Lambayeque () is a department and

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in northwestern

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

known for its rich Moche and

Chimú Chimor (also Kingdom of Chimor or Chimú Empire) was the political grouping of the Chimú culture (). The culture arose about 900 CE, succeeding the Moche culture, and was later conquered by the Inca emperor Topa Inca Yupanqui around 1470, fi ...

historical past. The region's name originates from the ancient pre-

Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

civilization of the '' Lambayeque (''

muchic Mochica is an extinct language formerly spoken along the northwest coast of Peru and in an inland village. First documented in 1607, the language was widely spoken in the area during the 17th century and the early 18th century. By the late 19th ...

: ''Ñampaxllæc)'' . It is the second-smallest department in Peru after Tumbes, but it is also its most densely populated department and its eighth most populous department.

Etymology

The name ''Lambayeque'' is a Spanish derivation of the muchik word for god '' Yampellec'', said to have been worshipped by the first Lambayeque king, ''

Naymlap The Sican (also Sicán) culture is the name that archaeologist Izumi Shimada gave to the culture that inhabited what is now the north coast of Peru between about 750 and 1375 CE. According to Shimada, ''Sican'' means "temple of the Moon". The ...

''. The Spanish gave the name to the early people.

Geography

The vast plains that make up the department of Lambayeque's territory are watered by rivers that originate in the Andes; cultivation is only possible in a small portion of this parched region with irrigation. The fertile river valleys produce half of the sugar cane crop of Peru. In addition, Lambayeque and the

department of Piura Piura () is a coastal department and region in northwestern Peru. The region's capital is Piura and its largest port cities, Paita and Talara, are also among the most important in Peru. The area is known for its tropical and dry beaches. It i ...

provide most of the rice crops consumed in Peru. Increased agricultural harvest is expected with completion of the

Olmos Transandino Project Olmos, which means ''elm trees'' in Spanish, may refer to: * Olmos District, a district in Peru * Olmos, Peru, a populated place in Peru * Los Olmos, a town in Aragón, Spain * Olmos, Uruguay, a town in Canelones Department, Uruguay People with ...

. The water supply project will transfer up to 2 billion m³ annually of water from the

Huancabamba River The Huancabamba River ("Stony Plain" in the Quechuan languages, Quechua language) in the Pasco Region of Peru has its origin in the confluence of several small rivers near the town of Oxapampa: the Chontabamba, the Llamaquizú, and the Esperan ...

in the

department of Cajamarca Cajamarca (; ; ) is a department and region in Peru. The capital is the city of Cajamarca. It is located in the north part of the country and shares a border with Ecuador. The city has an elevation of above sea level in the Andes Mountain Ra ...

east of Lambayeque. In the smaller scale farming of earlier centuries, the Olmos

Carob The carob ( ; ''Ceratonia siliqua'') is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit, which takes the form of seed pods, and as an ornam ...

Tree Forest supported goat herds that fed on carobs. The fine goatskins were tanned to create the fine, pale, leather known as "cordoban" or "cordovan", from the Spanish town of

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

, where the process was developed. Goat fat was used to make soap. There are two small islands off the Pacific coast of the department of Lambayeque:

Lobos de Afuera Lobos de Afuera is a small, rocky Peruvian archipelago lying in the eastern Pacific Ocean some 54 km off the coast of the Pimentel District of Peru. The archipelago is about 4.8 km long, north-west to south-east, and 3.2 km wide. ...

, and

Lobos de Tierra Lobos de Tierra is a Peruvian island situated 19 km from the mainland close to the Illescas Peninsula and the boundary between the departments of Piura and Lambayeque regions. Its area is 16 km2, its approximate length is 10 km ...

; there was a dispute with the department of Piura over ownership of the latter island. The region is bordered by the Piura Region on the north, the Cajamarca Region on the southeast, the

La Libertad Region La Libertad (; in English language, English: ''The Liberty'') is a Regions of Peru, department and Regional Government of La Libertad, region in northwestern Peru. Formerly it was known as the Department of La Libertad ('). It is bordered by the L ...

on the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west.

History

Legend tells that in ancient times, a great float of

balsa ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as balsa, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma'', and is classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the mallow family Malvaceae. The tree is fa ...

rafts arrived at the beaches of the existing San José cove. Formed by a brilliant cortege of nine foreign warriors, this float was led by a man of great talent and courage, named

, the mythical founder of the first northwest civilization. Among the descendants of Naymlap were the Moche and the

, the latter builders of a great civilization forged in Lambayeque before being conquered by the later

Inca Empire The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

. The Chimú grew to acquire a notable state parallel to the Inca. The Chimú moved their capital to the northern area, establishing great urban centers there. They were great farmers, textile experts and, wonderful goldsmiths, with extraordinary works in gold. The Inca conquest of what today is Lambayeque, lasted almost four decades.

Pachacuti Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, also called Pachacútec (), was the ninth Sapa Inca of the Chiefdom of Cusco, which he transformed into the Inca Empire (). Most archaeologists now believe that the famous Inca site of Machu Picchu was built as an ...

Tupac Inca Yupanqui Topa Inca Yupanqui or Túpac Inca Yupanqui (), also Topa Inga Yupangui, erroneously translated as "noble Inca accountant" (before 14711493) was the tenth Sapa Inca (1471–1493) of the Inca Empire, fifth of the Hanan dynasty. His father was Pach ...

and

Huayna Cápac Huayna Capac (; Cuzco Quechua: ''Wayna Qhapaq'' ) (before 14931527) was the third Sapa Inca of Tawantinsuyu, the Inca Empire. He was the son of and successor to Túpac Inca Yupanqui,Sarmiento de Gamboa, Pedro; 2015, originally published in Sp ...

, successively, ruled during the process. In the 16th century, the Spaniard leader

Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Born in Trujillo, Cáceres, Trujillo, Spain, to a poor fam ...

took his conquistadors across the region on the way to

Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Per ...

to conclude the defeat of the Inca empire. He was amazed by the gold exposed in vases and utensils. During Colonial times, a rivalry started between the people of the towns of Lambayeque and Santiago de Miraflores de Saña. The reason of the conflict was the opulence in which the latter lived, even provoking the greed of pirates. A flood in 1720, however, destroyed Saña and marked the end of a flourishing city. The people of Lambayeque followed Juan Manuel Iturregui as their leader in the struggles for emancipation and independence from Spain. He spread the libertarian ideas and helped get arms for the cause.

Archaeology

In November 2019, Peruvian archaeologists led by Walter Alva discovered a 3,000-year-old, 130 feet long megalithic 'water cult' temple with 21 tombs in the

Oyotún district Oyotún District is one of twenty Districts of Peru, districts of the province Chiclayo Province, Chiclayo in Peru. Archaeology In November 2019, Peruvian archaeologists led by Walter Alva discovered a 3,000-year-old, 130 feet long megalithic ' ...

in the

Zaña Valley Zaña or Saña (''Çañap'' in mochica language, Mochica) is the capital of Zaña District in the Chiclayo Province of Lambayeque region in northern Peru. It is located inland from the Pacific Ocean at an elevation of in the valley of the Zaña ...

. Archaeologists assumed that the temple was abandoned around 250 BC and later used as a burial ground by the Chumy people. Twenty of the tombs belonged to the people of Chumy, and one to an adult male buried during the

Formative period Several chronologies in the archaeology of the Americas include a Formative Period or Formative stage etc. It is often sub-divided, for example into "Early", "Middle" and "Late" stages. The Formative is the third of five stages defined by Gord ...

with a ceramic bottle with two spouts and a bridge handle. According to the excavations, as many as three construction phases took place in the temple: the first was between 1500 BC–800 BC, when people built the foundations of the building from cone-shaped clay; second, between 800 BC–400 BC, when the megalithic temple was built under the influence of the pre-Inca civilization known as the Chavin; and finally 400 BC–100 BC, when people added circular pillars used to hold the roof of the temple.

Political division

The department is divided into 3

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

(''provincias'', singular: ''provincia''), which are composed of 38

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(''distritos'', singular: ''distrito''). The provinces, with their capitals in parentheses, are: *

Chiclayo Chiclayo (; mochica language, Mochica: ''Cɥiclaiæp'') is the principal city and capital of the Lambayeque region and Chiclayo Province in northern Peru. It is located from the Pacific coast, from the city of Trujillo, Peru, Trujillo, and from ...

(

) *

Ferreñafe Ferreñafe (Mochica language, mochica: ''firruñap'')is a town in Northern Peru, capital of the province Ferreñafe Province, Ferreñafe in the region Lambayeque Region, Lambayeque. Overview Ferreñafe was founded on December 13, 1550, by captai ...

(

) * Lambayeque ( Lambayeque)

Places of interest

* Pómac Forest Historical Sanctuary * Tucume Pyramids

Music from Lambayeque

The most famous composer from Lambayeque was

Luis Abelardo Nuñez Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

, born in

on 22 November 1926. His songs are among the most popular ones in Peruvian music. These included the following:
"Marinera norteña"
Los Troveros Criollos
Waltz: "Porqué no volverás?"

Waltz: "Embrujo"

References

External links

Sugar Production in Peru

Rice Production in Peru

Chiclayo mapMuseo Sipan
{{Coord, 6, 26, S, 79, 52, W, type:adm2nd_source:kolossus-ruwiki, display=title Lambayeque Lambayeque no:Lambayeque