📋 Tender Overview
Archaeological research records Chimu-Inca occupation in relation to the perimeter walls of the Utzh An walled complex. The Ministry of Culture reports that, through the Chan Chan - Pecach Archaeological Complex Special Project, it invested more than 2 million soles in the archaeological research and conservation work of the perimeter wall of the Utzh An Walled Complex (formerly Gran Chimu), which has allowed defining a new use of perimeter walls in Chan Chan. The work carried out has allowed new proposals to be put forward regarding the use of the spaces of the Utzh An walled complex.
Initially, the researchers proposal was that the walled complexes were originally built for purely ceremonial and administrative purposes as palaces for rulers.
However, the intervention of the 2024 season of the Pecach Archaeological Research Program found evidence of domestic-residential architecture in this complex, but for a later phase; that is, when the Gran Chimu walled complex ceased to have its initial use as a palace. That is, after the decline of the main use of the site, these spaces were reused for housing or domestic activities.
It is in this context that the Pecach researchers were able to define that a section of the eastern perimeter wall has been dismantled and reoccupied for the development of domestic - residential activities, characterized by small adobe walls that configure quadrangular and rectangular environments associated with surfaces of use with remains of burning, ashes and ceramic fragments.
In this sense, the new occupants of Gran Chimu would be associated with the time of the Inca invasion and conquest of the Chimu, information corroborated by the obtaining of absolute dates carried out by the project.
Associating knowledge
This information adds to the discovery of evidence of domestic occupations found in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons, where the north, west and south perimeter walls of the same walled complex were intervened; Thus, the record of domestic-residential occupation has been expanded with the data recorded in the current 2024 season.
Function of walls
In addition, the archaeological research work on the eastern perimeter wall of Utzh An made it possible to define its function, and to better understand the construction techniques used in the construction of this side of the perimeter wall; in addition, to record associated minor architecture.
In addition to the above, the recovery of movable cultural material was added which, together with the architectural analysis, contribute to improving scientific knowledge about our ancestors.
Funerary areas
Finally, it is proposed as a result of the archaeological research interventions that, although initially an exclusive burial area was planned within the walled complex of Utzh An - the Funerary Platform -, after its abandonment, the burial areas were expanded to other spaces both inside and outside the walled complex, as evidenced by the findings of funerary contexts recovered in the last seasons of excavations developed by the project.
In addition to the archaeological research, the work of the present season also considered the conservation of the eastern perimeter wall. Both components, archaeological research and conservation, began activities in April and have successfully completed activities in November of this year. Led by archaeologists Henry Luis Gayoso, head of the Pecach Research, Conservation and Enhancement Unit, and Sinthya Cueva, director of the Chan Chan Archaeological Complex Research, Conservation and Enhancement Program.
Important project
In this regard, the director of the Special Project, David Calderon De Los Rios, highlighted the importance of carrying out this work, since Utzh An is considered the largest site in the monumental area of Chan Chan. He also explained that the seventh season (2024) had the participation of around 150 workers, including archaeologists, conservators and technicians, who managed to restore 620 meters of the eastern perimeter wall and 120 meters of the western perimeter wall.
During this intervention, archaeological research activities were carried out for a period of five (5) months and conservation work for three (3) months, both adding up to an execution period of eight (8) months.
