The history of Lambayeque is marked by the profound social, cultural and economic transformation that the arrival of the Spanish conquerors to these lands meant.
Lambayeque is one of the 24 departments that make up the Republic of Peru. It is located in the northwest of the country and its capital is Chiclayo.
The department has 3 provinces: Chiclayo, Lambayeque and Ferreñafe. Between the 3 there are 33 districts in total.
The department of Lambayeque was founded on January 7, 1872 by President José Balta. Then, on December 1, 1874, its creation was confirmed.
You may also be interested in the culture of Lambayeque.
Colonial period
In 1542 the viceroyalty of Peru was established. In this, there were strict laws regarding the management of indigenous peoples.
These focused on the treatment that should be given to the Indians, the propagation of the faith through catechization and the distribution and founding of cities and towns, among other aspects.
New urban planning
From the 16th century, a spatial arrangement and an urban hierarchy were installed that lasts until today.
On the one hand, in the cities a mixed population nucleus was generated, which included Europeans, Africans and Aborigines.
The cities functioned as administrative, political and military centers. They could have mining, agricultural or livestock production.
On the other hand, indigenous peoples were the rural complement around the cities. They were mainly used as labor for agricultural activity.
These towns had authorities elected by themselves and enjoyed a certain autonomy.
Time of independence
The leader Juan Manuel Iturregui, a native of Lambayeque, was one of the architects of the declaration of independence. He was in charge of propagating libertarian ideas and helped to enter weapons for the people.
His home served as a meeting place for the cause. Together with Captain Pascual Saco Oliveros, on December 27, 1820, he carried out the assault on the Curaceros barracks in Lambayeque, asking the squad leader to surrender.
Then Juan Manuel Iturregui marches with 800 men to support General José de San Martín in the process of the independence of Peru.
Pacific War
The citizens of Lambayeque participated in the War of the Pacific, or also known as the Guano and Salitre War.
This was an armed conflict that happened between 1879 and 1883. Peru faced Chile due to the invasion of this country in Peruvian lands.
Many citizens of the department volunteered to defend their homeland, forming the squad called Huáscar.
On September 24, 1880, Chilean forces arrived by sea on the coasts of Lambayeque aboard cruise ships and corvettes, disembarking for two days at Puerto Eten.
They met no resistance, so 2,700 infantry men, cannons, artillery, 300 horses, and weapons fell ashore.
The war ended in 1883 with the signing of the Treaty of Ancón. Peru had to cede the department of Tarapacá and the provinces of Arica and Tacna were retained.
References
- Conquest and Colonial Era. (sf). Obtained from In Peru: enperu.org
- General Data of Lambayeque. (sf). Obtained from Lambayeque: lambayeque.com
- Lambayeque Department. (sf). Retrieved from Wikipedia: wikipedia.org
- Contreras, C., & Cueto, M. (2007). History of contemporary Peru: from the struggles for independence to the present (Vol. 27). Institute of Peruvian Studies.
- Bachmann, CJ (1921). Lambayeque Department: historical-geographical monograph. Imp. Torres Aguirre.