A Journey Back In Time – Chan Chan Trujillo Peru

Chan Chan

1.- OVERVIEW OF CHAN CHAN TRUJILLO PERU:

The citadel Chan Chan Trujillo Peru is a city that is located on the north coast of the country and belonged to the pre-Columbian age made entirely of adobe, the name is in Qignam language, which is still a language that is spoken within the region of Trujillo and means “The city of the Sun”.

Huanchaco Beach

The citadel  Chan Chan Trujillo Peru is located between Trujillo and Huanchaco, which is located on the north coast of the country and belonged to the pre-Columbian age made entirely of adobe, the name is in Qignam language, which is still a language spoken within the region of Trujillo and means “The city of the Sun”. It has a height of 34 meters above sea level.  Chan Chan Trujillo Peru has a warm and humid climate that occurs in 2 seasons:

• Warm Season: During the months of January to March, in Chan Chan Trujillo Peru, you can enjoy a temperature between 20°C to 26°C, the heat is much stronger and although there is a cloudy sky the humidity is present, so you will have a hot feeling.
• Cool Season: It is during the months of April to December, there is a temperature between 17°C and 22°C, so during your visit to Chan Chan Trujillo Peru you will feel a cooler climate with a clear sky.

In both seasons we are sure that you will enjoy the tour of the Chan Chan archeological zone, our experienced designers are at your disposal to create something personalized, contact us for more information.

Chan Chan Trujillo Peru

Note: In the cool season you can also take advantage and visit the beach of Huanchaco (less than 20 minutes away), this is considered a world reserve of surfing for being a very important sport here, it is also the place of origin of the flag dish of Peru (Ceviche) as a legacy of the Mochica culture. It is an ideal place for you, if you like diving, surfing or tasting good food.

2.- THE FASCINATING HISTORY OF CHAN CHAN

According to history it was considered the capital of the Chimu culture that had its golden age between the XII and XV centuries. This culture was a descendant of the Mochicas and Huari, so their traditions and culture are similar in addition to their knowledge that was passed down through generations allowing them to have great ingenuity in various aspects such as hydraulics, they built a very wide network of canals where they carried water from streams to the arid lands where even the rain could not reach. In its magnitude it was a citadel of almost 20 square kilometers and was also considered the largest urban center in South America.

For its structure it has no resemblance or similarity with other constructions, the outer wall is the most imposing as it has a height of 12 meters and 600 meters long. Inside, there are a total of 9 small citadels, all made entirely of adobe, connected by corridors that lead to warehouses, patios, pools and religious spaces such as funerary platforms. Due to its extension, it is believed that Chan Chan Trujillo Peru could have housed about 35 thousand inhabitants at its maximum splendor.

Chan Chan archeological zone was studied by archaeologists Tschudi and Rivero, determining that it was a very advanced society even for its time, among the main buildings is Nik An which means House of the Center, this is a funeral platform where the ruler was buried and during the discovery here were found 44 holes where they buried their companions, after the ceremony the new ruler built a new building in another citadel for when his time comes.

Such was the importance of Chan Chan Trujillo Peru in history, that in 1986, UNESCO declared it as Cultural Heritage of Humanity, at the same time also included it in the list of Cultural Heritage of Humanity in danger because some areas are affected by the weather, climate and more.

Treasures

3.- A JOURNEY THROUGH PERU’S ADOBE CITY OF WONDERS

“…Chan Chan, an extraordinary archaeological site in Trujillo, Peru. Explore the impressive adobe ruins of the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas. Marvel at the intricate designs and architectural wonders of the ancient Chimu civilization. A UNESCO World Heritage Site that transports you back in time”.

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4.- EXPLORING THE RUINS OF CHAN CHAN

Chan Chan archeological zone has a wide extension of 20 square kilometers, thus earning the title of the largest mud city in the world, its great walls contain buildings that were intended for many functions. Some of the most important ones are:

The Chan Chan Archeological Zone

4.1.- Chayhuac (Chayhuac An) – House of Chayhuac.

It is part of the set of buildings that are inside the citadel of Chan Chan Trujillo Peru, however this stands out as the oldest to be built. It is located at the southeast end of the citadel. Throughout its history, this space was occupied and remodeled at various times, so the researchers determined that in its first moment this contained a platform that was decorated in reliefs and painting, something more used ornamentally, and in the second moment is when it was given a funeral function, for this reason its structure changes to have a main platform and 3 secondary. For this reason this space was used to perform ceremonies before, during and after the burial, mainly of the rulers.

Chayhuac – Chan Chan

4.2.- Uhle (Xllangchic An) – East House

This walled center is located in the central part of Chan Chan archeological zone, its origin is part of the oldest monumental architecture and it was discovered that it was not built in a single moment. Within its excavation were found burial chambers and enclosures that accompanied the main spaces.

Uhle East House

4.3.- Tschudi Complex (Nik An) – Center House

It is considered as an illustration of the importance of water at that time in history, the Tschudi complex is part of the enclosures that you can find inside Chan Chan archeological zone. This building will show you how the water was worshiped during the time of the Chimu culture, in its construction shows you high reliefs on the walls representing fish in north and south direction (This has a direct relationship with the 2 currents that are within the Peruvian coast, Humboldt and El Niño), waves, diamonds, pelicans and anzumitos.

Like other buildings that are inside Chan Chan archeological zone, the Tschudi complex had only 1 entrance door and was surrounded by high walls that measure 12 meters (It is considered that it was for defense reasons to threats from outside), besides that it also presents an architecture resistant to the telluric movements (earthquakes).

Tschudi Complex

There are also other places that were discovered in the excavations, these are:

Something interesting is that all these spaces within Chan Chan archeological zone share characteristics such as:

• They are rectangular in shape with high walls on the sides.
• Most of the buildings are oriented to the north and south.
• They have 3 sectors inside: north, center and south.
• They have a planned and strategic construction.
• They have 1 main access that is always to the north.
• In the interior they have a deposit, funerary platforms, wells and squares.

There are also some spaces that were outside Chan Chan archeological zone but have an important relationship, this is the case of:

4.4.- Rainbow Temple

The Temple of the Rainbow or also called Huaca of the Dragon is a religious, ceremonial and at the same time administrative monument that is associated with Chan Chan archeological zone, its murals are finely decorated with friezes in relief showing anthropomorphic forms (figures with human features) that are representing the rainbow. According to the investigations this place was not made by the Chimu culture but it was made by the Moche culture, which is much earlier and being their descendants they gave it a similar use. It has a pyramidal shape and contains two platforms with a high wall and also has only one entrance, all the decoration is made in high relief.

Rainbow Temple at Chan Chan

5.- CHAN CHAN’S INTRICATE ADOBE DESIGNS

The citadel of Chan Chan Trujillo Peru was made with materials that could be found in the area where it is located. Mainly adobe and stone, here creativity and ingenuity played a very important role because the decoration that shows you is simply unique. The idea of the construction was to use the stone as a solid base and on this adobe walls which were decorated in various ways, mainly this style of high relief and in some cases painted (as appropriate to the importance), during your visit you will find that there are zoomorphic figures (figures of animals) such as fish and birds, wave forms, geometric and more. According to the investigations the intention was also to represent the activities that were carried out, mainly fishing.

Due to the phenomenon of the child, the climate that is experienced in Chan Chan Trujillo Peru greatly affects its integrity so that in some areas it is common to see how it is wearing and crumbling for this reason the Ministry of Culture of Peru has launched a restoration program for the main areas in order to preserve it as much as possible, however the result is not the most appropriate.

Adobe Designs

6.- VISITING CHAN CHAN FROM TRUJILLO

There are many ways to get to Chan Chan archeological zone from the city of Trujillo, are at a distance of 6.8 km and you can do it in a local transport (It can cost 2 soles and takes 20 minutes) or you can hire a cab service (It costs 15 soles and takes 10 minutes). When you arrive at Chan Chan Trujillo Peru remember that you must pay an entrance fee that costs s/10.00 soles per person, plus a professional guide (it costs s/50.00 soles) that can help you to know the history behind each construction and each step will be like a journey through time. It is also possible to visit the Temple of the Sun and the Moon with this ticket.

How To Get To Chan Chan

Now that you have more information about Chan Chan Trujillo Peru and how to organize your trip for this 2024, it only remains to define your travel companions. Auri Peru create  personalized activities to make a completely unforgettable trip. Contact us now and discover what we have for you!.

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