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Staying at Hostel Naylamp, Huanchaco coastal resort
Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimor Empire, the realm of the Chimu culture, which dates back to 800 AD. It spans 20km, incorporating nine walled citadels, reservoirs, residential areas, stores and tombs. It’s the largest adobe city in the world and is still being excavated to uncover more. However, it has suffered from erosion by wind and rain (El Nino), been looted by the Incas and Spanish invaders and therefore is now an endangered site. The walls are being carefully re-plastered with a clay mix to strengthen them and to replace what’s been eroded in order to bring it back to life. Archaeologists discovered a set of tombs but have decided to leave them buried for now until they are fully prepared to excavate and have covered the tops with pebbles to try and avoid any further erosion.
The Chimu were agriculturalists and fishermen who worshipped the moon, as opposed to the Incas who worshipped the sun. The moon was more symbolic to them because it affects the tidal rhythms, influencing their fishing practices and the night brings the stars, which they used for navigation. The sun, on the other hand, represented a more destructive power with it’s intense heat bringing drought to the Chimu’s farmlands.
We enter one of the city’s citadels through the only gateway in the high, trapezoidal walls which form a great rectangle around the city’s most important area. There was only one door to control the crowds and it faced away from the ocean for protection from the high winds. Inside the citadel there’s a main square with a central platform. There is belief that this area was designed for rituals and ceremonies as opposed to a public space because the original floor was plastered, indicating that it was not to be heavily trampled..JPG)
The fish corridor, as its known, depicts waves of fish along its length, which could have simply been a good luck charm for the fishermen. There is no evidence that any of the Chimu decoration was religious in any way, instead depicting the animals, fish, birds, and natural symbols which were most important to them. The adobe walls were constantly being re-constructed as erosion took place and it is possible to see a new wall design being adopted over the top of an old one.
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The diamond shaped lattice structure to some of the interior walls represents the fishermen’s nets and has a function- when left open, the diamonds give light and air to interior rooms and when closed, offer privacy. A central tomb was reserved for the Chimu king and when excavated there was found the remains of eighteen concubines who’d been buried alive and a dog to assist him in his passage to the afterlife.
The Chimu were an ingenious culture who invented means of irrigation through digging deep reservoirs providing valuable fresh water in times of drought, which were frequent in the arid Peruvian desert. They traded gold and silver for shells and peanuts, which were deemed more valuable due to their scarcity and fished in well-designed tortura reed canoes, ‘Cabillitos’ (little horses), which are still used today, for catfish and manterey.
Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimor Empire, the realm of the Chimu culture, which dates back to 800 AD. It spans 20km, incorporating nine walled citadels, reservoirs, residential areas, stores and tombs. It’s the largest adobe city in the world and is still being excavated to uncover more. However, it has suffered from erosion by wind and rain (El Nino), been looted by the Incas and Spanish invaders and therefore is now an endangered site. The walls are being carefully re-plastered with a clay mix to strengthen them and to replace what’s been eroded in order to bring it back to life. Archaeologists discovered a set of tombs but have decided to leave them buried for now until they are fully prepared to excavate and have covered the tops with pebbles to try and avoid any further erosion.
The Chimu were agriculturalists and fishermen who worshipped the moon, as opposed to the Incas who worshipped the sun. The moon was more symbolic to them because it affects the tidal rhythms, influencing their fishing practices and the night brings the stars, which they used for navigation. The sun, on the other hand, represented a more destructive power with it’s intense heat bringing drought to the Chimu’s farmlands.
We enter one of the city’s citadels through the only gateway in the high, trapezoidal walls which form a great rectangle around the city’s most important area. There was only one door to control the crowds and it faced away from the ocean for protection from the high winds. Inside the citadel there’s a main square with a central platform. There is belief that this area was designed for rituals and ceremonies as opposed to a public space because the original floor was plastered, indicating that it was not to be heavily trampled.
.JPG)
The fish corridor, as its known, depicts waves of fish along its length, which could have simply been a good luck charm for the fishermen. There is no evidence that any of the Chimu decoration was religious in any way, instead depicting the animals, fish, birds, and natural symbols which were most important to them. The adobe walls were constantly being re-constructed as erosion took place and it is possible to see a new wall design being adopted over the top of an old one..JPG)
.JPG)
The diamond shaped lattice structure to some of the interior walls represents the fishermen’s nets and has a function- when left open, the diamonds give light and air to interior rooms and when closed, offer privacy. A central tomb was reserved for the Chimu king and when excavated there was found the remains of eighteen concubines who’d been buried alive and a dog to assist him in his passage to the afterlife.The Chimu were an ingenious culture who invented means of irrigation through digging deep reservoirs providing valuable fresh water in times of drought, which were frequent in the arid Peruvian desert. They traded gold and silver for shells and peanuts, which were deemed more valuable due to their scarcity and fished in well-designed tortura reed canoes, ‘Cabillitos’ (little horses), which are still used today, for catfish and manterey.
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