Expansion of the Chimú Empire

Timeline

1. 1161–1164Moche Valley · North CoastChimú armies advanced south along the corridor of coastal desert oases, conquering the remaining independent city-states of the Moche Valley, bringing the irrigation canal systems under the central management of Chan Chan, and expanding control over food and labor.
2. 1165–1168Lambayeque Valley · North CoastThrough military conquest and marriage alliances with local elites, the Chimú brought the successor polities of the Sicán culture in the Lambayeque region into their tribute system, and Chimú metallurgical and textile techniques spread to the newly conquered territories.
3. 1169–1170Chan Chan's North Coast Corridor · North CoastThe Chimú established administrative posts and storage facilities in newly conquered valleys, implemented a system of branch-canal irrigation management, consolidating the gains of expansion into a sustainable structure of imperial rule, with a marked increase in political unity along the North Coast.