Lambayeque () is a
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
and region in northwestern
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
known for its rich
Moche and
Chimú historical past. The region's name originates from the ancient pre-
Inca
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
civilization of the ''
Lambayeque''. 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 god ''Yampellec'', said to have been worshipped by the first Lambayeque king, ''Naymlap''. The Spanish gave the name to the early people.
Geography
The territory of the department of Lambayeque is made up of wide plains irrigated by rivers from the Andes; in most of the arid area, irrigation is needed to support any farming. 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 is ...
provide most of the rice crops consumed in Peru.
Increased agricultural harvest is expected with completion of the
Olmos Transandino Project
Olmos 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 surname
*Andrés de Olmos (c. 1485–1 ...
. The water supply project will transfer up to 2 billion m
3 annually of water from the
Huancabamba River
The Huancabamba River ("Stony Plain" in the 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 Esperanza rivers. From an ...
in the
department of Cajamarca 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 pods, and as an ornamental tree in gardens and landscap ...
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, 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 is the headquarters city of the Lobos Partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It was founded on 2 June 1802 by José Salgado.
Background
Located 100 km from Buenos Aires, Lobos is currently a fertile agricultural area known mai ...
, 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, an ...
; 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: ''The Liberty'') is a region in northwestern Peru. Formerly it was known as the Department of La Libertad ('). It is bordered by the Lambayeque, Cajamarca and Amazonas regions on the north, the San Martín Region on t ...
on the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west.
Political division
![Provinces of Lambayeque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Provinces_of_Lambayeque.PNG)
The department is divided into 3
provinces (''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 o ...
(''distritos'', singular: ''distrito''). The provinces, with their capitals in parentheses, are:
*
Chiclayo (
Chiclayo)
*
Ferreñafe
Ferreñafe is a town in Northern Peru, capital of the province Ferreñafe in the region Lambayeque.
Ferreñafe overview
Ferreñafe was founded on December 13, 1550, by captain Alonso de Osorio.Ferreñafe.comFerreñafe Peru Retrieved May 28, 2 ...
(
Ferreñafe
Ferreñafe is a town in Northern Peru, capital of the province Ferreñafe in the region Lambayeque.
Ferreñafe overview
Ferreñafe was founded on December 13, 1550, by captain Alonso de Osorio.Ferreñafe.comFerreñafe Peru Retrieved May 28, 2 ...
)
*
Lambayeque (
Lambayeque)
History
Legend tells that in ancient times, a great float of
balsa 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
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. According to Shimada, ''Sican'' means "temple of the Moon". The Sic ...
, the mythical founder of the first northwest civilization.
Among the descendants of Naymlap were the
Moche and the
Chimú, the latter builders of a great civilization forged in Lambayeque before being conquered by the later
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
. 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 ( qu, Pachakutiq Inka Yupanki) was the ninth Sapa Inca (1418–1471/1472) of the Kingdom of Cusco which he transformed into the Inca Empire ( qu, Tawantinsuyu). Most archaeologists now believe that the famous Inca si ...
,
Tupac Inca Yupanqui
Topa Inca Yupanqui or Túpac Inca Yupanqui ( qu, 'Tupaq Inka Yupanki'), translated as "noble Inca accountant," (c. 1441–c. 1493) was the tenth Sapa Inca (1471–93) of the Inca Empire, fifth of the Hanan dynasty. His father was Pachacuti, and ...
and
Huayna Cápac, successively, ruled during the process.
In the 16th century, the Spaniard leader
Francisco Pizarro 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 Peru ...
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 the province Chiclayo in Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_ ...
in the
Zaña Valley
Zaña (also Saña) 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 River. Zaña had a population of 4,51 ...
. 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.
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 language, Spanish form of the originally Germanic language, Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese language, Portuguese and ...
, born in
Ferreñafe
Ferreñafe is a town in Northern Peru, capital of the province Ferreñafe in the region Lambayeque.
Ferreñafe overview
Ferreñafe was founded on December 13, 1550, by captain Alonso de Osorio.Ferreñafe.comFerreñafe Peru Retrieved May 28, 2 ...
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 PeruRice Production in Peru Chiclayo mapMuseo Sipan
{{Coord, 6, 26, S, 79, 52, W, type:adm2nd_source:kolossus-ruwiki, display=title
Regions of Peru
no:Lambayeque