Chimu culture

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
 The Chimu culture, which had the capital to the celebrated city of Chan Chan (city located 5 kilometers from the modern city of Trujillo), expanded by the North Hazta the department of Tumbes and the south to the Rimac river (department Lima). Its main center, as had been his predecessors Moche, found himself located in the valleys of Moche, and Viru Chicame, in the province of Trujillo, the present department of La Libertad, as also in other valleys of existing departments Lambayeque and Piura. This culture developed between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries AD.
                                         

ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION
The Chimu Empire was an immensely rich Empire, a truly prosperous state; possessor also of great natural resources in whose geographic area His stage-stand, today, the largest sugar plantations of Peru, the same that are among the main of America and the World. It is having been the basis for such development its flourishing agriculture, the exploitation of its large marine resources as well as the voluminous production of its many craft centers; the same that led to a thriving business. Moreover, were gold and silver, expressed in wonderful jewelry, which has granted Chimu and Lambayeque also the reputation and celebrity in the contemporary world.
The Chimu economy was characterized by the exploitation of the conquered places that were taxed with food, crafts, work, etc. The labor specialization forced the operation of a bartering system which allowed to obtain products and objects they did not produce.
Agriculture, the basis of the Chimu economy was practiced on a large scale and made it possible to maximize the agricultural frontier, a vast network of canals that supplied water to the rivers of the coast. They also took advantage of the groundwater, enabling huachaques or sunk agricultural fields, which allowed them to obtain several harvests a year. They knew all native food plants and their diet was supplemented with pets, marine and freshwater species, hunting and gathering.
The sea was an inexhaustible source of resources that the Chimu took advantage to the maximum. They used reed boats and wood, equipped with nets, weights and floats, hooks and other fishing tackle, fishing at sea and on shore Beach, where also collected shellfish and seaweed. In addition to great fishermen, navigators were experienced and made long trips to stock up on exotic products like the Spondylus sp. or "mullu" ritual use, or guano, used as fertilizer in agriculture.
During this period, they were planned and built new urban settlements and smaller towns linked by a vast and complex network of roads. New agricultural lands were also incorporated into areas that until then had been deserted.

                                   

Chimu AGRICULTURE
They are worthy of admiration the formidable irrigation systems that counted the Chimu. A result of their effort and creativity, others inherited from their predecessors, the great Moche engineers. Thus, the considerable progress of hydraulic engineering, manifested in the construction of magnificent canals, aqueducts, reservoirs, water intakes, etc., many of them large and solidly built, contributed to the achievement of a flourishing agriculture in broad valleys located , mostly in the departments of Lambayeque, La Libertad, Ancash and Lima. Among the main products: the corn, lima beans, beans, pumpkin, cassava and cotton; also fruit such as cucumber, pacae, soursop, lucuma, guava, plum friar, etc.
Moreover, the Chimu took advantage also, in addition to the waters of the rivers, their "puquio" or waters that flow from underground; also, through the Wachaques, or sunken fields, a new agricultural tácnica, who takes advantage of extremely wet ground, managed to plant mainly reed plant that it provided them making those famous "Totora Horses" effective vehicle for assets fishermen.
In relation to the great valleys of the North Coast, where the Chimu developed a flourishing agriculture, we believe interesting play valuable references that this particular ago, the historian Dr. Macera:                                
One of the characteristics of Chimu society is its rigid division of social groups and also one of the most accepted idea is that the citadels were real palaces in which lived the elite nobility, almost completely isolated from the outside world. Their access was restricted, these palaces not only served as dwellings but elite gathered inside to officials receiving the products that people gave as a tribute.
It is also believed that there were craftsmen serving the noble and that certain parts of the palace housed the servants and clearly differentiated from the area inhabited by the lords. It is assumed that each one of the palaces partencia a ruler and when died, was buried in the funeral industry platforms. The palace still belonged to him and his family continued to live in it pay charge of veneration. The next ruler had to build his own palace where he would live to die and be buried. This means that the palaces were built one after the other, as successive rulers died. The successors of the legendary Tacaynamo have been buried there, each in his palace.
The characteristic of the Chimu architecture are friezes, which were prepared from clay and were used to decorate the walls. These are figures fully cover up relieveque long walls. One of the places where the largest number of friezes is concentrated in the capital city of courtyards and passageways Chanchán profusely decorated with geometric figures of fish and birds. Friezes are known to have bright colors, which made them stand their motives further.
CHAN CHAN              
The wonderful city of Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimu kingdom, is located opposite the sea, near the mouth of the river Moche, occupying about 24 km it is one of the largest cities in pre-Columbian America and its greatness amazes visitors the world despite its tremendous deterioration.
It is possible to distinguish three different sectors, the main thing is a set of large rectangular rooms known as palaces and citadels. Around this is lower housing areas that make up a kind of slums and other large venues.
In the capital city of palaces and citadels Chanchán developed; ie is ten large rectangular areas enclosed by mud walls that reach up to 10 m all are oriented north-south and share a estructurageneral. Inside the space is divided into a series of courtyards with ramps, corridors, rooms, U-shaped structure, funerary platforms, warehouses, workshops, large rectangular water wells. There is usually a single gateway, located on the north side. The citadels are known as Gran Chimu, Velarde, Squier, Tello, Uhle, Maze, Caihuac, Tachuidi, Rivero and Bandelier.
HUACA STRIPE (Purgatory)
Citadel belonging to the Chimu culture, of smaller dimension than Chan-Chan. This urban complex is located in Tucume in Lambayeque. Like Chan-Chan can appreciate its beauty unmatched in its urban lines, as well as its buildings.
Among other housing complexes we are:
- PACATNAMU.- That according to several studies and discoveries, which found many shrines, would be an eminently sacred religious center.
- HUACA PINTADA.- This resort is located close to Túcume, which has beautiful arabesques and paintings.
- BATAN GRANDE.- complex in ruins were released by Mario Florian, which has murals stylizing characters, complicated trappings.

PATHS OF CULTURE CHIMU
The Chimu used a network of roads that probably existed before him, and they were later used by the Incas. The archaeologist Rodriguez Suy Suy has differentiated to four kinds of ways:
1. Longitudinal through the coast or the mountains;
2. Transverse or penetration (coast - saw);
3. Neighborhood;
4. Ceremonial.
The basic trunk roads was four; three of them longitudinal and transversal last. The first running of Casma Sullana and moving the Recuay to Ecuador and then to Cajamarca highlands of Ecuador. The longitudinal road passing through Huacrachuco East and rafts. The great trunk road starting in Pacatnamú penetration on the coast and arrived at Chachapoyas and Cajamarca Yurimaguas. The Chimu were so best connections, for its time, of what we are today. Many of these roads were made during the Formative and were perhaps expanded during the Wari expansion. According to Rodriguez Suy Suy major trunk roads represent a number of basic channels of cultural diffusion between different regions. While roads stimulated the cohesion and exchanges between groups within a single region.
The Tumi                                                    
It was his most representative work, which represented the god Naylamp (ornitomorfa divinity) through the form of bird. It is a type of ceremonial knife Illimo. It was built in gold inlaid soldadita (low grade metal) and used as ornamental elements: Turquoise and Pearls Shell.
In its structure the Tumi was: two plates, front and rear, these plates were thin strokes made on flat surface; well plates were welded to form a structure in the center empty. In the aura that is on top of the head note was made by a semicircle divided into five concentric spaces, likewise it was determined that the edge region is narrow and pearl (sector composed of 12 decorative elements in the form of S ), very narrow area serving pearl division between spaces, geometric carvings zone based on triangles, area comprising eight concentric circles within which inlaid turquoise and finally closed a semicircle decoration in high relief.
With respect to his face; This represents a human face with characteristics of birds (anthropomorphic), circular, deep eyes and ornitorringe form (form of bird), bird-shaped nose, small, rectangular mouth and two ears hang each side attached to the face. Moreover face is smaller than the halo. And finally the body: this had a small head attached to a too small, rectangular body, where small arms were rigid and close to the body with open hands, shoulders get two stylized wings in rectangular form, the body ends in a stylized way to dress edge, his feet are very small and rectangular rigid manner.
Finally it should be emphasized that the second part of Tumi is constituted by a ceremonial knife two sectors: a rectangular part way to handle and a semicircular portion that matches the superior aura, forming a unitary whole.
Goldsmithing techniques to work the Tumi was: carved, embossed, watermark and welding work it properly and that instruments such as hammers wood or metal was used.
Textiles CHIMU
The Chimu textileria highlights the versatility of techniques, iconography and its aesthetic beauty. The yarn is manual and elementary practice to unite a group of small wires to achieve a long continuous thread, in this initial work of the textiles diverse instruments were used as the spindle.
The spindle is a manual instrument made of a small, thin wand that generally tapers at both ends; it is used by a Piruro whorls or inserted at the bottom for a counterbalance. He begins to spin around by the spinning wheel (which is fixed fiber to be spun) some fibers that are fixed in the time it will turn quickly between thumb, cordial and forefinger to achieve winding and twisting unbroken fibers.
When he had already obtained the necessary threads started the bone tissue or combination of crosslinking the threads to fabrics.
The Chimu drew up fabrics, chiffons, brocades, embroidered, double fabrics, painted fabrics, etc. Sometimes textiles were adorned with feathers and gold and silver plates, the dyes were obtained from certain plants containing tannin, molle and walnut; of ferruginous clay minerals such as aluminum and biting animals and cochineal. The garments were produced from the wool of four animals; guanaco, llama, alpaca and vicuna and algodónnativo 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.
In the iconography of textiles a central character who is the head of the body separate Chimu appears. This anthropomorphic being usually symmetrical, has outstretched arms, feet and hands directed sideways and almost always wears earrings and a big hit in a half moon. His identity is unknown, although it is said that perhaps represents the divinity of Tiahuanaco sun cove                                                    .
Another image that frequently appears in the iconography of the Chimu textile art is an apparently felinico animal shown hunched.
It dates back to the iconography Moche and Recuay. It is generally found sitting, his alligator, lizard tongue and has crest and tail resembling that of a prehistoric animal, this character is known as the animal of the moon.
Finally it is determined on the basis of various investigations, the Chimu culture has the largest tissue so far found in prehistoric Peru. For its size it has been determined that these huge cotton fabrics in natural state were used to cover walls. In this génerodestaca illustrating the main characters about some prisoners held by a rope, found in the grounds of the hacienda Mocupe within a chamber covered with a stone slab. This half textile about 35 meters long in their original condition and notes that this could be a mythical event or archetype of essential importance for the Chimu culture.
The yarn is manual and elementary practice to unite a group of small wires to achieve a long continuous thread, in this initial work of the textiles diverse instruments were used as the spindle. The spindle is a manual instrument made of a small, thin wand that generally tapers at both ends; it is used by a Piruro whorls or inserted at the bottom for a counterbalance. He begins to spin around by the spinning wheel (which is fixed fiber to be spun) some fibers that are fixed in the time it will turn quickly between thumb, cordial and forefinger to achieve winding and twisting unbroken fibers.
When he had already obtained the necessary threads started the tissue. Crosslinking or combination of threads to fabrics.
The Chimu drew up fabrics, chiffons, brocades, embroidered, double fabrics, painted fabrics, etc. Sometimes textiles were adorned with feathers and gold and silver plates, the dyes were obtained from certain plants containing tannin, molle and walnut; of ferruginous clay minerals such as aluminum and biting animals and cochineal. 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.