Chan Chan

Chan Chan deserves a little explanation. Located on the coast at Trujillo, it dates from the Chimu culture which lived in the northern coastal region of Peru from around 1000-1470AD when they were conquered by the Incas. Chan Chan, the largest adobe city in the world, was their capital and the huge urban complex contained approximately 10,000 dwellings and covered some 25 square kilometers. Although much of it is today reduced to bare outlines of the buildings that once stood there, one of the so-called Royal Compounds (of which there are nine) has been partially restored. The photos shown here are of this restored compound, called the Tschudi Complex after a Swiss naturalist who visited Peru in the 19th century.

The Chimu depended largely on the sea for their survival, and this is reflected in the decorations in the complex - fish, pelicans, seals and the lattice work representing fishing nets are repeatedly found.

The photograph on the next page is a plan of the complex showing the large ceremonial plaza in the bottom right corner, above that a labyrinthine section known as the Sanctuaries, a smaller royal ceremonial plaza and storage areas, the reservoir in the centre and above that the royal compound with the royal burial chambers at the top left. The area in the top right corner has yet to be fully investigated but is believed to have housed the royal retinue.