Day 946
Zaña
Another day, another historical site, though a much more recent one this time. Zaña was founded in 1563 by the Spanish. It is in the Lambayecue region where the Lords of Sipan had been based. It soon grew into one of the most important cities in Colonial Peru. The Zaña river flows nearby and the valley became a major sugar cane producer. The Spanish masters imported many slaves from Africa to work in the fields. The area became so wealthy that in 1686, the English pirate Edward Davies raided the city and carried off not only much of the portable wealth, but also the daughter of one of the local families.
Then a natural disaster struck, on 15 March 1720 El Niño caused torrential rains, the river overflowed its banks and destroyed most of the city. Local legend has it, that the slave owners believed they had been cursed, and so fled. The slaves stayed. There were no indigenous people in the census taken at the end of the 18th century, only Africans or those with part-African heritage. Today it is a symbol of African and Afro-Peruvian culture, and their struggle to find a place in Peruvian society.
Before the flood the city had a magnificent monastery and several churches, these were partially destroyed by the ravaging waters but large parts of the structures remain and the town is working with the government to protect and preserve them. We had a guided tour of the monastery and wandered freely around the churches. The museum was shut though.
