The Legend of Naymlap in the Memory and Identity of the People of Lambayeque, North Coast of Peru

We analyse the contents of the two known stories about Naymlap and his descendants: the one written by Miguel Cabello de Valboa (1581) and the one written by Modesto Rubiños y Andrade (1782), identifying their structure, main mythemes and archetypes, as a means to evaluate the role of both tales in the construction of historic memory and identity by Lambayeque people during colonial times. We conclude that in Cabello de Valboa’s version, there is an emphasis on the dynastic saga, claimed by the XVI century cacicazgos, as well as an emphasis on archetypical elements of good and bad statecraft. It is also a tale that brought a sense to present existence, remembering a glorious past and explaining its fall. In contrast, Rubiños y Andrade’s version appears in a context where cacicazgos need to legitimate their position by emphasizing their linkages with the territory and regional topography, enhancing through the tale by establishing a relationship between elements of the story with well-known landscape places.