Origins of Chan Chan

Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimu kingdom, which flourished on the northern coast of Peru before it was conquered by the Inca. It stands in the Moche valley near the modern city of Trujillo and is the largest adobe city in the Americas. The city was divided into several large walled compounds, or citadels, thought to have been palaces or royal precincts, decorated with friezes of fish, birds and geometric patterns. Its inhabitants were skilled in metalwork, textiles and irrigation farming. The Inca took the city in the fifteenth century. Chan Chan is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it is listed as endangered because its mud walls are vulnerable to rain and erosion, particularly during El Nino events.

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