From the introduction: While there are many myths and legends associated with the Mayan people, one of the least wellknown involves a lost city known as Zapana, somewhere within the Moche valley in Peru. According to the legend, a terrible curse befell the city when their king, Motcambo, defied the gods by withholding human sacrifice in celebration of his coronation. In vengeance, they opened the gates of the underworld, permitting the cursed children of the Snake God, the Ixupi, to wreak havoc upon Zapana. Each night, they would devour the life essence of the sleeping citizens of Zapana, leaving nothing but mummified corpses in their wake.