Chan Chan Archaeological Zone Peru

The Chimu Kingdom, with Chan Chan as its capital, reached its apogee in the 15th century, not long before falling to the Incas. The planning of this huge city, the largest in pre-Columbian America, reflects a strict political and social strategy, marked by the city's division into nine 'citadels' or 'palaces' forming autonomous units. The Chimu Kingdom reached its apogee in the 15th century, not long before falling to the Incas. Its capital Chan Chan, located in the once fertile river valley of Moche or Santa Catalina, was the largest earthen architecture city in pre-Columbian America. The remains of this vast city reflect in their layout a strict political and social strategy, emphasized by their division into nine 'citadels' or 'palaces' forming independent units. In 1986 the Chan Chan Archaeological Zone Peru inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and now it is in danger list.

Continent: South America

Country: Peru

Category: Danger List

Criterion: (I)(III)

Date of Inscription: 1986

The monumental zone

The Outstanding Universal Value of Chan Chan resides in the extensive, hierarchically planned remains of this huge city, including remnants of the industrial, agricultural and water management systems that sustained it. The monumental zone of around six square kilometres in the centre of the once twenty square kilometre city, comprises nine large rectangular delineated by high thick earthen walls. Within these units, buildings including temples, dwellings and storehouses are arranged around open spaces, together with reservoirs, and funeral platforms.

Chan Chan Archaeological Zone Peru

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Around the City

The earthen walls of the buildings were often decorated with friezes representing abstract motifs, and anthropomorphical and zoomorphical subjects. Around these nine complexes were thirty two semi monumental compounds and four production sectors for activities such as weaving wood and metal working. Extensive agricultural areas and a remnant irrigation system have been found further to the north, east and west of the city.

The Moche and Chicama rivers once supplied an intricate irrigation system via an approximately 80 kilometre long canal, sustaining the region around Chan Chan during the height of the Chimu civilisation.

Slideshow for this Heritage Site

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