Chan Chan

for other uses see Chan Chan (disambiguation)

The largest Pre-Columbian city in South America, Chan Chan is an archaeological site located in the Peruvian region of La Libertad, five km east of Trujillo. Chan Chan covers an area of approximately 20 km², and had a dense urban center of about 6km²Moore, J. D. (2005). Cultural Landscapes in the Ancient Andes. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.. Chan Chan was constructed by the Chimor (the kingdom of the Chimú), a late intermediate period civilization which grew out of the remnants of the Moche civilization. The vast mud city of Chan Chan was built by the Chimu around AD 850 and lasted until its Inca conquest in AD 1470. It was the imperial capital of the Chimor until it was conquered in the 15th century. It is estimated that around 30,000 people lived in the city of Chan Chan.

Chan Chan was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. The city is severely threatened by erosion from El Niño, which causes heavy rains and flooding on the Peruvian coast. It is in a fertile, well-watered section of the coastal plain.Holstein, Otto. 1927. Chan-chan: Capital of the great chimu. Geographical Review 17, (1) (Jan.): 36-61. The city's ruins are additionally threatened by earthquakes and looters. Present-day visitors to Chan Chan can enter the Tschudi Complex, believed to be one of the later citadels built in the city. There are also several other Chimú and Moche ruins in the area around Trujillo.

Architecture

The city is composed of ten walled citadels which housed ceremonial rooms, burial chambers, temples, reservoirs and some residences. Chan Chan is a rectangular city surrounded by walls 50-60 feet high. It is speculated that the Inca borrowed rectangular city plans from the Chimu. A distinguishable aspect of Chan Chan is that there are no enclosures which open to the north. The tallest walls shelter against south-westerly winds from Peru's coast. Northern-facing walls gain the greatest exposure to the sun, serving both to block the wind and absorb sunlight where fog is frequent. The numerous walls throughout the city create labyrinth of passages.

The walls themselves were constructed of adobe brick, and were then covered with a smooth surface into which intricate designs were carved. There are two styles of design present in these carvings: one is a ‘realistic’ representation of subjects such as birds, fish, and small mammals; and the other is a more graphic, stylized representation of the same subjects. While earlier civilizations concentrated on feline and anthropomorphic forms, the Chimú style shows a preference for maritime motifs. The carvings at Chan Chan depict fish, pelicans, and nets for catching various sea creatures. Chan Chan, unlike most other coastal ruins in Peru, is located extremely close to the Pacific Ocean.

References

• Kubler, George. (1962). The Art and Architecture of Ancient America, Ringwood: Penguin Books Australia Ltd., pp. 247-274

External links

• UNESCO World Heritage Center: Chan Chan
• History Channel Classroom: Chan Chan
• Chan Chan information
• Chan Chan - Chimu's Desert City (Flash)

de:Chan Chan es:Chan Chan fr:Chan Chan it:Chan Chan he:צ'אן צ'אן lt:Čan Čanas nl:Chan Chan ja:チャン・チャン pl:Chan Chan pt:Chan Chan qu:Chan Chan ru:Чан-Чан fi:Chan Chan sv:Chan Chan uk:Чан-Чан zh:昌昌

Categories: Buildings | Buildings in Peru | Buildings in , Peru | UNESCO World Heritage Sites | UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Latin America and Caribbean | UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Peru