Perou Decouverte
Perou Decouverte
The largest adobe city in the world – Capital of the Chimú Empire
Chan Chan is an exceptional archaeological site listed as a UNESCO World Heritage since 1986. Capital of the powerful Chimú kingdom, this monumental earthen city originally covered over 20 km² and housed nearly 60,000 inhabitants at its peak.
Founded around 850 AD, Chan Chan dominated the northern coast of Peru for over six centuries before falling to the Incas around 1470. The city was the political, economic, and religious center of an empire that stretched along nearly 1,000 km of coastline, from Tumbes in the north to Lima in the south.
Chan Chan stands out for its sophisticated urban organization including:
10 fortified palaces (ciudadelas) housing the ruling elite, each with its own temples, reservoirs, and residential areas.
Complex network of wells, canals, and reservoirs to capture groundwater in this desert environment.
The walls of Chan Chan are adorned with exceptional murals representing:
5 km from Trujillo center • 15 minutes by taxi • Recommended combined visit with Huacas del Sol y de la Luna
Bring sunscreen, hat, and water • Best period: April to November • Visit in the morning to avoid heat • Cameras allowed • Only about 30% of the site is accessible to the public for conservation reasons.
Chan Chan is recognized by UNESCO as a "unique testimony to the Chimú civilization" and represents a masterpiece of human creative genius in its adaptation to a coastal desert environment.
UNESCO criteria: (I) Represents a masterpiece of human creative genius • (III) Bears a unique testimony to a vanished civilization
The site faces significant threats: wind and water erosion • heavy rains linked to El Niño • archaeological looting. International conservation programs are in place to preserve this fragile heritage.