THE 8 MOST POPULAR CAJAMARCA LEGENDS AND MYTHS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Some of the most popular Cajamarca legends and myths are Cerro Campana, the pampa de la culebra or the lost gold of Atahualpa.

Cajamarca is one of the twenty-four departments that, together with the Constitutional Province of Callao, make up the Republic of Peru.

Cajamarca Square

Its capital, Cajamarca, is one of the oldest provinces in the northern highlands of Peru, and its capital, the city of Cajamarca, has been part of the Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Americas since 1986, thus declared by the Organization of States. Americans.

Its myths and legends come from an extensive Quechua tradition, which dates back to the expansion of the Inca empire in the 15th century. They are characterized by dealing with issues related to the formation of landscapes and lost treasures.

These stories did not stop evolving and spreading until long after Peru's independence in 1821 and are part of the Cajamarca culture and tradition.

The Legend of Cerro Campana

Cerro Campana is a hill located north of the Province of San Ignacio. Legend has it that an important city was located here, whose inhabitants were at war with the chief of a nearby tribe.

This, in a fit of anger, decided to seek the help of a sorcerer, who cast a spell on the population and turned them into rock.

After this event every Holy Thursday or Friday you can hear roosters crowing, a band of musicians and the sound of a bell on this hill.

On the top of the hill is the stone figure of a woman sitting in an armchair, enchanted by the witch's spell hundreds of years ago. Under the rocks that surround the figure is a spring of crystalline water that never clouds.

It is said that in this spring a small golden bird can sometimes be found, and those who see it go crazy with its capture.

Shururo Lagoon

According to this myth, the Shururo lagoon was formed with the waters that remained after the evil geniuses made the sacred lagoon disappear.

Then, the god Inti arranged for a black puma to be the mother and to protect its waters from other attacks.

One day the puma went out to sunbathe and a condor raised it in the air to kill it. The lagoon rose and defended it amidst the thunder and storm that broke out.

In the end the lagoon won, but it reduced its waters and the wounded puma never went out to sunbathe again.

The appearance of the Huanca man

According to this legend, Con Ticsi Viracocha created the world and its people. The Huanca couple -Atay Imapuramcapia and Uruchumpi- came out of a spring that made them gush.

They formed the first town. However, his descendants began to worship the god Huallallo Carhuancho.

As punishment, Viracocha made the invaders subdue them and turned Huallallo into the snowy Huaytapallana.

The repentant Huancas built the temple of Huarivilca to once again honor its creator.

Legend about the appearance of La Dolorosa de Cajamarca

Many myths and legends of Cajamarca are interspersed with the traditions of the Catholic faith.

Such is the case of the devotion of its inhabitants to the Virgen de los Dolores, patron saint of this entity. Since 1942, every June 14, her faithful gather to ask for her blessing.

Now, there are several versions as to the origin of this image. One of the most popular stories is that the carpenters who carved it were actually angels turned into humans.

They asked to carve the Virgin where they could not be disturbed and they never ate the food that was brought to them. When they finished the image, they disappeared without a trace.

Legend of the Pampa de la Culebra

This legend is born from the Quechua tradition and dates back to pre-Hispanic times. The legend says that the gods of the jungle sent a serpent, in harvest times, to Cajamarca, to show their power over the settlers due to their sins.

This snake was increasing step by step as it climbed the mountain range, devastating trees and crops, leaving ruin and destruction in its wake.

Hundreds of villagers left the city in panic. Those who remained begged the gods for mercy.

Calmed by the entreaties, the gods resolved to stop the serpent, dropping lightning on it. This left her corpse to rest throughout the mountain range, turning into pampas.

The settlers say that when lightning strikes the pampas, it is the gods who cause them, whipping the pampas so that it does not turn into a serpent.

Today it is located on the Polloc farm, where it seems that the shape of a snake rests on the pampa that surrounds it, and whose head points to the city of Cajamarca.

This pampa has served for centuries as a lightning rod for unknown reasons, which resulted in hundreds of versions of this same legend.

The Lost Gold of Atahualpa

In the year 1533, the last Inca sovereign, Atahualpa, was a prisoner of the Spanish empire in the city of Cajamarca.

He ordered, for his rescue, a large quantity of gold, silver and precious gems to his empire, to be delivered to his captor, Commander Francisco Pizarro, and thus achieve his freedom.

However, Pizarro failed his promise and sentenced Atahualpa to death before the last shipment of these treasures was delivered.

There is then the belief that all these riches are hidden in a secret cave, on the route in which these goods were taken to Cajamarca.

Gentle Hualash

One of the most widespread mythical figures in Peru is that of the Gentiles. Bones of the first Indians that populated the earth, take on human appearance at night.

They attend the festivities held in nearby towns to rejoice. Before dawn they return to the hill where their home is, and they become old bones of the first settlers.

In Cajamarca the story is told of a gentile who came down from the hills called by the jarachupas and the añases for the Marcavalle threshing, where the young men danced hualash with energy over the ages. He was a tall and fine gentleman. He wore a white wool poncho and hat.

He danced so well that when the gentile proposed his departure before dawn, he was surrounded by a group of women imploring that the party not be abandoned.

At the party, no one knew he was gentle, so they surrounded him between songs and dances, avoiding his departure and ignoring his warnings.

The gentile shouted “gentle tullo shallallan”, which means “Don't you hear my gentile bones rattle?”.

When the sun rose, the gentile fell to the ground in bones and dust, along with the poncho and white hat, empty on the ground.

The Lost Bell of Rodeopampa

Rodeopampa is a rural town located in the province of San Miguel. Its inhabitants say that a long time ago, a shepherd was leading his flock of sheep through the pastures on the outskirts of town, when suddenly he heard the sound of a bell.

Following the sound, he discovered that it was underground, so he decided to call his neighbors to help him dig.

After digging all day, they found her ten feet underground. It was a splendid golden bell.

They decided to take it to town and have a great party, but it was so heavy that not even the amount of strength of ten oxen could move it. They resolved to mount her on the back of a mule, which carried her effortlessly.

Upon reaching the town they were met with a great celebration, full of bands of musicians and fireworks that scared the mule.

The sound of the rockets terrified the mule and, in an instant, it turned into fire, fleeing to the Mischacocha lagoon, where it sank along with the bell.

The inhabitants believe that this solid gold bell is still at the bottom of this lagoon.

References

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3. El cerro campana (2014, May). In A Short Legend. Retrieved on November 20, 2017, from unaleyendacorta.com
4. Delgado Rodríguez, NS (2016). Conditions presented by the district of Celendín, province of Celendín, Cajamarca region for the practice of experiential tourism. Degree work presented to qualify for the Bachelor of Tourism degree. National University of Trujillo, Peru.
5. The appearance of the Huanca man. (s / f). In IPerú. Retrieved on November 20, 2017, from iperu.org
6. Asencio, L. (2012, March 23). Mother of Dolores, queen and patron of Cajamarca. Retrieved on November 20, 2017, from rpp.pe