Chan Chan
Largest adobe city of the pre-Columbian Americas, capital of the Chimú kingdom near Trujillo.
Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimú kingdom, which ruled much of the Peruvian north coast from about the ninth century until its conquest by the Inca in the 1470s. Covering roughly twenty square kilometres of desert between Trujillo and the sea, it is the largest adobe city in the pre-Columbian Americas and once held tens of thousands of inhabitants. At its core are ten great walled compounds, each thought to have served a ruler as palace, administrative centre and eventually burial place.
Visitors see the compound now called Nik An, formerly known as Tschudi, where high adobe walls enclose ceremonial courts, audience rooms, wells and storerooms. Its surfaces carry moulded friezes of fish, seabirds, nets and geometric patterns, some restored in modern times. A site museum on the access road sets out the history of the Chimú and the excavation of the city. Chan Chan was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 and is listed as in danger owing to erosion.
Highlights
- Nik An compound with its ceremonial courts and deep wells
- Moulded adobe friezes of fish, pelicans and fishing nets
- Ten walled palace compounds spread over about 20 square kilometres
- Site museum explaining Chimú history and the excavations
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