Architecture of the Chimu: memory, function, and image

Conklin, William J.

essay

Architecture of the Chimu: memory, function, and image

northern dynasties : kingship and statecraft in chimor: a symposium at dumbarton oaks, 12th and 13th october 1985 • Washington, D.C. • Published In 1990 • Pages: 43-74

By: Conklin, William J..

Abstract
The author examines Chimu architecture through images found in ceramics and textiles and by examining architectural remains, tracing changes from the early [i]huacas[/i] from the Initial Period in the Moche Valley through the urban layouts of Chimu. Iconography contains no examples of specific monuments, only generalized [i]huacas[/i], but there are models of domestic structures and scenes of some of the activities that occurred within them. What the Chimu portrayed through iconography and what was not shown are considered clues as to the meanings associated with different types of architecture. Galindo, Pampa Grande, Chan Chan, and Pacatnamu receive particular attention. Galindo is especially important as it was no longer a city dominated by [i]huacas[/i] , probably indicting the advent of secularization. The iconography suggests such mounds contained the power of a deity while the chroniclers’ descriptions imply the mountains were the primary source of sacred power. The plan of Chan Chan hints that the Chimu government may not have been a unified state, because there are no common plazas, water supply, or monuments. Instead, the [i]ciudadelas[/i] seem to have been created as mausoleums to showcase the personal art collection of the person buried there. In contrast, Huaca 1 at Pacatnamu is associated with a Chan Chan-like compound, but there is a unified access system. Although many portable Chimu artifacts were similar in throughout its territory, architecture in the Moche Valley differed from architecture elsewhere.

Religious and educational structures

Settlement patterns

Visual arts

Sociocultural trends

Cultural participation

General character of religion

Sacred objects and places

Public structures

Miscellaneous facilities

Chimu

HRAF PubDate

2015