Description: Chan Chan was once the largest Adobe city in the world at 20km and even today you can see its oblong walls and structures spread out on all sides of the highway, as you drive in from the airport to Trujillo. The city consisted of nine palaces and even more structures that housed the city workers. Today, only a few parts of the city are safe and restored for visitors. Much of the city is in danger of being destroyed and lies unprotected, and it is said that thieves lie in wait for the unsuspecting would-be Indiana Jones. Only 14km is presently being protected.
The most popular site is the Tschudi Palace. One of the nine palaces of the original city, it is the only one that has been restored and signposted for visitors. Each time that a king died, his entire palace complex became a tomb, and people would continue to visit the complex but only as a kind of ancestor worship. They ceased to live within the complex. When the emperor died, all of his concubines and some of his servants and warriors were killed along with him. So these palaces were like house-tombs, both at once. The structure reminds one of Eastern homes, with a series of courtyards. The first courtyard was for the commoners and visitors and tradesmen, and each succeeding courtyard is smaller and more personal. It reminds one of China's Forbidden City.
The scale of these places is quite astonishing, and the artwork, fishes and otters carved into the walls, is quite different and beautiful. Chan Chan is so different from Machu Picchu, the other great citadel of Peru. It lies in a flat desert by the sea, with only two colors visible - the blue of the sky and the yellow of the Adobe.
Visitors will find it is very inexpensive to visit Chan Chan, particularly in comparison to the aforementioned Machu Picchu. It is only a few dollars for an entrance ticket, and you can pick up a guide for only a few dollars more. We were lucky to meet a young man who claimed descent from the Chimu, and knew many of the Chimu words. He even told us the original name of Chan Chan. While Chan Chan means "Sun Sun", the original name Nik-An means "Home of the Moon." Much more appropriate for a culture (the Chimu) who worshipped the moon and the tides moreso than the sun.
If you are in the area, Chan Chan is a must-see.
Close