CHIMU CULTURE

Chimu or Chimor is a pre-Inca culture that was developed on the north coast after the decay of the Huari
Empire between 1000 and 1200. They occupied the territories inhabited before the Moche and Lambayeque,
reaching expand their domains, its greatest development across a wide swath cotera northern Peru
approximately 800 km in length, from Tumbes to Huarmey valley.
In its development there are two stages; at first it was a small group located in the ancient Moche valley and
surrounding areas (900-1300); and in the second they had already conquered a vast territory and were a
constantly expanding kingdom (1300-1470). Several historians argue that, by the middle of the fifteenth
century, the Chimu were defeated by the Incas.

Origin
Chimu appear around the year 900. The founder of the Chimu kingdom was Tacaynamo, a legendary
character who would come with his entourage on large wooden rafts and adopted the name "Gran Chimu".
It is believed that the so-called "kingdom of Chimu" had ten rulers, but only the names of four of them are
known: Tacaynamo, Guacricur, Naucempinco and Minchancaman.
The rulers were treated like gods and lived in an elegant palace of Chan Chan.
There were social classes governed by an imperial state that had conquered the kingdom Sican Lambayeque.
Just Naylamp legends in Sican and Chimu Tacayanamo in fantastically passed the initial wars over these
lands. The people paid tribute to the rulers (in products or work).
THE LANGUAGE QUINGNAM
The language that prevailed among the Chimu was the quingnam language, its own dialect of fishermen called
'fisherwoman language "by Spanish missionaries.

FARMING
Chimu cultivated corn, beans, squash, pumpkin, peanuts, lucuma, avocado, plum friar, pacae, caigua, soursop,
cotton.
To expand the cultivable area , they used an extensive network of channels, many of which were heritage of
the Moche and Lambayeque cultures.

Fishing and hunting

They used for fishing canoes or reed horses, which still use the current inhabitants of Huanchaco. With these
reed horses they entered into the sea to fish for a variety of fish, for which they used nets fastened between
two boats or hooks. They also collected marine mollusks, such as choro, clam and snail. Marine products
made up most of their food of animal origin.

Commerce
It is believed that they traded using coins (bronze hatchets).

Architecture
The remains of its architecture has helped define that the rulers lived in palaces and monumental enclosures
while the people lived in thatch houses with small and outside the monumental architecture rooms. The
decoration of the walls is based on friezes modeled in relief, and in some cases painted. The designs are
zoomorphic figures such as fish and birds and geometric figures, all polychrome.
Some examples:
Chan Chan
Huaca Pintada
Huaca Dragon
The strength of Paramonga
Apurlec or Purgatory.

CHAN CHAN
Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimu kingdom and the residence of the Grand Chimu or sovereign, who
had the rank of Emperor. It is covering an area of 25 square kilometers, making it one of the largest cities in the
world in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

TEXTILER
They used the technique of spinning; it is a manual and elementary practice of attaching a small set of threads
to achieve a long thread.
The garments were produced from the wool of four animals; guanaco, llama, alpaca, and vicuna and native
cotton plant that grows naturally in seven different colors.
The clothing of the Chimu consisted of loincloths, sleeveless shirts with or without fringes, small ponchos,
tunics, etc.

CERAMICS
Chimu ceramics fulfilled two functions such as containers for daily or domestic use and ceramic ceremonial
use or for offerings of burials.They use a single color, glossy black, some are gray and brown exceptionally,
they were globular shape with neck or handle shaped bridge abutment.
DIVINITIES AND RELIGION
The main cult was dedicated to the moon because they felt it was more powerful than the sun shone night
since, for their influence on plant growth and its use as a marker of time. It was attributed bustle of the sea and
storms. It was the visitor from another world and punishing thieves. Its main temple was called Si-An (House of
the Moon) where rites were held the first night of moon nueva.1
However in each village it is also worshiped other deities.
Moon (Shi)
Sea (Ni)
Sun (Jiang)
Earth (Ghis)
Human sacrifices
They offered to the moon the sacrifice of children under five and adolescents aged 13 or 14 years. Their
bodies were wrapped in blankets colored cotton, buried them in the esplanades of the temples, along with
fruits and poured chicha on land.