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 4,510 in 2017. The town was founded in 1563 by the Spanish conquerors of Peru. The Zaña Valley became a major area of sugar cane production and Zaña was one of the most important cities of colonial Peru. The wealth of Zaña attracted English pirates who raided the city in 1686. A flood destroyed Zaña in 1720 and it never recovered its previous importance. Ruins from the flood still exist at the edge of the 21st century town.

Imported African slaves made up a major part of the population of the city and its environs during its heyday. The Afro-Peruvian Museum is in Zaña and in 2017 the museum was declared by UNESCO to be a Site of Remembrance of Slavery and African Cultural Heritage.

History

The city of Zaña (or Saña, as it was known in its early history) was founded in November 1563 by Baltasar Rodriguez with the name of Santiago de Miraflores de Zaña. Conceived as a way-station between the growing towns of Piura to its north and Trujillo to its south, Zaña was soon designated as a city and became the center of an irrigated valley producing sugar cane, wheat, vegetables, and algarrobo (Prosopis). Zaña prospered and attracted rich Spaniards who imported African slaves to work on their haciendas.

In March 1686, Edward Davis, an English pirate, raided Zaña, carrying off the portable wealth of the city and the daughter of a prominent citizen. On March 15, 1720 the city was completely destroyed by a flood in an El Niño year and the Spaniards largely abandoned the town, leaving behind the African slaves who re-created a much diminished community and town. At the end of the 18th century, Zaña had a population of little more than 500 people, of whom 90 were Africans ("negros") and 370 were mestizos of mixed African and indigenous ("indios") heritage. Not a single indigenous person was enumerated in the census.

Slavery was abolished in Peru in 1854, but many of the Afro-Peruvian residents of Zaña continued to work in the sugar industry, especially on the hacienda of the Aspillaga family in Cayalti, from Zaña which was one of the largest sugar producers in Peru in the early 20th century.

In the 1950s Afro-Peruvian siblings Nicomedes and Victoria Santa Cruz initiated a re-discovery of Afro-Peruvian culture, including music and the décima, a style of poetry. Zaña became a symbol of the struggle of Afro-Peruvians to find a place in Peruvian culture. The décimas recount the history of the Afro-Peruvians and a popular song is titled ''Zaña.'' In 2005, the Afro-Peruvian Museum opened in Zaňa.

Climate

Zaña does not have a climatic station, but its location, elevation, and climate is similar to that of Chiclayo, distant. The Köppen Classification of Chiclayo's climate is BWh (hot desert). Chiclayo receives only of precipitation annually, nearly all of it during the Austral summer (October to March). However, for a low-elevation tropical location, temperatures are mild due to the influence of the cold Humboldt Current that flows offshore in the Pacific Ocean. Average monthly temperatures range from in February to in September. The lower temperatures in the Austral winter are due to the influence of garua, a cold, misty fog that hangs over the land, especially in the winter. Humidity is high year round.

References

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Populated places in the Lambayeque Region
Afro-Peruvian
African diaspora
Slavery in Peru