Rethinking the early phase of the Chimú empire. New dates from Virú valley

Abstract

In recent years, various investigations into the Chimú have focused on contexts that represent the height of Chimú development before the Inca conquest. However, research questions about How did the Chimú kingdom emerge? remain to be fully addressed. In this work, we explore the origins of the Chimú kingdom from four perspectives: (1) the sequence of four phases proposed for this society based on new findings and absolute dates obtained to date at the Huacas de Moche; (2) a review of the data obtained from the oldest palace-mausoleum of the Chimú capital, Chan Chan, which reveals the absence of cultural material associated with early ceramics; (3) a reanalysis of oral narratives about possible mythological origins such as a recent narrative by Percy Valladares, which provide new data placing the origin of the founder of Chan Chan in the Guañape Islands, off the coast of the Virú valley; and (4) new evidence recovered from surface collections and excavations. This evidence reveals a considerable presence of Early Chimú tricolor pottery from various sites in the Virú Valley. These data suggest that early Chimú groups were located south of the Moche River, especially in the Virú valley, and that at some point in history they migrated to the Moche valley to found the Chimú capital and give rise to their dynasty of heirs to the kingdom of Taycanamo.