8/18/2019 Chimu Culture

1/2

CHIMU CULTURE

Chimu or Chimor is a pre-Inca culture that was developed on the north coast after the decay of the HuariEmpire between 1000 and 1200. They occupied the territories inhabited before the oche and !ambaye"uereachin$ e%pand their domains# its $reatest development across a wide swath cotera northern &eruappro%imately '00 (m in len$th# from Tumbes to Huarmey valley.

In its development there are two sta$es) at first it was a small $roup located in the ancient oche valley and

surroundin$ areas *+00-1,00) and in the second they had already con"uered a vast territory and were aconstantly e%pandin$ (in$dom *1,00-1/0. everal historians ar$ue that# by the middle of the fifteenthcentury# the Chimu were defeated by the Incas.

OriginChimu appear around the year +00. The founder of the Chimu (in$dom was Tacaynamo# a le$endarycharacter who would come with his entoura$e on lar$e wooden rafts and adopted the name ran Chimu.

It is believed that the so-called (in$dom of Chimu had ten rulers# but only the names of four of them are(nown3 Tacaynamo# uacricur# 4aucempinco and inchancaman.

The rulers were treated li(e $ods and lived in an ele$ant palace of Chan Chan.

There were social classes $overned by an imperial state that had con"uered the (in$dom ican !ambaye"ue.5ust 4aylamp le$ends in ican and Chimu Tacayanamo in fantastically passed the initial wars over these

lands. The people paid tribute to the rulers *in products or wor(.

THE LANGUAGE QUINGNAM

The lan$ua$e that prevailed amon$ the Chimu was the "uin$nam lan$ua$e# its own dialect of fishermen called6fisherwoman lan$ua$e by panish missionaries.

FARMINGChimu cultivated corn# beans# s"uash# pump(in# peanuts# lucuma# avocado# plum friar# pacae# cai$ua# soursop#cotton.To e%pand the cultivable area # they used an e%tensive networ( of channels# many of which were herita$e ofthe oche and !ambaye"ue cultures.

Fishing and huntingThey used for fishin$ canoes or reed horses# which still use the current inhabitants of Huanchaco. 7ith thesereed horses they entered into the sea to fish for a variety of fish# for which they used nets fastened betweentwo boats or hoo(s. They also collected marine mollus(s# such as choro# clam and snail. arine productsmade up most of their food of animal ori$in.

CommerceIt is believed that they traded usin$ coins *bron8e hatchets.

Architecture

The remains of its architecture has helped define that the rulers lived in palaces and monumental enclosureswhile the people lived in thatch houses with small and outside the monumental architecture rooms. Thedecoration of the walls is based on frie8es modeled in relief# and in some cases painted. The desi$ns are8oomorphic fi$ures such as fish and birds and $eometric fi$ures# all polychrome.Some examples:9Chan Chan9 Huaca &intada9 Huaca :ra$on9 The stren$th of &aramon$a9 ;purlec or &ur$atory.

8/18/2019 Chimu Culture

2/2

CHAN CHANChan Chan was the capital of the Chimu (in$dom and the residence of the rand Chimu or soverei$n# whohad the ran( of Emperor. It is coverin$ an area of 2< s"uare (ilometers# ma(in$ it one of the lar$est cities in theworld in the fifteenth and si%teenth centuries.

TEXTILERThey used the techni"ue of spinnin$) it is a manual and elementary practice of attachin$ a small set of threadsto achieve a lon$ thread.The $arments were produced from the wool of four animals) $uanaco# llama# alpaca# and vicuna and nativecotton plant that $rows naturally in seven different colors.The clothin$ of the Chimu consisted of loincloths# sleeveless shirts with or without frin$es# small ponchos#tunics# etc.

CERAMICSChimu ceramics fulfilled two functions such as containers for daily or domestic use and ceramic ceremonialuse or for offerin$s of burials.They use a sin$le color# $lossy blac(# some are $ray and brown e%ceptionally#they were $lobular shape with nec( or handle shaped brid$e abutment.

DIINITIES AND RELIGIONThe main cult was dedicated to the moon because they felt it was more powerful than the sun shone ni$htsince# for their influence on plant $rowth and its use as a mar(er of time. It was attributed bustle of the sea andstorms. It was the visitor from another world and punishin$ thieves. Its main temple was called i-;n *House of the oon where rites were held the first ni$ht of moon nueva.1However in each villa$e it is also worshiped other deities.9 oon *hi9 ea *4i9 un *5ian$9 Earth *hisHuman sacrifices

They offered to the moon the sacrifice of children under five and adolescents a$ed 1, or 1 years. Theirbodies were wrapped in blan(ets colored cotton# buried them in the esplanades of the temples# alon$ withfruits and poured chicha on land.