San Jerónimo District: Views, Rock Art and Chachapoya Culture

The views from Mirador Calvario Punta, the Pollurua rock paintings and the Chachapoya site in San Jerónimo District each offer a different focus. There is also the patron saint festival in the capital, Paclas, on 5 August. You can plan your trip according to whether you want to focus on landscapes, cultural history or a particular festival date.

Views and trails at the viewpoint

Near Paclas, Mirador Calvario Punta is classified as a natural viewpoint and lies at an altitude of 2,543 metres. From there, you can look out over the Upper Utcubamba Valley, the northeastern cordilleras and areas of landscape characterised by lush vegetation. The viewpoint offers a specific landscape focus alongside the archaeological sites when planning your trip.

A tourism inventory dated 11 April 2023 lists a 2.1 km road from Paclas’s main square to the viewpoint; the drive takes about eight minutes by private car. The same entry also describes a 1.5 km hiking trail from the Paclas cemetery to the viewpoint, with an estimated walking time of around 20 minutes. These are approximate times for different starting points and modes of transport, so they cannot be directly compared as measures of effort. Nevertheless, they offer two different ways to reach the same viewpoint when planning your day. As road conditions can change, check them before driving. If you are looking for a holiday rental and the viewpoint is part of your plans, Paclas can be a useful location reference: both starting points described are there.

Chachapoya history and rock paintings

A different archaeological perspective is offered by the Zona Arqueológica Monumental San Jerónimo – Sarcófagos El Tigre in San Jerónimo District. The site is associated with the Chachapoya culture and was declared part of the Nation’s Cultural Heritage under Vice-Ministerial Resolution No. 087-2017-VMPCIC-MC. The Chachapoya culture flourished during the Late Intermediate Period, from 1100 to 1470 AD. This date range gives the site a clearly defined historical context.

Pollurua is a rock shelter in the community of Paclas with geometric and anthropomorphic rock paintings. A specialist cultural heritage description published in 2009 characterises Pollurua as an expression of the community’s culture: earlier inhabitants used a rock face and created several multicoloured images there. Comparing the two sites thematically reveals different areas of focus: Pollurua centres on the rock face and its images, while the Zona Arqueológica Monumental San Jerónimo centres on its association with the Chachapoya and its historical period.

A route description published in 2009 outlines the road journey from Lamud to the Pollurua archaeological site; it first passes through Paclas. Check road conditions before planning a drive, as they can change.

A festival date to help plan your trip

The patron saint festivals in the capital, Paclas, are celebrated on 5 August. If you want to plan your stay around this date, check the event dates for the relevant year. The festival date can be an additional point of reference when choosing when to travel, alongside the landscapes and cultural sites.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Longuita District, Bagua Grande, Lamud District, Florida District, Nuevo Tingo.

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