The northeast of Peru has been inhabited since
prehistory. Remains from this period have been found, such as the
cave paintings of hunter-gatherers in Chiñuña-Yamón and Limones-Calpón in
Utcubamba, dating back to six to seven thousand years ago. Before the arrival of the Spanish, the area was inhabited by
pre-Columbian cultures, whose history is still precariously evaluated and spread.
Pre-Columbian period Notable pre-Columbian cultures of the area included the
Chachapoya and
Wari (Huari), both preceding the
Inca Empire by 500 years. Similar to the Incas, the Wari also expanded across more territories than their other pre-Inca neighbors to the South, the
Moche and
Chimú. The Huari are theorized to be the pioneers of
terrace agriculture, a farming system suited to the topographical terrain of Peru that later would revolutionize European agriculture. The
Chachapoya people built the fortress of
Kuélap during the 6th century. The largest stone complex in South America, it is located 3,000 meters above sea level, higher than
Machu Picchu. These people strongly opposed the Incan conquest and repelled the first Inca attempts to incorporate the region to their empire in the 15th century. Other archaeological remains of this culture are the
Sarcophagi of Carajía,
Revash's mausoleums, the
Tunnels of San Antonio,
Congón (renamed as
Vilaya),
Olán, Purunllaqta (renamed as
Monte Peruvia),
Pajatén, etc.
Spanish period The natives of the region received in a jubilant and cordial way the first Spaniards who reached the region. Their arrival had been expected thanks to the news that they had received from
Cajamarca. Those people had told
Francisco Pizarro that
Chachapoyas was an excellent agricultural region where the people possessed a lot of gold and silver. The conquistador did not lose time and formed an expedition of 20 men, putting captain
Alonso de Alvarado in charge of it, with the express order to found a
Christian city at Chachapoyas. The chroniclers say that, when the Spanish arrived to the region, the Chachapoyas people gave big parties in their honor and gave them many rich gifts willingly, also numerous examples of appreciation, including showing some interest to become Christians. Pizarro decided to send a second expedition, this time with instructions to take possession of the zone, delivering
Alonso de Alvarado a provision so he would be able to found the city of
San Juan de la Frontera de los Chachapoyas. But this time Pizarro's envoy met the bellicose resistance of a
curaca called
Huamán, whom they had to defeat before coming to their destination, where they founded the mentioned city on September 5, 1538. Its first church was built on the same year, followed by the churches of Santa Ana, San Lázaro and Señor de Burgos. The same day of Chachapoyas' foundation, the members of the first
cabildo were elected, turning out to be designated the
councillors
Gómez de Alvarado, Alonso de Chávez, Gonzalo de Trujillo, Gonzalo de Guzmán, Luis Valera (father of the
chronicler Blas Valera), Pedro Romero,
Bernardino de Anaya and Francisco de Fuentes. Alvarado had chosen a place called
Jalca, which apparently did not have the demanded conditions. This was the reason why the location of the flaming city was changed several times. According to the papers of the epoch, the last time that a change was made was in 1544, but it is unknown when the city was established in its current place. A few years after its foundation, the prosperity of the region began to demonstrate itself in magnificent constructions in the city of Chachapoyas, with big
courts, wide lounges and architectural characteristics adapted to the zone. On April 17, 1549, the Spanish captain Diego Palomino arrived at the Chuquimayo (Chinchipe) River. From there, he set out to visit various regions in what are now the provinces of San Ignacio, Jaén, Utcubamba, and Bagua. After inspecting the lower Utcubamba Valley (both the right and left banks), he compiled a report of what he considered most important and subsequently sent the document to the King of Spain. A refined religious feeling was one of the characteristics that distinguished the settlers of this region during the colonial period. In the same year of the foundation of Chachapoyas, the first
church was built. Its first
priest was Hernando Gutiérrez Palacios. Later the churches of
Santa Ana,
San Lázaro and
Señor de Burgos were built. Three religious
convents were also established: San Francisco, La Merced and that of the betlehemitas. The majority of the persons who settled in Chachapoyas from the time of its foundation were people with
nobility, but poor. They were living in a modest and worthily way and they devoted themselves to
agriculture and
mining. Many settlers achieved a loose economic position, keeping, nevertheless, the austerity of the customs that was one of the highlight points of Chachapoyas' social life. With time the settlers were spreading to other zones of the region, such as
Luya, city that was established in 1569 by the governor
Lope García de Castro, ratified later in its administrative organization by the
viceroy Francisco de Toledo. There, an
agriculture of varied production and the upbringing of
dairy,
sheep and
equine cattle, bloomed in the area.
Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo made a visit to the locals at one point. The
partido of Chachapoyas () was the form of administration under which the area operated from 1784 onwards. The
partido was one of the seven subdivisions of the
Intendancy of Trujillo, itself a subdivision of the
Viceroyalty of Peru. The inhabitants of Chachapoyas became involved in the movement for independence. In April 1821, helping the action of
San Martin's liberating army, they ignored the Spanish authorities, exiling the subdelegate Francisco Baquedano and the
bishop of
Maynas Hipólito Sánchez, who were fighting openly against
independence. The cleric
Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza was its most outstanding representative, encouraging the patriots of this era and signing the National Act of Independence. The military chief of
Moyobamba, colonel José Matos, organized an army of 600 men, who confronted the patriots on June 6, 1821, in
Higos Urco pampa. Although the latter lacked training, military knowledge or discipline, they faced the realistas determined to give their lives in defense of the proclaimed freedom. Matea Rimachi was a local renowned as a heroine of the
Battle of Higos Urco.
Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza, a
professor, politician,
philosopher and
jurist, was one of the most important patriot leaders of the Amazonas. He signed the record of national independence in
Lima. He was the
rector of the
Convictorio de San Carlos, member of the
Sociedad Amantes del País (Lovers of the Country Society), founder and collaborator of the newspaper
Mercurio Peruano, deputy of the
Spanish Parliament and
congressman of the
first Constituent Congress, in which the majority of its members were his disciples.
Republican period The department of Amazonas was created on November 21, 1832. Before this date, it had been administered as part of the
department of La Libertad. The law, passed by the government of
Agustín Gamarra, was the result of an initiative by and . The law defined the provinces of
Pataz,
Chachapoyas (created on February 12, 1821) and
Maynas as part of its territory, also promoting their economic development through exonerations of rights in its commerce with
Ecuador or
Brazil. In 1836, it was
incorporated into
North Peru, established after a
civil war and made into a constituent country of the
Peru–Bolivian Confederation two months later. The department continued to exist following the Confederation's dissolution in 1839. The following years saw the dismemberment of the department's territory: Pataz was returned to La Libertad in 1853, and Maynas was separated as
its own political subdivision in 1853. Chachapoyas remained as the department's lone province until 1861. New province were created in the following years:
Luya was created on February 5, 1861,
Bongará was created on December 26, 1870,
Rodríguez de Mendoza was created on October 31, 1932,
Bagua was created on September 1, 1941, and, in May 1984, two provinces were created:
Condorcanqui (May 18) and
Utcubamba (May 30).
Contemporary period The area remained isolated for over a century due to its geography . Without highways, routes connecting to the city had to be done on horse, in long and painful caravans from the coast, or by the rivers from the region of the east. This situation continued until 1960, when highway connections arrived to Chachapoyas, although it had been already preceded by air transport. Later, during the last government of
Manuel Prado Ugarteche, the highway that joins Chachapoyas with the big route of penetration Olmos-Marañon was inaugurated. With this, Amazonas was put in direct communication with
Lima and the rest of the Republic. The
Cordillera del Condor, located in this region, was the scene of the
border war between Peru and Ecuador in 1981. ==Geography==