:''For the organization (state) of the Chimu culture, see:
Chimor''
The 'Chimú' were the residents of
Chimor with its capital at the city of
Chan Chan, a large adobe city, in the Moche valley of
Trujillo,
Peru. The
Inca ruler
Tupac Inca Yupanqui led the campaign which conquered just fifty years before the arrival of the Spanish in the region. Spanish chroniclers were able to record accounts of Chimú culture from individuals who had lived before the Inca conquest. Archaeological evidence suggest that ''Chimor'' grew out of the remnants of the
Moche culture; early Chimú pottery had some resemblance to Moche pottery. Their ceramics are all black and their metalwork is very detailed and intricate. These artifacts can be found at the
Larco Museum located in
Lima,
Peru.
The Chimu were also known for worshiping the moon, unlike the
Inca who worshiped the sun. The Chimu viewed the sun as a destroyer. This is likely due to the harshness of the sun in the desert environment they lived in.
The Chimú are best known for their distinctive monochromatic pottery and fine metal working of copper, gold, silver, bronze, and tumbago (copper and gold). The pottery is often in the shape of a creature, or has a human figure sitting or standing on a
cuboid bottle. The shiny black finish of most Chimú pottery is not achieved by using glazes, but instead is achieved by firing the pottery at high temperatures in a closed
kiln which prevents
oxygen from reacting with the
clay.
External links
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Beloit Museum's Chimu Artefacts
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[1]
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360 views of Chimu Artifacts
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[2]
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Larco Museum Homepage