The Massa Connection: An Onomastic Link Between the Peruvian North and Far North in a Multidisciplinary Perspective

Abstract

Cutting across the linguistic boundaries of the Peruvian Far North and North Coasts, the names of (semi-)mythological and early historical rulers show the same final element -massa. This is the case for the ruler implemented in the Lambayeque region, Pongmassa, his son Pallesmassa, and two lords of the Far North Coast, Cutmassa at Sechura and Chilimasa at Tumbes. Ethnohistorians, linguists, and archaeologists have noted subsets of these similarities, and several accounts regarding the nature and origin of these similarities have been made casually. Here, I present an overview of the set of names ending in -massa, provide new etymologies for the names of Pongmassa and Pallesmassa, review previous interpretations, and discuss different scenarios that could have resulted in the spread of this element.