The capital of Chimu, Chan Chan, is dated from1000
to about1400 A.D. The site of Chan Chan is located in the Moche Valley, about
300 miles north of Lima. This site is between the foothills of the Andes
mountains on one side and the Pacific Ocean, what is now the Peruvian coast, on
the other. Chan Chan was an extremely large capital city, covering more than
eight square miles.
The site of Chan Chan is well known for
its wide streets and walled compounds. On average the streets were between
fifteen and twenty-five feet wide. In some places the roads widened to more
than eighty feet. The roads were used to bring in the treasures and people of
conquered cities. The walls, built by slave labor, were constructed for both
privacy and protection from the coastal winds. The extremely large walls were
built as high as thirty-three feet tall. The materials used to create these
massive walls were tapia and brick adobe. Similar materials were used in most
of the Chan Chan’s architecture. Mud was also used to finish up the
outside of the homes. A pattern of sorts would be scribed into the mud.
The center of the city consisted of ten areas separated by the
walls. The center of the city included pyramidal temples, cemeteries, gardens,
reservoirs, and symmetrically arranged rooms, all within 10 walled citadels, or
quadrangles. They were organized in a broken triangle type pattern. In the
reservoirs there were walk-in wells which contained aquified water. The
naturally occurring aquifer in the wells was not a plan of the engineers of the
irrigation system, it was just the terrain of the land. Tombs with riches have
also been found in these quadrangles. Most of these walls are still standing
today, which shows the engineering abilities of the Chimu at Chan Chan.
Apparently the quadrangles were used for living quarters, burial places and
warehouses of the aristocracy. The death of a leader of the Chimu Empire caused
the palace to be taken over by his kin in one of these broken triangles. Once a
new leader was chosen a new broken triangle was built. Outside of the
aristocracy people lived in modest quarters weaker in construction.
The Chimu kingdom was the chief state in Peru prior
to the Incan establishment. Its cultural antecedents were the Moche, or
Mochica, formerly known as Proto-Chimu. The Chimu spoke a now extinct language
called Yunca. There is no evidence of writing. Presumably, the Chimu had quite
an intricate system of social-class stratification. Their economy centered on
agriculture, with the aid of irrigation systems. Similar to many other ancient
civilizations, the Chimu were craftspeople. They produced fine textiles such as
gold, silver, and copper objects. Pottery was also popular among the people of
Chan Chan.
Between 1465 and 1470 they became overtaken by Incan rule. However, Spanish writers recorded much of the Chimu’s traditions and culture after the conquest.
Due to many destructive elements the Chan Chan site was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1986. Many precautions are being taken in order to preserve the once prosperous site.
Image Credit http://www.tcru.ttu.edu/kelly/chanchan.htm
Jonathan Sheridan