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Zaña or Saña (''Çañap'' in Mochica) is the capital of Zaña District in the Chiclayo Province of
Lambayeque region Lambayeque () is a Administrative divisions of Peru, department and Regional Government of Lambayeque, region in northwestern Peru known for its rich Moche culture, Moche and Chimú culture, Chimú historical past. The region's name originates ...
in northern Peru. It is located inland from the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
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 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 ...
became a major area of
sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
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 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
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 Piura is a city in northwestern Peru, located north of the Sechura Desert along the Piura River. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. Its population was 484,475 as of 2017 and it is the 7th most populous city in Peru. ...
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 Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
,
vegetables Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including flowers, fruits, ...
, and algarrobo (
Prosopis ''Prosopis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The current circumscription of the genus contains three species found in northern Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia. Previously it also contained around 40 species ...
). Zaña prospered and attracted rich Spaniards who imported African slaves to work on their haciendas. In March 1686, Edward Davis, an English
pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
, 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 EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...
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 ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to ...
of mixed African and
indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...
("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 Nicomedes is a Greek given name ). Notable people with the name include: *Nicomedes (mathematician), ancient Greek mathematician who discovered the conchoid named after him *Nicomedes of Sparta, regent during the youth of King Pleistoanax, commanded ...
and Victoria Santa Cruz initiated a re-discovery of
Afro-Peruvian Black Peruvians or Afro-Peruvians are Peruvians of mostly or partially African descent. They mostly descend from enslaved Africans brought to Peru after the arrival of the conquistadors. Early history The first Africans arrived, as enslaved ...
culture, including music and the
décima A décima is a ten-line stanza of poetry. The most popular form is called décima espinela after Vicente Espinel (1550–1624), a Spanish writer, poet, and musician from the Spanish Golden Age who used it extensively throughout his compositions. T ...
, 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

The nearest climatic station to Zaña is in Cayalti, west. The
Köppen Classification Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
of Cayalti's climate is BWh (hot desert). Cayalti receives only of precipitation annually, most of it during the months of February and March. For much of the year, compared to many low-elevation tropical deserts, temperatures are mild due to the influence of the cold
Humboldt Current The Humboldt Current, also called the Peru Current, is a cold, low-salinity ocean current that flows north along the western coast of South America.Montecino, Vivian, and Carina B. Lange. "The Humboldt Current System: Ecosystem components and pro ...
that flows offshore in the Pacific Ocean. Average monthly temperatures range from in February and March to in August. The lower temperatures in the Austral winter are due to the influence of garua, a cold, misty fog that hangs over the land.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zana Populated places in the Department of Lambayeque African diaspora in Peru African diaspora Slavery in Peru