Lambayeque is a city on the coast of northern

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 ...

and capital of the homonymous district and province in the

department of Lambayeque Lambayeque () is a department and region in northwestern Peru known for its rich Moche and Chimú historical past. The region's name originates from the ancient pre-Inca civilization of the '' Lambayeque''. It is the second-smallest departme ...

. It is located 4.7 km from the city of

Chiclayo Chiclayo (; qu, Chiklayu) is the principal city of the Lambayeque region in northern Peru. It is located inland from the Pacific coast and from the nation's capital, Lima. Founded by Spanish explorers as "Santa María de los Valles de Chiclay ...

and 13 km from the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. It is an important cultural and educational center of the department as it houses some of the most important museums in the country, such as the Royal Tombs Museum and the Brüning Museum. It was founded in 1553 under the name of San Pedro de Lambayeque by order of the Viceroy Conde de Nieva.

History

In January 2022, two people were killed in Lambayeque, where the tsunami caused by the eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai measured 2 metres (6 ft 7 in).

Geography

The vast plains of

Túcume Túcume is a pre-Hispanic site in Peru, south of the La Leche River on a plain around La Raya Mountain. It covers an area of over and encompassing 26 major pyramids and mounds.Shimada, Izumi. "The Late Prehispanic Coastal States." In The Inca ...

are part of the Lambayeque Valley, the largest valley of the north coast of Peru. The Lambayeque Valley is the site of natural and man-made waterways and is also a region of about 250 decaying and heavily eroded mud-brick pyramids.

Archaeology

The Brüning Museum, established in the early 20th century, contains hundreds of gold and silver pieces, as well as textiles and ceramics, from the

Vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus r ...

, Moche,

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

, Lambeyeque and

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 ...

cultures. The '' Tumba Real'' ( Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum), established in 2002, contains artefacts from the Moche tombs of the Lord of Sipan, of which fourteen have been excavated. Dating from around 2000 BCE, the

Ventarron Ventarrón is the site of a 4,500-year-old temple with painted murals, which was excavated in Peru in 2007 near Chiclayo, in the Lambayeque region on the northern coast. The site was inhabited by the Early Cupisnique, Cupisnique, Chavin and Moc ...

temple is one of the oldest found in the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, as reported by the Peruvian archeologist

Walter Alva Walter Alva (born 28 June 1951), full name is Walter Alva Alva, is a Peruvian archaeologist, specializing in the study and excavation of the prehistoric Moche culture. Alva is noted for two major finds: the tomb of the Lord of Sipan and related ...

Culture

Lambayeque is also the home of

King Kong milk candy King Kong is a Peruvian cuisine dessert. It is made of cookies (made from flour, butter, eggs and milk), filled with Peruvian blancmange, some pineapple sweet and in some cases peanuts, with cookies within its layers. It is sold in one-half and o ...

, a popular dessert with filling made of fresh milk, pineapple sweets and sometimes peanut. The region is also known for ''

alfajor An ''alfajor'' or ''alajú'' (, plural ''alfajores'') is a traditional confection typically made of flour, honey, and nuts. It is found in Argentina, Peru, Chile, the Philippines, Southern Brazil, Southern France, Spain, and Uruguay. The archety ...

es''.

References

External List

Populated places in the Lambayeque Region Cities in Peru {{Lambayeque-geo-stub