Christopher Donnan's Chotuna and Chornancap: Excavating an Ancient
Peruvian Legend, explores one of the most intriguing oral histories
passed down among ancient Peruvians: the legend of Naymlap, the founder
of a dynasty that ruled the Lambayeque Valley of northern Peru centuries
before European contact. Naymlap is said to have built his palace at a
place that many now consider to be the archaeological sites of Chotuna
and Chornancap. In an effort to test the validity of the Naymlap legend,
Donnan directed extensive archaeological excavations at Chotuna and
Chornancap--completing plans of the monumental architecture, mapping and
excavating most of the major structures, and developing a chronology for
the sites. This book presents the results of these excavations and
demonstrates the extent to which the archaeological evidence correlates
with the sequence of events described in the Naymlap legend.