Culture Minister for Peru, Patricia Balbuena, and her team of researchers announced on Monday the discovery of 20 statues at the Chan Chan archaeological site near the modern Peruvian city of Trujillo. Chan Chan, which translates to “resplendent sun,” was the capital of the Chimu Kingdom, predating the Inca Empire. This ancient metropolis thrived between AD 900 and 1450 along Peru’s northern coast.
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986, Chan Chan was once a remarkable desert city that housed approximately 30,000 inhabitants at its peak. Today, ongoing investigation and preservation efforts at Chan Chan involve about 500 people, including 50 archaeologists. The city spans a central area of six square kilometers (2.3 square miles) with an additional 20 square kilometers of suburbs, including ten walled palaces.
Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro is reputed to be the first European to have encountered the awe-inspiring city of Chan Chan around AD 1532.
