Warriors of the Clouds: A Lost Civilization in the Upper Amazon of Peru | 
 enlarge | Author: Keith Muscutt
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Category: Book
List Price: $32.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 779452
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 10.9 x 8.7 x 0.4
ISBN: 0826319629
Dewey Decimal Number: 985.46
EAN: 9780826319623
ASIN: 0826319629
Publication Date: July 1, 1998
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Historians and archaeologists, suggests Keith Muscutt, have done an excellent job of recording the achievements of great pre-Columbian civilizations such as that of the Inca, which at its height covered an area the size of its Roman counterpart. They have done less well in understanding the histories of the empires that came before, the local strongholds and fiefdoms swallowed up by the mighty civilizations that the Europeans encountered. Muscutt takes us into the heart of one such ancient civilization, the Chachapoya, nestled in the high Andes of far eastern Peru. The area is remote and nearly inaccessible (one conquistador wrote that "the natural difficulty of the countryside is so rugged that on some roads the Indians slide down great ropes a distance of eight or ten times the height of a man, for there is no other way of advancing") for which reason scholars have been late in coming to it. Muscutt's heavily illustrated, inviting text helps place the Chachapoya empire in the larger context of Andean prehistory. --Gregory McNamee
Product Description
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
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| Customer Reviews:
Warriors of the Clouds March 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was an extremely well researched and fascinating book to read. Having been to Machu Picchu myself I was totally absorbed in this other ancient Peruvian culture. A must read for all archaelogy enthusiasts!
Great Warriors of the West! October 24, 2000
4 out of 21 found this review helpful
One of the world's greatest civilizations was the Incan civilization. The Incas settled in Western South America, along the Andes range. This civilization was very similar to the Great Aztec Civilization. The Incas had adapted to their environment. They built terrraces and were skillful builders. Find out how the Great civilization adapted to their environment and how they were conquered by Pizarro's trickery...
A treat for armchair explorers. April 30, 2000
26 out of 26 found this review helpful
I was looking for information on Machu Picchu, when I came across this gem. The cover stirred up fantasies of Shangrila. I was intrigued, ordered it, and was delighted.This is a photographic exploration of Kuelap, a mysterious citadel in the high Andes, discovered seventy years before Machu Picchu. The Chachapoya, or Cloud People (understandably so-called) were the inahabitants of this remote and inaccessible area.Keith Muscutt has provided a detailed and interesting text to accompany this visual feast. He photographs the present inhabitants of the region, supposedly the ancestors of the builders of Kuelap. Perhaps or perhaps not, but interesting anyway.The photographs of tombs built vertically in the cliff side are indescribable. All in all I highly recommend this, whether the interest is information or pleasure. Both are to be found in these pages. Thorough and interesting and visually beautiful.
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