Chan Chan

The largest Pre-Columbian city in South America, Chan Chan is an archaeological site in the northern Peruvian region of La Libertad, 5 km west of Trujillo. Chan Chan is located in the mouth of the Moche Valley and was the capital of the historical Chimor Empire from AD 900-1470 until they were defeated and incorporated into the Inka empire. The Chimor empire, a conquest state, developed from the Chimú culture which established itself along the Peruvian coast around 1400 AD. In the Chimú tongue, Chan Chan means "Sun Sun;" it was named for its sunny climate which is cooled year round by a southerly breeze.

Chan-Chan is an archaeological site and beach on the coast of the commune of Mehuín in southern Chile. Chan-Chan is known to have been inhabited by hunter-gatherers during two periods of the Middle Archaic, separated by a hiatus. One period spans from 6420 to 6250 BP and the other from 6130 to 5730 BP. The beach of Chan-Chan extends on the north to Huezhui tombolo and on the south to a peninsula. The archaeological site itself is located above the beach, on a coastal terrace, that was formed by sediments of allochthonous (exotic) and autochthonous (local) origin. The allochthonous material consist of volcanic rocks as well as retransportated mollusc shells. The autochthonous material is chiefly made of sands, gravel and peat.