On display: 8 February 2025 - 31.03.2026
Location: Archaeological Museum in Poznań, 27 Wodna Street
Cellars of the Górka Palace (entrance directly from the courtyard)
Curators: Judyta Bąk, Dr. Marcin Ławniczak
Admission with a purchased ticket to the Museum
The Archaeological Museum in Poznań and Poznań University of Technology invite you to a unique exhibition dedicated to exploring the pre-Columbian heritage of Peru and the culture of the Chachapoyas, a mysterious people inhabiting the high-mountain regions of the Amazon.
The exhibition presents the results of interdisciplinary research conducted by a Polish team of scholars who, in 2025, with significant support from the Ministry of Culture of Peru, carried out two field expeditions into remote areas of the Andes and the rainforest. Thanks to the use of cutting-edge technologies, it became possible to capture traces invisible to the naked eye, such as hidden residential structures, remains of burial rituals, and artefacts of the Chachapoyas culture.
Remains of settlements hidden in the mountains and on rocky ledges are presented as 3D models and through on-site photogrammetry.
LIDAR – precise terrain mapping, including vertical cliffs containing pre-Inca constructions
Drone photogrammetry – documentation of hard-to-reach archaeological sites
Mobile X-ray and spectrometric equipment – non-invasive examination of the interiors of funerary bundles
Structured-light scanning – digital inventory of artefacts and human remains
Sarcophagi of the Chachapoya people
A unique form of burial that provides deeper insight into the funeral rituals and symbolism of the culture.
The exhibition is complemented by photographs from the expedition, including images of the research team and a spectacular panorama of the Gocta Waterfall, one of the highest in the world.
RESEARCH PROJECT
The exhibition was organised as part of the project Funerary Traditions of the Chachapoyas: Interdisciplinary Research Methods in the Process of Documenting and Protecting Peru’s National Heritage, funded by NAWA – Intervention Grants Programme, under the direction of Prof. Piotr Sielicki (Poznań University of Technology).
The field research included documentation of numerous archaeological sites, analysis of their surroundings, and the registration of new, previously undescribed traces of pre-Inca cultures.
