addition to their cultural origins in the Amazon Basin, their distinctive architecture, and their defiant resistance to conquest by the Incas and the Spanish, he explores modern Chachapoya communities and shares stories of some of his own expeditions, traveling by mule and on foot, into Chachapoya territory.

"A pioneering exploration of the archaeology of a largely unknown region. . . . a first-class explorer's document, it tells a very interesting story of people and places, modern and prehistoric. The text evokes rich images of the author's experience. . . . I expect the book will be a very popular title with anyone who dreams of lost places. . . . The photographs alone will be a major archive of information about poorly documented sites."--John W. Rick, Stanford University

"In the upper Amazon of northern Peru, a spectacular civilization flourished in what is today one of the most remote and inaccessible areas of the world. Its people, known as the Chachapoyas, or Cloud People, were conquered by the Inca around AD 1475, and then succumbed to the ravages of Spanish Colonial rule. Their descendants still inhabit this area, living in scattered villages or isolated farmsteads, frequently juxtaposed to the spectacular ruins of their ancestors. Written in a humanistic and wonderfully readable style, and accompanied the the author's extraordinary photographs, Warriors of the Clouds makes the region come alive. Muscutt writes eloquently of a place he loves, and allows the reader to experience its magic. This book is wonderful."--Christopher Donnan, author of Royal Tombs of Sipan