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The adobe city of Chan Chan

Chan Chan is a Chimú adobe city, not an Inca fortress. Give it a distinct place in your time around Trujillo.

The archaeological site of Chan Chan near Trujillo.
The archaeological site of Chan Chan near Trujillo. Resizing, compression and display cropping by Perutrip. Image license: CC BY-SA 4.0. · Chan Chan, 2023 (32) — Draceane, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. · Photographer · Source photograph · CC BY-SA 4.0

What to expect

This visit is about a city: walled compounds, their arrangement and political power expressed through architecture. Chan Chan was the Chimú capital. That distinction helps separate it from the Moche temples. Ask a guide how spaces related to each other, not just how old the walls are.

How it fits into a journey

Visit from Trujillo or Huanchaco. Give Huacas de Moche its own visit and explanation.

Practical answers

Was Chan Chan built by the Incas?

No. It was the capital of the Chimú kingdom, which was later conquered by the Incas.

Can I explore the whole ancient city?

Follow the permitted visitor circuit rather than assuming access to all remains. Ask at the entrance which sections form part of the visit.

Further reading 1 source

Background on the subjects covered here.

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