The Tallán nation was perhaps the first civilisation in the northern Peruvian region of Piura and controlled the area of the Piura and Chira rivers, and the coast. Their society was matriarchal, where the men would do the work and the women would make the decisions. They had their own gods and their own distinct language and customs. They had an economy based on fishing, farming and artisan making and monumental temples of adobe and a system of aqueducts to create fertile farm land.

The ruins of Narihualá are found ten minutes by mototaxi from the town of Catacaos south of Piura. This city was the centre of Tallán influence, their capital. The ruins consist of a large central plaza with numerous surrounding monuments, one 40 metres high. The complex is built from adobe and has been partially destroyed by rain and by the Spanish, who built a church on top.

The Tallanes were eventually conquered by the Moche and the Chimu who came after them. Then, of course, by the Incas.

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Tags: catacaos, chimu, moche, narihuala, piura, ruins, tallanes