Los Pinchudos Archaeological Site
A Spectacular Burial Ground
Los Pinchudos was the ancient burial ground of the Chachapoya people, who once thrived between the eastern flank of the Andean Cordillera and the lowland rainforests of the Amazon Basin. The cemetery dates to the thirteenth century and contains eight ornate clay and stone burial chambers, known as chulpas, topped with wooden roofs and decorated with colorful patterns and anthropomorphic sculptures.
On the Verge of Collapse
Los Pinchudos is one of 36 archaeological sites within Río Abiseo National Park. The cemetery displays some of the most important and representative examples of ancient Peruvian funeral architecture as well as unique pictorial and sculptural art in wood and stone. These surviving structures and their decorations preserve the extraordinary iconographic language of a pre-colonial, ancient society.
While Río Abiseo National Park was recognized as a Protected Natural Area by Supreme Decree in 1983 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990, earthquakes, exposure to the harsh tropical environment, and vandalism brought the structures at Los Pinchudos to the verge of collapse.
Emergency Actions
By the late 1990s, the site was in a precarious state. Conserving the site's remaining historic fabric was necessary to protect the integrity of Los Pinchudos and present it to the public in a meaningful way. With assistance from American Express, WMF sponsored an emergency conservation and structural stabilization project in 2000. Although the expert team had to work under extremely perilous conditions along a sheer cliff face, stabilization was a success.
While these emergency actions were successful, the site was listed on the Watch for a second time in 2002 to raise awareness for additional conservation work required at the site and the creation of a permanent site management plan for Los Pinchudos to assure continuing care and maintenance.
News & Updates
Resources
Acogiendo el turismo: Cruceros en comunidades portuarias históricas
A Walk Around Jantar Mantar
Safdarjung's Tomb and its Surroundings
South Shahjahanabad
A Walk Around Sultan Ghari Complex
Siri and its Surroundings
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Our Supporters
World Monuments Fund’s project at Los Pinchudos Archaeological Site has been made possible, in part, by support from American Express and the National Geographic Society.