Chan Chan

Chan Chan is an outstanding site in Peru that is both the world's largest adobe city and the Americas' largest pre-Colombian metropolis.

Chan Chan, the ancient Chimu civilization's capital, grew to prominence around 1300 AD and would have peaked in the 15th century, when the Chimu were supplanted by the Incas, and the city was abandoned. The Chimu were very skilled architects and engineers. The ten Chima monarchs are commemorated with ten citadels at Chan Chan. Because the site lies in the desert, aqueducts and canals were needed to provide water to the city.

Chan Chan is a maze of residences, palaces, fortresses, roadways, storehouses, and temples organized into a well-planned city layout encompassing around 20 square kilometers. The structures at Chan Chan were ornately decorated, with complex friezes depicting animals, legendary creatures, and abstract shapes, some of which can still be seen today. Chan Chan, which is still a large location today, was formerly home to up to 100,000 people. The city's outer reaches have been lost to erosion over the years, but there's still much to see.

Location: La Libertad Region, ‎Peru