Pre-Hispanic archaeological find in Peru: more than 100 previously unknown structures in the “cloud forest village”

When archaeologists dig into the past, they usually unearth fragments: a carved tool here, a ceremonial shard there. But in the dense, cloud-covered mountains of northern Peru, researchers have stumbled upon something far more extraordinary—over 100 previously undocumented stone structures hidden beneath the foliage in the ancient Chachapoya city of Gran Pajatén.

It’s a revelation that’s rewriting the archaeological map of Peru—and possibly all of South America.

A discovery buried in the clouds

The newly revealed structures, located within the Río Abiseo National Park, belong to the Chachapoya civilization, often referred to as the “people of the cloud forest.” Flourishing in the Andean highlands between the 7th and 16th centuries, these people built their settlements at altitudes between 6,500 and 10,000 feet above sea level.

While 26 structures were originally discovered at Gran Pajatén back in the 1960s—some featuring elaborate stone mosaics of human figures—the true scale of the site had remained hidden. Thick jungle and steep terrain had kept the larger architectural footprint concealed. That is, until now.

According to the World Monuments Fund (WMF), this is the most significant discovery in the region in more than four decades.

“The team documented an architectural complex made up of multiple interconnected sectors,” said Juan Pablo de la Puente Brunke, WMF’s Executive Director in Peru. “This transforms our understanding of Gran Pajatén—not as an isolated site, but as part of a broader, integrated network of pre-Hispanic settlements. It raises entirely new questions about the Chachapoya world.”

How cutting-edge tech made it possible

Between 2022 and 2024, a mix of old-school fieldwork and state-of-the-art technology unlocked this ancient mystery. Researchers used aerial and terrestrial LiDAR scanning, photogrammetry, topographic mapping, and technomorphological analysis to peer beneath the forest canopy—without disturbing the fragile ecosystem or damaging the remains.

The result: a detailed 3D map of the site, revealing over 100 stone structures that had been lost to time, roots, and mist.

This kind of non-invasive technology is revolutionizing how we study ancient cultures in ecologically sensitive regions. And in the case of Gran Pajatén, it allowed researchers to see the full architectural complexity of a site that had long been misunderstood.

What this means for Andean history

This breakthrough positions Gran Pajatén as a cultural hub rather than a ceremonial outpost, challenging previous assumptions about the Chachapoya’s territorial organization, infrastructure, and influence.

With more questions now than answers, archaeologists believe this discovery could spark a new wave of research into how cloud forest civilizations thrived—and why they disappeared.

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