essay

The urban concept of Chan Chan

northern dynasties : kingship and statecraft in chimor: a symposium at dumbarton oaks, 12th and 13th october 1985Washington, D.C.Published In 1990 • Pages: 107-144

By: Kolata, Alan L..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
The author examines the forces that underlay the changes in urban architecture of Chan Chan. Maps of the phases of urban growth are provided. Emphasis is given to structures with political and economic functions including [i]ciudadelas[/i], annexes, burial platforms, intermediate architecture, [i]audiencias[/i], storage areas, and canals. Earlier [i]ciudadelas[/i] were the home of more than one king. Expansion of the intermediate architecture and changes in the [i]ciudadelas[/i] occurred after the canals became inoperable due to tectonic uplift and damage from a major El Niño event. Some walk-in wells were deeper than fifteen meters. Sunken gardens are covered, although fewer details are known about them. They were a primary method of farming after the canals became inoperable. The lower water table also required the city to build closer to the ocean and existing architecture had to be razed to permit construction of [i]ciudadelas[/i] Tschudi and Rivero. The architectural changes are also correlated with imperial expansion and annexation of the Lambayeque Valley. Other changes can be seen to have occurred because of military expansion (northern conquests) after El Niño induced flooding, increased status of the king in relation to the rest of the ruling elite, and expansion of the ruling elite.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Sociocultural trends
Cities
Architecture
Settlement patterns
Water supply
Warehousing
Chief executive
Classes
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Chimu
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2015
RegionThe area the document pertains to
South America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central Andes
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Sarah Berry; 2014
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
not specified
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1100-530 BP (AD 900-1470)
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Chan Chan, Huanchaco, Trujillo province (Moche Valley), La Libertad, Peru
NotesAdditional notes
Alan L. Kolata
Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-144)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
89023336
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Chimu Indians--Politics and government--Congresses
Chimu Indians--Antiquities--Congresses
Chan Chan Site (Peru)--Congresses
Peru--Antiquities--Congresses