Triptico

It was the political and administrative capital of the Chimu Kingdom. The original extension was over 20 km2 and currently covers only 14 km2, being considered as "The largest mud city in the world". On 28 November 1986, UNESCO declared Chan Chan Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

NAME
No one knows the original name, nor whether the name of Chan Chan covered the entire city. Early chroniclers didnot indicate the name, but refer to it as "The City of Chimo"-the name given to the valley-o Gran Chimú Palaces. In 1791, the name appears only Chan Chan, in the Peruvian Mercury magazine, as a reference to the archaeological site. The study of ancient documents indicate that the name Chan Chan, corresponded to a nitrate that were located near the road to Huanchaco, located in what is now calledChan Chan. The meaning of Chan Chan as derived Muchic Jan Jan, Sun Sun, is due to Ernst Middendorf (1892). A review of Zevallos Quiñones the term has no relation to the area because the quingnam spoken here. The name Chechengo (1679) may have been the more remote history of the current name.

POPULATION
An estimated 20 to 30 thousand inhabitants (Kent Day) and people throughout the territoryChimú in 500,000, according to John Rowe.
According Middendorf (1894) in Chan Chan lived 100 thousand people. At the time of abandonmen t, the population would have been 5 to 10 thousand inhabitants (Kent Day).

ARCHITECTURE
It was possible to recognize three kinds of architecture:
Monumental architecture, referred to rectangular fences or citadels were upper-class residence. And also huacas ortemples.

Intermedia architecture, corresponds to adobe buildings where they lived members of the lower nobility and local curacas.

Popular Architecture, is the simplest, associated with cane and mud buildings used by craftsmen










CITADELS
The town consists of 9 citadels and palaces that have been designated with new names, formaliz ed in 1945. Each has similar formalcharacteristics as its monumental scale, highly restricted access, complexity and development of architectural forms.

According to most researchers were citadels palaces had several functions including: elite residences, administrative areas and end Chimú tombs of kings.

Construction sequence
There is little agreement investigators about the construction sequence. Some have proposed that theentire town was made at once (Lanning 1967), however most have suggested a sequential construction and occupancy citywide. Studies have been done to try to determine the sequence, based on the architecture: structures in U (Andrews 1972); burial platforms (Pozorski 1971), Conrad 1974), the shape of the citadels plan (Day 1973) and the types of adobe (Kolata 1978, 1982, 1990) which has been the mostaccepted and functional.

The sequence of construction of Chan Chan can be summarized in three stages:

FIRST STAGE (850 - 1100 D.C.)
It begins with the construction of the citadel Chayguac having simpler internal organization, then the citadel Uhle having a more complex planning with presence of administrative offices (audience). This reveals an economic movement based on the taxes.SECOND STAGE (1125 - 1370 D.C.)
During this stage the citadel is built Labyrinth, with which the structure was formally instituted in three parts (tripartite) of the citadels. It builds the Gran Chimu citadel, the largest of Chan Chan, with spacious squares, numerous tanks and enclosures. It gets here showing the centralization of political and economic power.

STAGE (1370 - 1470D.C.)
Citadels size is reduced and the space for deposits. There is a decrease in taxes. By contrast, state officials and administrators increased considerably, perhaps with the intention of obtaining higher taxes. However, it was difficult to maintain as many officials in a period of economic crisis. This weakened any resistance to the threat of the Incas.

DEATH, THE POWER AND THE...