UJ #3 - Peru: A luxury destination

Adriana von Hagen
T
ell us, how did you arrive
at Leymebamba, in the
Chachapoyas province?
I’ve been living between Lima
and Chachapoyas for the last
15 years, and I also constantly travel to
other places. I settled there while working
on the investigations after the mummies
were found and I participated in the creation
of the museum, across from which I built
a house. The people who would come visit
always needed somewhere to stay, and thus
the Kentitambo hotel was born, with its
two rooms available for small groups. It was
conceived with the help of Lima architects
as an extension to my house. Some day
we’ll expand. The KentiCafé is open and
currently functions as the museum’s café.
How has the experience of working in
Leymebamba been for you?
It’s been an incredible experience. I work with
local people, many of whom had never seen
bathrooms with hot water before they began
working here. They are trained to work in
houses, and the hotel is virtually an extension
of a house. It has not been difficult to train
them. The food that we offer is all made with
local ingredients and most of it is harvested
from our very own vegetable garden. The
fieldwork and archeological investigations
have been difficult. We had to move in and
out on mules. When I arrived, there was only
one phone and very limited Internet access.
I was the only person using the internet at
the time (1997). The area has seen a lot of
progress. We have more amenities, like taxis
for example. We are much more connected.
What has been the biggest challenge
with the museum?
The financing is expensive. Recently, the
influx of tourists has dropped because the
route from Cajamarca – the main access route
to Leymebamba – is closed. Tourists usually
visit Chachapoyas, the Gocta waterfalls and
Kuélap, but if they only have a few days,
they don’t end up making it to Leymebamba.
Without access to Cajamarca we lose tourists
who are enjoying the local circuit
Why is the discovery of the tombs in the
Lagoon of Condors important in terms of
better understanding the Chachapoyas
culture?
In cultural terms, the discovery of the
mummies has no precedent. The organic
“Mummies are fascinating for turists”, Adriana claims.
matter has been amazingly preserved.
Before the discovery – partly because of the
difficult access to the area – it was thought
that the Chachapoyas were a smaller,
isolated culture. What we know now is that
they played an important role within the
Incan empire. They were the trade suppliers
of the resources found in the lower-jungle
areas, like feathers, honey and vegetablebased
dyes. Evidence of their contact with
other cultures prior to the Incan period has
also been found.
How were the mummies found?
In the 1990’s, grave robbers and cattle
farmers saw the chullpa on the other side of
the Condor Lagoon, and on their free days,
they would loot it. But, because it’s such a
small town, soon-there-after the police found
out and confiscated the material. Based on
what was confiscated, we began the rescue
project and inaugurated the museum.
In what ways has the museum positively
impacted Leymebamba - its neighboring
town?
The arrival of tourists who come to visit the
museum has allowed for the town to grow
both in infrastructure and importance. There
are new businesses, restaurants and hotels. In
that way, it’s put Leymebamba on the map.
The Amazonas department has some
beautiful land in the Utcubamba Valley.
Do you think that that area has the
same potential for tourism development
as Cusco’s Sacred Valley?
It might be similar to what the Sacred Valley
was like 50 years ago – much before the
invasion of tourism that we see today. The
good thing about the Utcubamba Valley
is that few people visit it, thus there’s still
the potential of setting up a sustainable
travel project. The correct word to describe
it would be ‘unspoiled.’ Wherever one
visits, it’s always nicer when that place isn’t
invaded by tourists. In Chachapoyas, the
only operating hotel chain that has decided
to take the risk is Casa Andina.
As a cultural researcher, what is the
importance of the Kuélap Fortress? Do
you thinks it’s valid to sell this site as the
Machu Picchu of the Peruvian jungle?
Although there is no doubt that this is an
important and impressive site, we are still
waiting on the results of the work executed
by archeologists over the last 20 years
in order to determine the magnitude of
Kuélap for the Chachapoyas culture. It is
one of the few archeological sites in the
area that has been extensively excavated
and restored, and that also offers areas
open to the public. Unfortunately, Kuélap
is often compared to Machu Picchu even
though the two sites are very different. One
has to consider that the Incan architecture
and their style of working the land was
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