The Zaña River (also Saña River) is a small river in 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 ...

. The river is in length and begins in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

of Cajamarca Region and ends at 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 contine ...

in Lambayeque Region. In the lower part of the river valley, where the river flows through the coastal desert of Peru, the cultivation of irrigated crops is extensive and the Zaña is usually dry near its mouth. Upriver, at higher elevations in the Andes, precipitation is much greater and downstream floods are common. One such flood wiped out the important city of

Zaña 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 ...

in 1720. Zaña has been rebuilt, but has never regained its former prominence as an urban center. Other towns in the lower valley are Mocupe, Cayalti,

Nueva Arica Nueva is the Spanish feminine form of the word for " new" and may refer to: * Isla Nueva, an uninhabited island in Chile * The Nueva School, a school in Hillsborough, California, USA. * Nueva (Llanes) Nueva is one of 28 parishes (admini ...

, and Oyotun. The most distant source of the Zaña River is at an elevation of at coordinates 6.998° S latitude and 78.83° W longitude.Google Earth

Vegetation

The semi-tropical forests found at elevations above in the upper parts of the Zaña basin are an unusual feature of the river. The existence of the forests is due to the relatively low elevations of the Andes in this region between the desert coasts of western Peru and the rainforests of the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Boli ...

of the east. Plant and animal species characteristic of the Amazon are found here on the western slopes of the Andes. The Peruvian government recognized the uniqueness of the forests in 2010 by creating the "Reserved Zone of Udima" consisting of of land overlooking the headwaters of the Zaña. From the lands in the reserved zone, the Bosques Nublados de Udima Wildlife Refuge (Cloud Forests of Udima Wildlife Refuge) with an area of 12,183 hectares (30,100 acres) was created in 2011.

Archaeology

Numerous pre-Columbian ruins are scattered throughout the basin of the Zaña River. Near the Nanchoc river, a tributary of the Zaňa, archaeologist

Tom Dillehay Tom Dillehay is an American anthropologist who is the Rebecca Webb Wilson University Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Religion, and Culture and Professor of Anthropology at Vanderbilt University. In addition to Vanderbilt, Dillehay has ta ...

has found what may be the oldest irrigation canals in the Americas,

radiocarbon Carbon-14, C-14, or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic materials is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and co ...

dated to at least 3400 BCE and possibly as old as 4700 BCE. The canals built by the people of Nanchoc at that time were utilized to irrigate crops such as

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...

squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

manioc ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

, and chenopods, a relative of

Quinoa Quinoa (''Chenopodium quinoa''; , from Quechua ' or ') is a flowering plant in the amaranth family. It is a herbaceous annual plant grown as a crop primarily for its edible seeds; the seeds are rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, a ...

. In 2019, Peruvian archaeologist

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 ...

discovered the ruins of a megalithic temple in the Zaña Valley near Oyotun. The temple, apparently belonging to the

Chavin culture Chavin may refer to: Places * Chavín de Huantar, an archaeological site in Peru built by the Chavín culture * Chavín District, Chincha, Peru * Chavín de Huantar District, Huari, Peru * Chavín de Pariarca District, Huamalies, Peru * Chavi ...

(900 to 200 BCE), is long and wide and built of large stones which were dragged from a long distance to the temple site. The temple is believed by Alva to be part of a larger complex.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zana River Rivers of Peru Rivers of Cajamarca Region Geography of Cajamarca Region Geography of Lambayeque Region