Here is a brief discussion of Chan Chan and a part of Chan Chan known as "The House Of The Dragon". Located near the Pacific Ocean in La Libertad (Trujillo), Chan-Chan or "Sun - Sun", pronounced "jang jang", was the capital of the vast Chimu Empire. It is the largest mud city in the world, it was declared by UNESCO to be a Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Its importance is only comparable to the old cities of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, China or Teotihuacán in Mexico. Chan Chan was built in the XII and XIII Centuries. Its construction was begun by the Mochicas in the third Century and was inhabited by them until the VII century. It then became the capital of the Chimu nation in the XII century. It was still functioning in the XV century. The city also had the names of Chimo, Chimor and Cauchán. In the time of its maximum splendor it is calculated that its population was above 100,000 inhabitants. Built in adobe, at the moment restored and it is one of the best conserved from the most important huacas of Peru. In their walls beautiful friezes; place museum. The city of Chan Chan, capital of the Kingdom of Chimor, also known as the Chimu Empire, represents America's largest prehispanic mud-brick settlement. Chan Chan is a large city that covers 7.7 square miles and is centered on a 2.3 square mile urban core of large enclosures, which were the palaces of the Chimu rulers. The origins of Chan Chan go back to the beginning of the first millennium AD when the first large enclosure, probably the Ciudadela Chayhuac, or Chayhuac Citadel, was built. Many other ciudadelas, eleven in total were built later on. By the time the Inca conquered the Chimu kingdom, in about 1470 AD, Chan Chan was the center of an empire that covered 621 miles of the Pacific coastline and they controlled about two-thirds of all of the agricultural land along the Pacific coast of South America. The total population of the city may well have been as large as 50,000. There are four main sites at Chan Chan, all spread over a large area that requires either a lot of walking or a few taxi rides. However, many walls and structures can be seen surrounding the complex for a few miles miles in all directions. The principal complex, named the Tschudi Palace for a 19th-century Swiss explorer. Huaca Esmeralda and Huaca Arco Iris are two smaller pyramidal temples that are rather far from the main palace. They are included in the Chan Chan ticket, but you must go to either the museum or the Tschudi Palace first. Huaca Esmeralda is in the Mansiche district, midway between Chan Chan and Trujillo (several blocks behind the church, to the right). The huaca consists of a couple platforms and some friezes that have not yet been restored; although they are less impressive than others, at least visitors get a clear chance to see original reliefs. Another part of the Chan Chan, Chimú complex, is "The House Of The Dragon" or "Huaca el Dragón". It is also called "Huaca del Arco Iris" (rainbow), located about 4 km. north of Trujillo, in the La Esperanza suburb, west of the Pan-American Highway. It is in much better condition than Huaca Esmeralda, having been excavated only in the 1960s, and its well-conserved rainbow-shaped friezes are fascinating. Some have interpreted the central motif to be that of a dragon. Outer walls have reliefs of snakes and peculiar lizards. The fairly large structure has several ramps, and visitors can climb to platforms at the top of the temple. When at the "Huaca el Dragón" we met some hairless Peruvian dogs known as "Perro sin Pelo del Peru". The adult Perro sin Pelo stands about 17-23 inches, females slightly smaller than males, and weighs 30-40 pounds. They are friendly, keen and alert, but reserved with strangers. Their puppies have never meet anyone that they didn't like. Their skin requires special care (such as sunscreen). They are usually good with children and with other dogs. They are nighttime dogs, sometimes called Moonflowers, because they do not like the light of the day nor the sunshine. We were at "The House Of The Dragon" or "Huaca el Dragón"or "Huaca del Arco Iris" (rainbow), on April 27, 2006 at about 1:52 PM.

The first choice of where to go in order to visit Chan Chan is to fly in to Trujillo. Chan Chan only about 5 kilometers east of the center of Trujillo. Trujillo is a moderately large city in Northwestern Peru, very close to the Pacific Coast. Trujillo is known for its seafood and the beaches of its famous surf and beach resort Huanchaco. The Capitán FAP Carlos Martínez de Pinillos International Airport (IATA: TRU, ICAO: SPRU); known as Aeropuerto Internacional Capitán FAP Carlos Martínez de Pinillos in Spanish, is the airport serving Peru's third most important city, Trujillo. It is the main air hub in northern Peru. The second choice is Chiclayo, which is the capital city of the Lambayeque region in northern Peru. It is located 13 kilometers inland from the Pacific coast and 770 kilometers from the nation's capital, Lima. Chiclayo is one of the most important urban areas of Peru. It has grown to become the country's fourth largest city after Lima, Arequipa, and Trujillo. Chiclayo is very commercialized and has many modern characteristics. It is known as one of the friendliest cities in Peru. Because of this attribute, Chiclayo is known as, "The Capital of Friendship and the Pearl of the North." The Capitán FAP José A. Quiñones Gonzales International Airport (IATA: CIX, ICAO: SPHI) is the airport serving Chiclayo, Peru and the surrounding metropolitan area. It is run by CORPAC S.A. (Corporación Peruana de Aeropuertos y Aviación Comercial S.A.), a government-run organization that oversees the management of Peruvian airports. It is the main airport of the Lambayeque Region, one of the most populous of the country. There are several Guided Tour Agencies offering standard city, and archaeological tours of Trujillo or Chiclayo and the surrounding area. This page is for information purposes only and while we have made every effort to be accurate, it is the travelers responsibility to make the appropriate choice as to which hotels to use in Peru. We found that when touring Peru, Magical Cusco Tours gave us the best service of all. They even arranged very personal tours based upon our ages and experience. They were there for us whenever we needed them. Click on any of their links on our pages and they will give you a 4% discount for taking their package tours. Mention delange.org. Merchant Code Inka2010 for your discount! We suggest letting Ana Maria handle your tour. Note: The 4% discount applies to package tours only! Discount does not apply to hotel bookings, domestic or international tickets, meals or any other service booked as a single activity. Magical Cusco Tours also has a culinary tour that you may enjoy.Click Here For: Taste Of Peru.com their culinary tour page. We also have links to Priceline.Com on our pages, in case you may prefer to use their services.