Chimú culture
Chimú culture was a prominent civilization that thrived along the coast of present-day Peru from approximately 900 CE to 1470 CE. This culture is believed to have evolved from the earlier Moche civilization and is notable for its impressive artistic achievements, particularly in ceramics, where their pottery stands out for its distinctive black sheen and intricate designs. At its height, the Chimú kingdom spanned about 620 miles and included the capital city of Chan Chan, once one of the largest cities in the world, housing between 40,000 and 100,000 people.
The Chimú were skilled in various crafts, including metalworking and weaving, and they developed advanced agricultural practices utilizing irrigation canals and innovative farming techniques. Their society was organized with a strong central authority, and the Chimú frequently demanded tributes from the cultures they conquered. However, their expansion ultimately led to conflict with the rising Inca Empire, which succeeded in overpowering the Chimú by the late 1460s. The rich cultural heritage of the Chimú, including their ceremonial practices involving Spondylus shells and human sacrifices for elite individuals, offers a fascinating glimpse into the complexities of pre-Columbian societies in South America.
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Chimú culture
The Chimú (pronounced CHI-moo) culture was a civilization that controlled an area along the coast of present-day Peru from approximately 900 CE to 1470 CE. They are believed to have been descended from the Moche people who lived in northern Peru between the first and seventh centuries. Like the Moche, who are sometimes classified as Early Chimú, the Chimú were known for their high level of artistic achievement, particularly with regard to their ceramics.
The Chimú were a precursor to the rival Inca Empire that ruled a large area of the Andes from the early thirteenth century until the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the area in the late sixteenth century. At its peak in the thirteenth century, the Chimú kingdom stretched approximately 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the modern-day border of Ecuador and Peru to Lima. Their capital city was Chan Chan. In the thirteenth century, Chan Chan was one of the largest cities in the world, a testament to the regional strength of the Chimú people. It is believed that the city may have housed between 40,000 and 100,000 people during its height of power.
Brief History
The Chimú culture was located in the same area of coastal Peru as the Moche culture, which had disappeared roughly two centuries before. According to Chimú tradition, their culture was founded by Taycanamo, who legend says emerged from a golden egg at sea and arrived on a balsam raft to lead the Chimú people. Historians believe that while the legend surrounding Taycanamo was based upon myth, it probably referenced an early leader of the Chimú. The center of Chimú culture was located in the Moche valley region, an area north of the Peruvian capital of Lima.
The development of the Chimú people can be roughly divided into two phases: the early foundation of the Chimú culture centered in the Moche valley and the later empire-building era led to the creation of the Kingdom of Chimor. The early Chimú likely grew out of the remnants of the Moche civilization. During their expansion, the Chimú conquered several rival cultures, including the Lambayeque (Sicán) people. Their success was in part thanks to their innovative agricultural practices that included widespread irrigation canals. Their military initiatives helped to expand their territory to a broad stretch of the Peruvian coast. The Chimú placed heavy demands for tributes upon the peoples under their dominion.
Beginning in about 1430, a rival empire led by the Inca began to rise in southeastern Peru. They quickly developed a powerful kingdom within only a fifty-year window. The Chimú ultimately fell to Incan emperor Tupac Yupanqui between 1464 and 1470. After this period, the Chimú became a vassal state of the Incas, with their king kept as a prisoner in Cuzco to maintain their loyalty.
Overview
Chimú pottery is regarded as among the finest works of art to have originated in the New World. Most works were stained black so that they appeared to have a metallic sheen. Due to their close relationship with the ocean, the Chimú used maritime designs such as wave patterns and images of coastal animals on these vessels. Unlike many other cultures in the Americas, the Chimú shied away from painting their pottery. Instead, they mostly relied upon a technique in which patterns were pressed directly into the sides of the clay through a molded form before firing. The distinctive black coloring was achieved by firing pottery at very high controlled temperatures in closed kilns. This prevented oxygen from interacting with the pottery and turned the hardening clay black. They were also adept at fashioning clay into realistic human and animal figures. The Chimú pottery has provided valuable insight into their culture.
Beyond their renown with ceramics, the Chimú were known as talented metalworkers, weavers, and builders. Their capital city is the biggest adobe complex in the world at 7.7 square miles (20 square kilometers) and was the largest known city to have been built in South America before European contact. They established efficient regional farming and hydraulic systems that allowed them to expand their reach in the comparatively arid region they inhabited. Among their novel farming techniques, they developed a system of Huachaques farming, which involved removing a thick layer of dry earth. This created a sunken farm that allowed the Chimú to access the richer moist soil beneath. They also used walk-in wells and reservoirs that enabled them to trap water during periods of drought. Ultimately, these innovations enabled them to more efficiently capitalize on the conditions in the Andean valleys where they made their homes. In addition, their satellite farms allowed the Chimú capital of Chan Chan to grow to enormous size by providing it with food, water, and other resources that the city was not able to independently produce itself.
In Chan Chan, each Chimú king built a large rectangular compound (called a ciudadela) that served as his palace during his life and as his mortuary complex in death. Each new king constructed a new complex. Overall, ten such palaces were built in Chan Chan. The walls of these compounds rose as high as 25 feet (7.5 meters) and had maximum lengths of 200 feet (60 meters). The Nik An (or Tschudi) compound has been restored by the Peruvian government for tourists. Despite their use as a defensive fortification, the walls of these compounds were covered in reliefs of the oceans, sea life, and fish—an indication of the importance that the sea had for the Chimú.
The city contained many artisans and workers who mass-produced pottery, textiles, and metalwork that were used throughout the kingdom. Different neighborhoods of the crowded city were dedicated to different specialties, such as woodworkers, weavers, potters, and servants. The sheer size of their capital city, their centralization of political power within a small region, changing weather patterns, and their heavy focus on providing for the welfare of a small royal segment of the population have been cited as possible causes that contributed to the eventual downfall of the Chimú.
The Spondylus mollusc, a form of clam whose shell is covered in reddish spikes, was imported from the neighboring waters of coastal Ecuador and used in great numbers for trade, art, and ceremonial purposes by the Chimú. Among the ritual uses for these ornamental shells were animal sacrifices and human sacrifices. Human sacrifice was often associated with people of high status, such as a ruler. At the Las Avispas burial platform in Chan Chan, archaeologists estimate that perhaps hundreds of young women and llamas were interred with the body of the king.
Bibliography
Benson, Elizabeth P., and Anita G. Cook, editors. Ritual Sacrifice in Ancient Peru. U of Texas P, 2001.
Cartwright, Mark. "Chimú Civilization." Ancient History Encyclopedia, 14 Apr. 2015, www.ancient.eu/Chimú‗Civilization/. Accessed 30 May 2017.
"Chimú Culture and Art." About Peru History, www.about-peru-history.com/chimu-culture.html. Accessed 30 May 2017.
Fash, William, and Mary E. Lyons. "Chan Chan: Capital City of the Andean Kingdom of Chimor." The Ancient American World. Oxford UP, 2005, pp. 140–47.
Hathaway, Bruce. "Endangered Site: Chan Chan, Peru." Smithsonian, Mar. 2009, www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/endangered-site-chan-chan-peru-51748031/. Accessed 30 May 2017.
Moore, Jerry D. Cultural Landscapes in the Ancient Andes: Archaeologies of Place. UP of Florida, 2005.
Quilter, Jeffrey. "Kingdoms of Gold: The Empire of Chimor." The Civilization of the Incas. Rosen P, 2013, pp. 154–69.
Rizzutto, Marcia A., and Manfredo H. Tabacniks. "Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Its Applications for Ceramic Analysis: The Chimú Collection of the MAE-USP." The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Ceramic Analysis. Edited by Alice M.W. Hunt, Oxford UP, 2017, pp. 389–94.
Shimada, Izumi. "The Late Prehispanic Coastal States: Chimú State." The Inca World: The Development of Pre-Columbian Peru, A.D. 1000–1534. Edited by Alice M.W. Hunt, U of Oklahoma P, 2000, pp. 65–105.
Tran, Vickie, and Stan Florek. "Chimú Pottery and Its Meaning." Australian Museum, 3 June 2014, australianmuseum.net.au/Chimú-pottery-and-its-meaning. Accessed 30 May 2017.