Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Wilfredo Sandoval
For El Comercio

A new place for history and culture has opened. The museum of Chotuna-Chornancap is one of a kind because instead of showing voluptuous gold and silver jewelery, the riches of our ancestors or other ornaments and allegories of the old governors of the northern cultures of Peru, its shows the visitors the real story of the ancient Lambayequean man.

All this, in addition, in the same place where the Lambayeque culture was born, a powerful dynasty that later reigned the entire valley.

The visitors of this new touristic attraction will witness the reconstruction of various scenes that occurred 1250 years ago in what is now the district of San José.

Here, people will discover an extraordinary story that, with years of investigation, ceased being just a legend. This is the story of the mythical landing of Naylamp, half hero, half god. This character arrived on northern shores accompanied by a singular cortege made up of dozens of people.

This had been registered by the chronicler Miguel Cabello de Balboa in 1576, based on the local people’s spoken tales. It was then confirmed by Enrique Brüning 300 years later, after a long investigation. Now, this story has been taken to a museum.

The new museum shows visitors the unknown details of the days that followed Naylamp’s landing with the help of 25 mannequins that recreate an impressive scene.

All this, thanks to the fact that many of the men and places that appeared in the ancient oral tales were scientifically checked in the 95 hectares of the archaeological complex Chotuna-Chornancap, 10 km from Lambayeque.

This attractive screenplay museum also includes a summary of the best scientific works done by the first investigators that worked in the area in the last 100 years. These are Enrique Brüning, Herman Trimborn and Christopher Donan amongst others.

Also, the author of the mot recent discoveries, Manuel Curo, is in this list.

Additionally, the representation of the sacrifice of 33 young women who were offered to the gods of the 13th century and who belonged to the Chimú-Inca culture can be seen in 12 showcases.

The director of the Brüning museum in Lambayeque, Carlos Wester La Torre, stressed that the most important part of this new and attractive space is that it exhibits what the ancient Lambayequean man has left for the future generations. He says that the best way of honoring our heritage is by incorporating it into our cultural lives.

Meanwhile, the director of the recently inaugurated museum Chotuna-Chornancap, Marco Fernández Manayalle, highlighted the active and enthusiastic participation of the townspeople of Bodegones, Ranchería, Yéncala León, La Ramara and El Guayo.

They made the construction of the museum, amongst other things, possible and supported the archaeological investigations in the area. The result of all the hard work, just like the museum itself, belongs to them.

People who are interested in visiting the museum must follow the road to the recreation center of the Universidad Perdo Ruiz Gallo.

Translated by Diana Schwalb