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Chan Chan Adobe City

Type Object Region South America Time c. 900–1470

Chan Chan, capital of the Chimor empire near modern Trujillo, Peru, covered about twenty square kilometers and was the largest pre-Columbian adobe ci…

Timeline

  1. c. 900–1100Coast of the Moche Valley · PeruAfter the decline of the Moche civilization, the Chimor people used irrigation agriculture and fishery resources in the coastal desert, building settlements of mud brick (adobe), and Chan Chan gradually developed into a regional political center.
  2. c. 1100–1400Chan Chan · PeruThe Chimor empire controlled more than six hundred kilometers of Peru's north coast, and Chan Chan expanded into a great city of ten fortress-palaces (ciudadelas), each serving as the tomb and administrative center of successive rulers, their walls decorated with reliefs on maritime and hunting themes.
  3. c. 1400–1470Chan Chan · PeruAt its height the population is estimated at thirty to sixty thousand, and the city was clearly zoned into palace, artisan, warehouse, and ritual areas; goldwork, textiles, and featherwork were renowned and supplied the empire through a tribute network.
  4. 1470–1600Chan Chan · PeruThe Inca emperor Tupac Inca Yupanqui conquered Chimor and carried off the last ruler Minca Yupanqui to Cusco; Chan Chan's function as capital ended, and its adobe buildings gradually crumbled under El Niño rains and wind erosion, inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1986.

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