Lambayeque (Spanish pronunciation: [lambaˈʝeke]) is a department and region in northwestern Peru known for its rich Moche and Chimú historical past.

The vast plains that make up the department of Lambayeque's territory are watered by rivers that originate in the Andes; cultivation is only possible in a small portion of this parched region with irrigation.

Legend tells that in ancient times, a great float of balsa rafts arrived at the beaches of the existing San José cove.

Formed by a brilliant cortege of nine foreign warriors, this float was led by a man of great talent and courage, named Naymlap, the mythical founder of the first northwest civilization.

Among the descendants of Naymlap were the Moche and the Chimú, the latter builders of a great civilization forged in Lambayeque before being conquered by the later Inca Empire.

In November 2019, Peruvian archaeologists led by Walter Alva discovered a 3,000-year-old, 130 feet long megalithic 'water cult' temple with 21 tombs in the Oyotún district in the Zaña Valley.

Twenty of the tombs belonged to the people of Chumy, and one to an adult male buried during the Formative period with a ceramic bottle with two spouts and a bridge handle.