Chan Chan

See also: Chan Chan (homonymy)

Chan Chan is an archaeological site of the Peruvian area of Libertad, in the north of Trujillo. Of a surface of approximately 20 km ², Chan Chan was built by Chimor (empire of the Chimú), a late intermediate civilization which developed on the ruins of civilization Moche. The ground city (in adobe) of Chan Chan was built between 850 and 1470 PC, and was an imperial capital until Chimor is conquered by the Empire INCA at the 15th century. The city counted approximately 30 000 inhabitants.

The city is made up of ten strengthened citadels, including/understanding rooms of ceremony, death chambers, temples, tanks and residences. Each one of these citadels has a rectangular configuration with an entry on its septentrional side, of high walls, and a Labyrinthe.

The walls were built out of bricks of adobe covered with light cement in which decorations were engraved. Some are representations realistic of birds, fish, and small mammalian. Others are more stylized representations of the same subjects. Whereas older civilizations liked to create cat-like or anthropomorphic representations, the Chimú style has a preference for the maritime reasons. Engravings of Chan Chan represent fish, Pélican S, and fishing nets. Chan Chan, contrary to other Peruvian ruins, is indeed near the Pacific Ocean.

The city is registered on the Liste of the world heritage of the UNESCO since 1986. The city is touched hard by the erosion generated by El Niño, which causes important falls of rain and floods on the Peruvian coast. The visitors generally enter by the complex Tschudi (baptized name of an explorer Suisse), which was one of the last built citadels. There also exists of other ruins Chimú and Moche in the surroundings of Trujillo.

References

Art off the Andes, from Chavin to INCA. Rebecca Stone Miller, Thames and Hudson, 1995.

External bonds

UNESCO Centers world heritage
History Chanel Classroom: Chan Chan

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