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Since 2003, successive Franco-Peruvian expeditions have revealed a beautiful series of caverns never before explored by speleologists, with beautiful calcareous Jurassic formations.
 Text: Sonia Bermúdez Lozano (*)
Photos: GSBM
Total darkness and extreme cold, the walls were damp with the rain that fell through crevices from the surface. Our only light came from the small flames of our carbide lamps. We were underground, below Chaquil. We had entered the cavern through a hole about two metres in diameter that widened to about fifteen metres as we descended. In contrast, some of the other caves which are fellow expedition members had entered measured up to 200 metres in diameter.
 Another world
Access to the caves and caverns depended on the gradient. In some of the caves we entered by sliding down vertical walls on ropes tied to immense tree trunks. On other occasions we slid along narrow passageways that ended in great chambers with subterranean rivers and lakes. Some of the caves presented us with deep abysses which we had to climb down, always alert to any sound coming from the interior of the cavity.
Light and shadow
After dealing with the freezing cold and the inevitable fear, the teams followed the flow of air - that helpful guide that heralded surprising discoveries. In one of the caves one of the teams saw a passageway blocked with great blocks of stone, through which they were able to pass using tiny crevices in the floor and with their backs against the roof. Eventually, after great effort, they arrived at a lake with small shelves, fed by strong jets of water and they lay down and rested in one of the spacious subterranean chambers. Meanwhile, back at the surface, 96 metres above, the rest of the expedition members were working in the open air, under a magnificent sun.
Ancient
fossils
 Chaquil, Soloco, Vaca Negra, Parjusha are the names of just some of the caverns and caves that form the subterranean network under the lands of Chachapoyas, in the department of Amazonas. It is believed that in the Soloco massif alone the network of underground galleries is more than 10 km long. The group had come together to explore and map the area for three weeks, and was comprised of fourteen members (three Peruvians and eleven French citizens) from the Andean Speleology Club and the GSMB (Bagnols Marcoule Speleology Group). led by the hydrologist Jean-Loup Guyot.
It was in Chaquil where the complete skeleton of an animal was found, which according to previous research belonged to a carnivore. It may have been a great spectacled bear (of the Ursidae family), which inhabited this continent 60,000 years ago. This discovery may prove to be of great value, for little is known of the history of this species in South America.
 Chachapoyas remains
In the region of Soloco, where these subterranean systems are concentrated, we found a few remnants of ceramics and bone, possibly from a pre-Hispanic population belonging to the Chachapoyas culture. The Chachapoyas established an important civilization which endured from about 800 AD to 1470 AD, when the Inca Túpac Yupanqui conquered and colonised the region.
We made our explorations using ropes and specialist equipment and we were accompanied by highly experienced speleologists. We explored each section of the caves while taking great care not to damage the environment, which is extremely sensitive to the presence of humans.
Outstanding issues
There is much more to be done. The distribution of the water levels and the levels of water in each underground lake and river need to be established, as does the importance of the archaeological remains above ground at Chaquil and the relationship of the Chachapoyas culture with this subterranean world. But, more fundamentally, the potential of these natural resources needs to be investigated in order to establish their usefulness to the rural communities of the area, who will ultimately be responsible for preserving them.
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