Chimús

The Chimús, also spelled Chimú or Chimu, were a pre-Columbian civilization that occupied the northern coast of present-day Peru from about 900 to 1470 CE. Their core region extended along the arid coastal valleys from the Lambayeque to the La Libertad regions, where they built a centralized state and complex urban centers.

The capital and ceremonial heart of the Chimús was Chan Chan, an expansive adobe city near modern Trujillo. Chan Chan grew into a major urban complex organized into large walled compounds and plazas, and is recognized as the largest adobe city in the Americas. The site reflects sophisticated urban planning, monumental architecture, and extensive mural and relief works on its walls.

Economy and technology were driven by a combination of irrigation-driven agriculture, fishing, salt production, and long-distance trade. The Chimús engineering included an intricate system of canals and dikes to exploit coastal resources, supporting crops such as maize, beans, and gourds. They traded along the coast and with inland regions, exchanging goods including Spondylus shells, which played a notable ceremonial and economic role.

Society was organized under a centralized authority, with elites governing labor tribute and resource distribution. Art and craft flourished, including ceramics, metalworking, and elaborate adobe architecture. The Chimús are also remembered for their distinctive iconography and urban monumentalism, which emphasized lineage and ritual.

The Chimús eventually fell to the Inca Empire in the 1470s, after which their political institutions were incorporated into Inca administration. The legacy of the Chimús survives in Chan Chan and other archaeological remains, which provide key insights into coastal Andean life prior to the Inca and Spanish periods. Chan Chan was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 and remains a major focus of archaeological study and cultural heritage.