Sunday, April 21, 2013

THE MYTH OF NAYMLAP



 
The deepest mystery of the Sicán culture is the identity of a man, with beak-shaped nose and OJOS ALADOS (winged or almond-shaped eyes), who is depicted everywhere on Sicán masks, ceramics, and images. Like the Chimu's mythical Takaynamo who landed at Huanchaco, the Sicán culture has a well-recorded legend of a mythical king who arrived by sea around 750 A.D with a wife and full royal court. This king, named Naymlap, founded a temple and installed and idol known as Yampallec- the origin of the name Lambayeque. Upon his death , the relatives of Naymlap spread the rumor that the kind grew wings and flew away, leaving his son to rule.
The dynasty founded by Naymlap included 12 kings, according to historical evidence.
According to legend, the last Naymlap king, Fempellec, committed a series of sins that caused a devastating flood and a period of crisis for the Sican people. This is certainly possible: nearly 1.5 meters of water coursed through Batan Grande during El Niño floods and a similar event might have caused Sican to abandon and burn the city  in 1050 A.D.
The Sican then moved their capital to Tucume, where even larger pyramids were built.

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