Chan Chan was the Chimu capital on the arid north coast of Peru, near the modern city of Trujillo. The Chimu and the Chimor Empire, which included most of the northern and central coast of modern Peru, dates between A.D. 1000 and 1470. The culture grew out of the Moche culture and disappeared when incorporated into the Inca Empire.
The site is about eight square miles in size, and within it are nine to eleven monumental enclosures, depending on how they are interpreted. These monumental enclosures are thought to have been palaces of the kings of Chimor and the other elites. They are walled structures with mounds, rooms, halls, courtyards, etc., on a grand scale. Surrounding these enclosures are the remains of the modest quarters of most of the city's residents, made of adobe and cane.
View of Chan Chan
Map of Chan Chan
We toured the excavated Tschudi Enclosure, which has been partly reconstructed and interpreted for tourists. The high enclosure walls, the spacious plazas, the maze of rooms for ceremonial and storage, the beautiful adobe wall decorations, and the large interior reservoir are features that still amaze the visitor to Tschudi. Each of the enclosures have been found to include rooms that probably served as administrative offices, storerooms, walk-in wells, and a burial platform, although it must be pointed out that archaeologists, unlike pothunters, have barely touched the site.
Workmen Stablizing the Tschudi Enclosure
Reconstructing Wall with Adobe Bricks
Cross-section of Wall of Adobe Bricks
Plaza of the Tschudi Enclosure
Detail of Plaza Wall
Other Wall Decorations
Ceremonial Room in Tschudi Enclosure
Ceremonial Room with U-shaped Construction of Unknown Purpose
Detail of Ceremonial Room Adobe Decoration
Reservoir in the Tschudi Enclosure
Chan Chan is without doubt one of the great architectural achievements of Native America, and it was the product of a complex aboriginal civilization.
