0:00:03 > 0:00:05On the north coast of Peru,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10is a vast desert.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11For over 450 years,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14this was home to a kingdom whose rise and fall
0:00:14 > 0:00:19is one of the greatest untold stories of the Americas.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23At its heart was a city.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Chan Chan is that rare and precious thing -
0:00:28 > 0:00:31a pre-industrial city, a lost city of types,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35because it was built and functioned in a completely different way
0:00:35 > 0:00:38to the cities that we know today.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47I'm Jago Cooper
0:00:47 > 0:00:50and as an archaeologist who specialises in South America,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54I've always been fascinated by the secrets and mysteries buried deep
0:00:54 > 0:00:58in these awe-inspiring and forbidding landscapes.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03The history of this continent has been dominated by
0:01:03 > 0:01:06the stories of the Inca and the Spanish conquistadors.
0:01:06 > 0:01:12But in this series, I'll be exploring an older, forgotten past,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15travelling from the coast to the clouds
0:01:15 > 0:01:17in search of ancient civilisations
0:01:17 > 0:01:21as significant and impressive as anywhere else on Earth.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31The Kingdom of Chimor dominated the northern coast of Peru
0:01:31 > 0:01:34for five centuries. In the face of some of
0:01:34 > 0:01:37the most extreme climate conditions in the world,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39its people transformed the desert..
0:01:42 > 0:01:44..built an oasis in the sand...
0:01:46 > 0:01:50..and created gold and silver treasures.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52And they believed so strongly
0:01:52 > 0:01:55in the power of their monarchs and their gods
0:01:55 > 0:01:58that they were prepared to sacrifice their own children.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Wow.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03From 900 to 400 AD,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05these loyal subjects built an empire,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09an empire that raises so many interesting questions.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12What motivated them to invade their neighbours?
0:02:12 > 0:02:16How did they build one of the largest pre-Columbian cities
0:02:16 > 0:02:17in South America?
0:02:17 > 0:02:21And why did this, the first empire of South America,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24disappear back into the desert that it conquered?
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I love coming to South America.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03There's so much rich, unstudied archaeology here.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Everybody's heard of the Inca,
0:03:05 > 0:03:06but they're just a few hundred years
0:03:06 > 0:03:09of 12,000 years of history of this great continent.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11There's so much more to study.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14And by looking at these lost cultures,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16we can help them take their rightful place
0:03:16 > 0:03:18in the history of South America.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Long before the Inca were the Chimu,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and the Chimu once were kings.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31And with their loyal subjects, they built the Kingdom of Chimor.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34By its height, in the 15th century,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36their kingdom had become an empire,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38the first in South America.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44Stretching along 600 miles of coastal desert in what is now Peru,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47it was lapped by the Pacific on the west
0:03:47 > 0:03:49and frowned upon by the Andes in the east.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56In this unforgiving terrain, the Chimu left us
0:03:56 > 0:03:59one of South America's greatest archaeological stories.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Neglected for centuries and exposed to harsh desert storms
0:04:03 > 0:04:06stand the remains of a true lost city.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12One can only imagine what the first Europeans must have thought
0:04:12 > 0:04:14when, parched and dazzled by the desert,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17they came over the hill and saw this.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24This is Chan Chan,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27one of the largest adobe settlements in the world,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31a monument to the 35,000 people who once lived here.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43They began building the city in the 10th century
0:04:43 > 0:04:47and continued to expand it for over 500 years.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Chan Chan is as intriguing as the people who built it.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59In eight dusty square miles, there's no single centre
0:04:59 > 0:05:01or any roads.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Walls, some as high as ten metres, tower over you.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14Inside them are the remains of ten sumptuous royal palaces.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Outside, hundreds of smaller dwellings
0:05:19 > 0:05:22are marked now by the alignments of stone.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Chan Chan is a puzzling architectural jigsaw
0:05:31 > 0:05:34that reflects Chimu society.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38But when the Spanish arrived at Chan Chan in the 1530s,
0:05:38 > 0:05:42they were only interested in taking Chimu gold
0:05:42 > 0:05:44and imposing their Christian God.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48People here were sceptical about Adam and Eve,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51because they had their own origin myth -
0:05:51 > 0:05:54that the common people of the Chimu came from a copper egg
0:05:54 > 0:05:58and that the royal family of women from a silver egg...
0:05:58 > 0:06:00and men from a golden egg.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09For the Chimu, hierarchy was seen as preordained -
0:06:09 > 0:06:13everyone accepted their place in it -
0:06:13 > 0:06:15and at the top was an all-powerful monarch.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Chan Chan was the seat of power for the Chimu royal family
0:06:23 > 0:06:26and thus, the very heart of the empire.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28This city in the desert
0:06:28 > 0:06:30is where all of the important decisions were made.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45In their palaces, surrounded by riches,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49the Chimu royal family hosted feasts and sacrifices
0:06:49 > 0:06:51and worshipped powerful gods.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00But how did such a vast, complex and wealthy city
0:07:00 > 0:07:03come to be built in a desert?
0:07:05 > 0:07:09People have been drawn to this coast for thousands of years,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12but the exact origin of these coastal peoples isn't known.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18The Chimu had their own explanation of how they came to be here,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20and it began at sea.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Lying alongside the city of Chan Chan
0:07:28 > 0:07:30is the mighty Pacific Ocean.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46The Spanish recorded a Chimu story about how their ancestors
0:07:46 > 0:07:49sailed down the coast from lands further north.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Whatever the truth of that legend,
0:07:55 > 0:07:59the Pacific Ocean offered sustenance to the early cultures of the coast.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03So, just going out to do some fishing with Juan and Luis.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Past the surf, I'm really struck by the vastness out here.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Just heading out into the Pacific Ocean.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Right down the coast, you go down past Chile down to the Antarctic.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Out here, the whole expanse of the Pacific,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29going right across towards Australia.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37But as the Chimu and their ancestors discovered,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40you don't have to go far to find the sea's bounty.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Here off the coast of Peru,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48you'll find one of the richest marine environments in the world.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50It's home to the Humboldt Current,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52that pulls up cold water right from the Antarctic
0:08:52 > 0:08:55that's full of plankton and fish and marine life.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57And this stretch of ocean has been
0:08:57 > 0:09:01feeding the coastal populations of Peru for millennia.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08I can really understand why these coastal peoples
0:09:08 > 0:09:09were in awe of the sea.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Many believed that deities controlled it,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15determining the weather and the day's catch.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH:
0:09:32 > 0:09:35The Chimus were masters of fishing technology.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38They used fish hooks, harpoons and nets to try and catch their prey.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42And now we're going to try and get this...
0:09:48 > 0:09:52The Chimu used fish nets made of cotton,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54and archaeologists have found hundreds of fish weights
0:09:54 > 0:09:57at archaeological sites all along the coast.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02The Chimu believed that their gods could whip up the ocean into storms
0:10:02 > 0:10:06and endow its creatures with unearthly powers.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09You see the pelican a lot in many of the friezes in Chan Chan
0:10:09 > 0:10:11and the Chimu sites.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14It's an iconic bird for the Chimu,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17and they were used in the fishing because it helped the Chimu identify
0:10:17 > 0:10:20where the shoals of fish would be when they're out at sea.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23And when you get to the other end of the net,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26there's a last float on the other side.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39I'm hoping a heavy net means a lot of fish.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45I'm glad I've got this big guy behind me
0:10:45 > 0:10:48because it takes a bit of strength to haul this in.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51But this part of the ocean can be deceptive.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Periodically, atmospheric conditions warm the water,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57killing off its nutrients
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and forcing the fish to look elsewhere for food.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05That's not happening today, but I'm not sure the gods are with us.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10THEY SPEAK IN SPANISH
0:11:13 > 0:11:16It's not the biggest catch in the world.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Our meagre catch reminds me that fishermen around here
0:11:29 > 0:11:33can't always rely on the sea to feed their families.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Coastal peoples, including the Chimu,
0:11:42 > 0:11:46knew that the gods could send them back to shore empty-handed.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55They had to look to the land as well if they were going to survive.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14The coastal desert of Peru
0:12:14 > 0:12:18might seem like a harsh, inhospitable environment,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22but it's home to a vital, life-saving resource.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Winding through the desert sands are a series of rivers
0:12:27 > 0:12:31which bring precious meltwater down from the high Andean peaks.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Understanding the environment of the river valleys
0:12:35 > 0:12:39is the key to understanding the rise of the Chimu empire.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49'I met up with archaeologist Dr Jeff Quilter,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51'to ask him how these river valleys
0:12:51 > 0:12:53'sustained early settlements on the coast.'
0:12:53 > 0:12:55..self-defined Moche?
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Well, the environment plays the role in every culture's development.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04The fact that we have these river valleys that were abundant with life,
0:13:04 > 0:13:08surrounded by deserts, clearly had an effect on how cultures developed.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10They developed in the river valleys.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12As a matter of fact, Peru's coastal valleys
0:13:12 > 0:13:15were seen as one example of this great phenomena
0:13:15 > 0:13:17that seemed to happen worldwide,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20of the origins of civilisations in river valleys.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Before the Chimu were the Moche,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31one of the most violent and sophisticated cultures
0:13:31 > 0:13:32of the Americas.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38For over 600 years, they ruled the Moche River Valley.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43It's though that their demise, around 750 AD,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47followed an extreme weather event
0:13:47 > 0:13:49so catastrophic that it was almost two centuries
0:13:49 > 0:13:51before the Chimu rose in the same valley.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58And do you think that the Chimu could have risen up
0:13:58 > 0:14:01if it hadn't been for the Moche before them?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Well, we all build upon the past.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Even though Moche collapsed in some ways,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08a lot of what they did continued.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11We see lots of continuities. They're sometimes subtle,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13but they're in some of the ceramics.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17The irrigation systems, that were developed thousands of years
0:14:17 > 0:14:19before the Moche, continued, were expanded by the Chimu,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22so we stand on the shoulders of giants.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33CHILDREN CHATTER
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Over 200 years passed between the end of the Moche
0:14:40 > 0:14:42and the emergence of the Chimu empire.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45But many of the challenges remained the same.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48One priceless gift that the Chimu inherited
0:14:48 > 0:14:51from their Moche great-great-great-grandparents,
0:14:51 > 0:14:56was that engineering alchemy that transformed the desert - canals.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06The Moche and their ancestors
0:15:06 > 0:15:09had been building canals for hundreds of years.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12But the scale and ambition of Chimu engineering
0:15:12 > 0:15:15surpassed anything that had come before.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22I've come to the Jequetepeque Valley,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24just 74 miles from Chan Chan,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28to see how the Chimu engineered their environment.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30It's hard to believe,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34but the land around here was once an infertile desert.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38To what extent do you think the irrigation systems...?
0:15:38 > 0:15:41'Archaeologist, Dr Luis Jaime Castillo,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45'has been investigating how the land was reclaimed.'
0:15:46 > 0:15:50What I find incredible is how irrigation can transform
0:15:50 > 0:15:55a desert landscape into this verdant, green agricultural soil.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Well, you have to be aware of one thing, though.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02You've seen the deserts here. Deserts here are real deserts.
0:16:02 > 0:16:03They look like the Sahara.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07There's no plants, no animals, no nothing.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11So if you put water there, you're going to have a wet desert...
0:16:11 > 0:16:15but nothing more. So the point there is
0:16:15 > 0:16:20that one of the mysteries that we have is that the Moche and the Chimu
0:16:20 > 0:16:23were forced to constantly re-create soil.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30By sheer human effort, irrigation canals were carved into the earth.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34It appears that thousands of tonnes of nutrient-rich soil
0:16:34 > 0:16:38was transported here from the forested edges of the valleys.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Without machinery or the wheel,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45countless armies of men and women, over many centuries,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49transformed desert sands into fertile fields.
0:16:49 > 0:16:55But importing the soil was only the start of the people's ingenuity.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58One thing that is surprising about the ancient canals
0:16:58 > 0:17:02is that they wind a lot. They are not straight, like ours. They wind.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04And probably the reason why they wind
0:17:04 > 0:17:06is because they want to stop the water.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09They want to make the water flow slowly, nicely,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12because the worst enemy of the canal is the water itself.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15If it flows too fast, it's going to cut the canal,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17so you want the water flowing nicely.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23The engineering involved sometimes defies belief.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Some canals have an almost imperceptible gradient
0:17:27 > 0:17:29of 1 in 10,000.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32During the early days of the kingdom,
0:17:32 > 0:17:37the Chimu people rebuilt and expanded the ancient canal network.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39But as the population grew,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42their canal-building became more strategic.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47I guess the Chimu probably changed the rules
0:17:47 > 0:17:49by creating a larger canal
0:17:49 > 0:17:53that serves everyone and that was clearly controlled by them.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56That's this one, the highest one, the longest one, the widest one.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00You can imagine this full of water, running down. I mean, it's a river.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05It's collecting lots and lots of water and pouring it into the desert.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11And by connecting separate river valleys
0:18:11 > 0:18:14to a network of aqueducts and canals,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17the Chimu brought this freshwater to their deserts.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Thousands of engineers, labourers and farmers
0:18:21 > 0:18:24were mobilised in a collective effort
0:18:24 > 0:18:29that empowered the Chimu elite to turn their kingdom into an empire.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35The Chimu were the only ones that actually coalesce the whole region
0:18:35 > 0:18:39into a single political organisation that was managed and run centrally,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42something that they probably learned by running irrigation systems,
0:18:42 > 0:18:47because their requirements for the management of irrigation systems
0:18:47 > 0:18:49in a way mimics the requirements
0:18:49 > 0:18:53for the management of a huge territory encompassed by the state.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56So, it is this society,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00this is the incubator of real, complex societies, I think, in Peru.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05And as the deserts were irrigated,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08so the Chimu people shared their gratitude,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11by offering the fruits of their labour to the elite at Chan Chan
0:19:11 > 0:19:14by way of tribute.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17The surplus fuelled population growth
0:19:17 > 0:19:20and increased the power of the state.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27For the kings and queens of Chan Chan,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30canals and irrigation channels like these played a crucial role
0:19:30 > 0:19:33in the expansion and consolidation of their empire.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38It was their ability to mobilise and control the skilled workforce
0:19:38 > 0:19:40necessary to construct them
0:19:40 > 0:19:44that transformed the amount of agricultural land available.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49By 1300 AD,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52arable land under Chimu control
0:19:52 > 0:19:59had expanded from four square miles to a staggering 340 square miles.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02But the land, as well as the sea,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04was subject to extreme weather events.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07And as the population increased,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09so too did the risk
0:20:09 > 0:20:12posed by catastrophic conditions to the food supply.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17In the face of danger, it seems the Chimu appealed to their gods.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23In August 2011,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27an excavation at a village near Chan Chan shed some light
0:20:27 > 0:20:31on the relationship between the Chimu,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34their gods and their children.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I went to the museum at Chan Chan
0:20:36 > 0:20:39to meet archaeologist Gabriel Prieto.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42What he had found amazed and horrified him.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47So, these are some of your excavated materials.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Yeah, this is it.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- I'd like to have a closer look. Can we take a few and have a look?- Sure.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56- Let me...- Sure.- OK.
0:20:56 > 0:20:57I'll handle it with care.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01So, it's quite a lot of responsibility,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04to find a site like this and start excavating it?
0:21:04 > 0:21:05Yeah. I keep it safe from dirt or...
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Yeah. So, how did you start working...?
0:21:08 > 0:21:11'When Gabriel began his excavation,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13'he never anticipated what he was about to find.'
0:21:13 > 0:21:17I was told by one of the neighbours who lives around,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20he told me his kids were playing with human skulls.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22JAGO LAUGHS
0:21:22 > 0:21:25He said to me, "You should come and see it. You're an archaeologist."
0:21:25 > 0:21:28And so I went there with my team
0:21:28 > 0:21:31and we ended up digging in this amazing context.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36'Gabriel had stumbled upon
0:21:36 > 0:21:38'the remains of 43 individuals.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42'Dental evidence suggests that they were between 10 and 14 years old.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46'Boys and girls on the cusp of puberty.'
0:21:47 > 0:21:50'The first signs indicated a mass ritual killing.'
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Wow.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07- This has literally just come straight out of...- Yeah.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09So this is like a red ochre?
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Yeah, this is red paint.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16It was applied, as you can see, on the upper part of the face.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18- Wow.- And on the sides.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22So, basically, 50% of the human skulls that we have found
0:22:22 > 0:22:24have this pattern.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Was it was something to do with the ritual...?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28It was intentionally made,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31to show that these were special kids.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35That they were offered for some special reason.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40But, as an archaeologist,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43I know that mass burials can mean many things.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49And what makes you think that
0:22:49 > 0:22:50they were sacrificed,
0:22:50 > 0:22:52that these aren't the victims of war,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54that they have this ritual context?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Well, we have very strong evidence
0:22:57 > 0:22:59that they were actually cutting through the sternum
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and then they were opening their ribcage
0:23:02 > 0:23:06- and possibly...it's possibly to extract the heart.- Right.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10So you have trauma wounds in each of the ribcages.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12We have trauma in each of the ribcages
0:23:12 > 0:23:14and especially on the sternum.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22Basically, what they did is to cut through the sternum.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26That's why you can see a very clean cut over here.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29And this is located here. They cut it in this way
0:23:29 > 0:23:35and then they opened the ribcage in order to extract or remove the heart.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Working with all the evidence,
0:23:43 > 0:23:48Gabriel is assembling a complete picture of how these children died
0:23:48 > 0:23:49and why.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Having worked at the site, what do you think is the sequence of events
0:23:55 > 0:23:58that led to these kids' death?
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Well, it is very possible that at some point
0:24:01 > 0:24:04they put all these children together somewhere here in Chan Chan.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07You know, they were at a warehouse
0:24:07 > 0:24:12or a big plaza, probably they were feeding them with special foods,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and then at some point they'd be appropriated.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18For the rituals, it is very important
0:24:18 > 0:24:20that the moon has to be in the correct position.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23So, they took these kids
0:24:23 > 0:24:26and they walked through all the outside of Chan Chan
0:24:26 > 0:24:28and they went straight to this spot.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Gabriel is awaiting more tests to determine
0:24:33 > 0:24:36whether any of the children were related to each other.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41But he can see from examination that they were all fit and healthy.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44It's impossible not to think about the adults
0:24:44 > 0:24:47who prepared these children for their terrible fate.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53These children, you know, they must have had parents.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57I mean, do you think that they were separated in some way from society
0:24:57 > 0:24:58at an early age
0:24:58 > 0:25:01to break that relationship between children and adults?
0:25:01 > 0:25:04I mean, it's like... It's a brutal thing to do.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06From an anthropological point of view,
0:25:06 > 0:25:11it is very possible that giving the best that you have -
0:25:11 > 0:25:14your children, your siblings -
0:25:14 > 0:25:17for a supreme purpose,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21probably was something that was accomplished by their relatives
0:25:21 > 0:25:25as something very important, and probably provided them
0:25:25 > 0:25:27with a special status within the Chimu society.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32It would seem that this slaughter of innocents
0:25:32 > 0:25:34was demand by the state.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36But what could be so important
0:25:36 > 0:25:40that any state would sacrifice fit and healthy children?
0:25:43 > 0:25:46I think that this context is clear evidence
0:25:46 > 0:25:51of the Chimu state as trying to control a very difficult situation.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56Because we have found a very thick layer of clay...
0:25:56 > 0:25:59- Right.- ..that is on top of sand.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03So it's clear that there was a very strong rain
0:26:03 > 0:26:07right before this ritual...
0:26:07 > 0:26:08and afterwards.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Which actually made us think about the gods
0:26:13 > 0:26:16and the importance of the Chimu pantheon on this,
0:26:16 > 0:26:20and it's very clear that this sacrifice was made not
0:26:20 > 0:26:24only to stop the rains - these very dangerous and damaging rains -
0:26:24 > 0:26:27but at the same time to what I consider
0:26:27 > 0:26:30is the most important Chimu god,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33and it's actually a goddess, the sea goddess.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43The sea goddess, the most important of all the Chimu deities,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46governed the sea and the moon...
0:26:48 > 0:26:51..the two indomitable forces of the coastal environment.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Were these children killed to appease her wrath?
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Human sacrifice is an incredibly emotive thing.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14There's no getting away from the fact
0:27:14 > 0:27:16that brutally murdering 43 children,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19ripping out their hearts, opening up their chests,
0:27:19 > 0:27:21is a hard thing for us to understand.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24But as an archaeologist, we have to try and empathise
0:27:24 > 0:27:27with how this can be culturally acceptable at the time,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30perhaps even expected of the elites who ruled Chan Chan.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Gabriel paints a picture of a powerful people
0:27:38 > 0:27:43desperately battling with their environment around the mid-1300s...
0:27:45 > 0:27:48..the same period that a catastrophic weather event
0:27:48 > 0:27:51struck the Peruvian coast.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56Recurring periodically, but never predictably,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58these events are a blight on Peru's history.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Meteorologists attribute them to a puzzling phenomenon
0:28:03 > 0:28:06they call the Southern Oscillation,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09known more commonly around the world as El Nino.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14El Ninos are a climatic anomaly
0:28:14 > 0:28:17that can periodically transform local weather patterns.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21The consequences here in coastal Peru can be torrential downpours
0:28:21 > 0:28:26that transform this barren landscape into a raging torrent of water.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35At their worst, El Ninos can bring floods, drought,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38plagues of insects and even waves of disease.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46So when the Chimu survived the El Nino of the mid-1300s,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48perhaps they believed
0:28:48 > 0:28:51their sacrifices had appeased the sea goddess.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58But the damage to their irrigation canals
0:28:58 > 0:29:01seems to have encouraged a new policy,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03one less dependent on the elements.
0:29:05 > 0:29:06They abandoned canal-building
0:29:06 > 0:29:10and seemed to lose interest in the time-consuming irrigation business,
0:29:10 > 0:29:12instead opting for a new strategy,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15a strategy that brought more wealth and power
0:29:15 > 0:29:17to the kings and queens of Chimor -
0:29:17 > 0:29:19empire building.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Along the west coast of South America,
0:29:29 > 0:29:31other cultures, some much older than Chimu,
0:29:31 > 0:29:35cultivated the land and traded with inland peoples
0:29:35 > 0:29:38as far away as present-day Bolivia.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43None was as powerful as the masters of the coast...
0:29:44 > 0:29:47..and it took the Chimu just 100 years
0:29:47 > 0:29:50to quadruple the size of their territory.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57The La Leche River Valley, near the border with Ecuador,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01was once home to the Lambayeque culture that had dominated the area
0:30:01 > 0:30:04since the fall of the Moche in 750 AD.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14These eroded structures were once towering pyramids.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17From here, the Lambayeque elite
0:30:17 > 0:30:21controlled a valuable trade in precious metals and shells,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25making this place a strategic target for the Chimu.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32This is Tucume,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35for centuries home to the Lambayeque lords,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38who built the 26 monumental pyramids here.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41In fact, this whole landscape is man-made.
0:30:41 > 0:30:46But during the 14th century, the Chimu conquered Tucume,
0:30:46 > 0:30:50and built their own elite residences here on top of the sacred pyramids.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58You can hardly get a clearer demonstration of domination.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02Yet, after the initial invasion, there's no evidence of
0:31:02 > 0:31:07violent suppression here, so how did the Chimu hold onto their power?
0:31:11 > 0:31:15I've come to another excavation, 13½ miles north of Tucume,
0:31:15 > 0:31:19where more information about the Chimu strategy
0:31:19 > 0:31:22is slowly coming to light.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Here, at the recently excavated site of Cerro Chotolo,
0:31:27 > 0:31:29we get a completely different perspective
0:31:29 > 0:31:32on life within the Chimu empire.
0:31:32 > 0:31:37250 kilometres away from Chan Chan, this was home to a Chimu elite,
0:31:37 > 0:31:41sent here to administer the northern frontiers of the empire.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Archaeologist Juan Martinez has been studying
0:31:49 > 0:31:52human and architectural remains at the site.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57TRANSLATION FROM SPANISH:
0:32:43 > 0:32:46Dominating the site today are stone walls forming
0:32:46 > 0:32:50a series of concentric circles up the hillside.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21The Chimu elite were segregating and protecting themselves
0:33:21 > 0:33:24but, as at Tucume, evidence indicates
0:33:24 > 0:33:27that the occupation of the site was peaceful.
0:33:53 > 0:33:59This explains why the Chimu didn't need force to maintain control.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03In fact, some archaeologists think that the Chimu shared power
0:34:03 > 0:34:05with the conquered elite.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09The defensive walls were for them as well as for their new masters,
0:34:09 > 0:34:13and in return for this protection and a new framework for society,
0:34:13 > 0:34:18precious metals and other valuable resources flowed back to Chan Chan.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Over the course of around 100 years,
0:34:22 > 0:34:24Chimor's expansion transformed the kingdom.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Where the Chimu had once controlled
0:34:28 > 0:34:31only the Moche Valley around Chan Chan,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34by 1400, they ruled a whole series of key river valleys
0:34:34 > 0:34:36to the north and south,
0:34:36 > 0:34:40and as Chimu power grew, so did their wealth.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43It was a clever strategy.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46It brought lucrative trade routes under Chimu control
0:34:46 > 0:34:48and diversified the kingdom's resources
0:34:48 > 0:34:51and food supplies - a critical insurance policy in such
0:34:51 > 0:34:55a harsh environment, and all the wealth,
0:34:55 > 0:34:58all the abundance, was channelled back to Chan Chan.
0:35:07 > 0:35:13By the early 15th century, Chan Chan was the centre of the royal family,
0:35:13 > 0:35:19a pantheon of powerful gods and the most powerful empire in Peru.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Today, it's a popular tourist destination.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34Centuries of desert storms have swept away much of the fine
0:35:34 > 0:35:37decorative detail of the adobe architecture,
0:35:37 > 0:35:41but you can still see glimpses of how it must have looked.
0:35:44 > 0:35:45All of these little designs
0:35:45 > 0:35:48and reliefs you see in all of this part of Chan Chan,
0:35:48 > 0:35:49they look really nice,
0:35:49 > 0:35:53but they're all made of fibreglass, and they're just reconstructions
0:35:53 > 0:35:57of the originals, using photographs from the original excavation.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Visitors love the reconstructed palace compound.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17But as an archaeologist, my interest is in the authentic remains,
0:36:17 > 0:36:19however depleted they may be.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25I want to know how the palace compound's administrative centres
0:36:25 > 0:36:28and different parts of the city worked together,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31because only then can I really understand how this place
0:36:31 > 0:36:35became the centre of one unified state.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40When you approach the city from the ground, you can't see
0:36:40 > 0:36:43the palaces, because they're enclosed behind towering walls...
0:36:45 > 0:36:48..that evoke a sense of power and segregation.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53Archaeologist Guillermo Gonzalez explained
0:36:53 > 0:36:55their part in the Chimu hierarchy.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH:
0:38:31 > 0:38:35The elite and lower orders may have been separated by walls,
0:38:35 > 0:38:39but theirs was a relationship of reciprocal need and reward.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43It's difficult to get away from the idea of class structure
0:38:43 > 0:38:47when discussing the hierarchies of Chan Chan, but it's such a Western,
0:38:47 > 0:38:52industrial-era term that really doesn't fit with ancient societies.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57Chimu hierarchy was born out of a shared world-view.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Everything from their origin myths to
0:39:00 > 0:39:05the geography of their empire reinforced their hierarchy.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07The lowest tier - the fishermen and farmers -
0:39:07 > 0:39:09lived beyond the city boundaries.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14The next tier up - the artisans - lived closer to the centre
0:39:14 > 0:39:18of power, crammed into the spaces between the palace compounds.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Outside the walls of this royal compound,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26you can see a whole series of small single-roomed structures.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29Because the elite of this ancient city controlled
0:39:29 > 0:39:33all of the wealth in the region, it drew in artisans
0:39:33 > 0:39:36and craftspeople to come and live here
0:39:36 > 0:39:40and gain access to the raw materials they needed within the city.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46These small spaces clustered together between the ten palaces
0:39:46 > 0:39:50were once home to up to 90% of the city's population.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Conditions here must have been cramped,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56but it certainly wasn't a ghetto for a slave class.
0:40:07 > 0:40:08Far from it.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12Archaeologists have unearthed tools which suggest that the
0:40:12 > 0:40:16residents of those small dwellings were highly skilled artisans.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Peru's museums house thousands of Chimu artefacts made by them.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34Portrait vases, said to be modelled on elite individuals,
0:40:34 > 0:40:39hint at the integral relationship between power and art in Chan Chan.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47These ceramics are monochrome and highly polished,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51and you can see the faces staring back at us from over 500 years ago.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54But whilst the ceramics are impressive and unique,
0:40:54 > 0:40:56it's in fact the metals from Chan Chan
0:40:56 > 0:40:58that the Chimu are most famous for.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13These exquisite body ornaments were more than status symbols
0:41:13 > 0:41:16for the kings and queens of Chimor.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19They were a precious homage to the forces that they worshipped
0:41:19 > 0:41:20and feared.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26To them, gold represented the sun,
0:41:26 > 0:41:32and silver represented the moon and sea. The Chimu were masters of both.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39You can see images of monarchs worked into the metal
0:41:39 > 0:41:44alongside sacred feline figures, birds and sea creatures.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47It's not surprising that the artisans who created these
0:41:47 > 0:41:50wonderful treasures were rewarded for their skills.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59The artisan class of Chan Chan were afforded special privileges.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02They could wear ear spools, marry among themselves
0:42:02 > 0:42:04and be buried in their own cemeteries.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06But this wasn't a meritocracy.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10The Chimu never expected to become social climbers.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17The artisans who lived between the palace walls were
0:42:17 > 0:42:20allowed inside, but probably not for long.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25In Chan Chan, archaeologists have found a whole
0:42:25 > 0:42:29series of storage rooms, where the spoils of the kingdom were kept.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32But if residents wanted to gain access to these storage rooms,
0:42:32 > 0:42:35they had to walk down these long corridors,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38filled with U-shaped rooms like these.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41These rooms are called audiencias and they hold the key
0:42:41 > 0:42:44to understanding how the kingdom functioned.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50The lower orders were granted favours - arable land to farm,
0:42:50 > 0:42:52or metals to work,
0:42:52 > 0:42:55and in return, they brought their tributes to the audiencias.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00All this bounty was stored in hundreds of storerooms
0:43:00 > 0:43:03in the palaces and the outlying regions.
0:43:06 > 0:43:11The Chimu had no currency so these storerooms were their banks,
0:43:11 > 0:43:13amassing the vast wealth of the whole empire
0:43:13 > 0:43:15here in its capital city.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Every level of Chimu society seemed to work together,
0:43:21 > 0:43:25giving and taking tributes, but they all seemed to know on which
0:43:25 > 0:43:28side of the palace walls they belonged.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38The city is in architectural interpretation of the beliefs
0:43:38 > 0:43:40of the Chimu - in other words,
0:43:40 > 0:43:44everything is built around and for the royal family.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52Inside the compounds, the kings and queens of Chan Chan hosted
0:43:52 > 0:43:56sacrifices and feasts, which loyal subjects watched in awe.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03And in their storerooms, they amassed their gold and their silver.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08But there was one thing that they couldn't get enough of,
0:44:08 > 0:44:12that they may have valued even more highly than gold.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17To see it, I'm going back to the shore.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36This is the spondylus shell, which lives further up
0:44:36 > 0:44:39the coast in the warmer, deeper waters off modern-day Ecuador.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43For the Chimu, this little shell was highly prized as a status symbol.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49Spanish chroniclers recorded that the Chimu believed
0:44:49 > 0:44:52the oyster inside was the food of the gods.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57Its vivid-pink shell adorned Chimu jewellery and precious artefacts.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01But it was valued for more than its vibrant exterior.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Surely it had other qualities that made it SO precious?
0:45:05 > 0:45:09One quite interesting theory is that during prolonged El Nino conditions,
0:45:09 > 0:45:13sea surface temperatures here would have warmed up,
0:45:13 > 0:45:17allowing the spondylus to move down and live off coastal Peru.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20The idea is that the Chimu thought that the spondylus had some
0:45:20 > 0:45:24sort of predictive power, and that it was the harbinger of doom.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32Like the sea itself, the spondylus was endowed with unearthly powers.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36Perhaps the elite of Chan Chan believed that with
0:45:36 > 0:45:39the spondylus, they could divine their fate,
0:45:39 > 0:45:42or predict the will of the sea goddess.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51These days, spondylus shells can be found in Peru's tourist markets -
0:45:51 > 0:45:54a sad echo of the days when they were cherished
0:45:54 > 0:45:56for their spiritual value.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58Hola!
0:45:58 > 0:46:00TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH:
0:46:08 > 0:46:11Like many ancient cultures,
0:46:11 > 0:46:16the Chimu buried their dead with their most treasured possessions.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19I'm going to see an excavation of a Chimu woman...
0:46:19 > 0:46:23whose remains might shed more light on the true value
0:46:23 > 0:46:25of these enigmatic shells.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33In 2010, this late-middle-aged woman was excavated,
0:46:33 > 0:46:36and alongside her body was found all of her grave goods.
0:46:36 > 0:46:41Lovely Chimu ceramics, beautiful copper metal objects,
0:46:41 > 0:46:44but most valuable of all, clutched in her right hand,
0:46:44 > 0:46:46is a spondylus shell.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54These shells - there was no safety equipment to help the Chimu - they
0:46:54 > 0:46:57had to free-dive down to the sea floor, pluck them off the bottom,
0:46:57 > 0:47:01and they represent the most valuable item within the Chimu culture.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11The human cost of their harvest must have added
0:47:11 > 0:47:13enormous value to these shells.
0:47:15 > 0:47:19Owning one would surely mark its owner out as an elite individual
0:47:19 > 0:47:21in life and in death.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25According to one conquistador account,
0:47:25 > 0:47:28a courtier would walk before the Chimu monarch,
0:47:28 > 0:47:31scattering spondylus shell dust on the ground.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35If ever there was a picture of decadence, it must be that.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41Chan Chan was home to an elite so rich
0:47:41 > 0:47:45that it could record its likeness in gold, a royal family
0:47:45 > 0:47:48so privileged that it could walk upon a shell that others
0:47:48 > 0:47:51couldn't let go of, even in death.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56The royal family lived in these compounds,
0:47:56 > 0:47:58counting their spondylus shells,
0:47:58 > 0:48:01ruling the kingdom, almost like the divine
0:48:01 > 0:48:04givers and takers of life to the rest of the population.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08But of course, they weren't immortal, and when a ruler died,
0:48:08 > 0:48:11it kick-started an extraordinary chain of events.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19Throughout Peru,
0:48:19 > 0:48:22death has always been seen as a continuation of a journey.
0:48:28 > 0:48:32In Chan Chan, the king's journey into the next life began with
0:48:32 > 0:48:36an elaborate ritual that has been captured in one of the rarest
0:48:36 > 0:48:39and most extraordinary artefacts,
0:48:39 > 0:48:43not just in Peru, but in the whole of South America.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45I couldn't wait to see it.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52So, just unpacking this box, and inside are these beautiful little
0:48:52 > 0:48:55wooden figurines,
0:48:55 > 0:48:58and we know from the dates that these are Chimu.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02It's very rare to get preserved wooden artefacts,
0:49:02 > 0:49:05so it's a real privilege to see these wooden figurines
0:49:05 > 0:49:08depicting a scene from a Chimu burial.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13It's an absolutely incredible level of preservation, and you can
0:49:13 > 0:49:16still see the paint colours on the back of these friezes, showing these
0:49:16 > 0:49:18fish on the back. It's beautiful.
0:49:21 > 0:49:26What we've seen in Chan Chan is the physical embodiment
0:49:26 > 0:49:30of Chimu ideology, built into the very fabric of the city.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33This extraordinary artefact brings together
0:49:33 > 0:49:36the rich threads of Chimu culture
0:49:36 > 0:49:41into one evocative scene of life and death in the capital city.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44It really is breathtaking.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50This is a beautiful collection of maquetas - wooden figurines
0:49:50 > 0:49:52depicting the burial of a Chimu royal.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58Found in 1995, it reinforces many of the details that we
0:49:58 > 0:50:01learn from the chronicles written by the first Spanish
0:50:01 > 0:50:03to arrive here in coastal Peru.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06Here we can see the mummified remains of the Chimu royal being
0:50:06 > 0:50:10carried in a funerary procession towards the palace complex.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13You can see the feathers preserved,
0:50:13 > 0:50:17and that's what gives this little basket its colour.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21The figurines each have an inlay of white shell,
0:50:21 > 0:50:25like a mother-of-pearl, and the red is part of the spondylus shell.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30What we can see are many of the details associated with
0:50:30 > 0:50:34the rituals that would have been carried out on this important day.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36You get a whole different set of characters within this
0:50:36 > 0:50:42procession, from members of the royal family to priests, musicians.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45At the back, you can see one figure right at the back
0:50:45 > 0:50:48of the procession, naked, hands tied behind their back,
0:50:48 > 0:50:52which looks like he could be in trouble - a human sacrifice victim.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57At the front, we have a very interesting character
0:50:57 > 0:51:01carrying a basket full of pulverised spondylus shell.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03This whole procession would have been walked
0:51:03 > 0:51:06on a bed of pulverised spondylus shell.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08Again, we see the importance of spondylus
0:51:08 > 0:51:10within these Chimu rituals.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13The level of detail in these maquetas helps
0:51:13 > 0:51:17change my understanding of death within Chimu culture.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20It's not about the end of the life of the royal, as much as their
0:51:20 > 0:51:24transference into a new role as an immortal ancestor,
0:51:24 > 0:51:28or as a minaus, as they are often referred to.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32This understanding is important because the royal lives on for ever
0:51:32 > 0:51:35within the belief structure of the Chimu.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38And one of the details that I really like is that the thing
0:51:38 > 0:51:41they're all walking towards is the palace complex,
0:51:41 > 0:51:45and you can see the representation of the adobe walls
0:51:45 > 0:51:48exactly like you see them in the palace complexes at Chan Chan.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00It's easy to imagine the funeral procession carrying
0:52:00 > 0:52:04the monarch's body, dressed in their burial regalia,
0:52:04 > 0:52:07through these gates to the next life.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24In this burial platform,
0:52:24 > 0:52:27archaeologists found the remains of 300 young women,
0:52:27 > 0:52:30suggesting that the perceived needs of the king buried just over
0:52:30 > 0:52:32that wall proved fatal for others.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38Perhaps those women followed the procession like the sacrifice
0:52:38 > 0:52:40victim in the maqueta,
0:52:40 > 0:52:43their hands tied behind their backs.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50The monarch was on his way to becoming a minaus,
0:52:50 > 0:52:56an immortal ancestor who would have dominion over his people for ever.
0:52:56 > 0:53:01In Chan Chan, palaces housed the living AND the dead.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06This is the royal tomb where the king or queen would have been laid
0:53:06 > 0:53:10during their transition between mortality and immortality.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13They didn't have to give up their wealth or possessions,
0:53:13 > 0:53:16because they took their servants, even their home, with them.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19Their palace became their mausoleum.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21This meant that the heir to the throne
0:53:21 > 0:53:24had to prove their own mettle by conquering new lands
0:53:24 > 0:53:26and building their own palace.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32This tradition is known as split inheritance.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37The next-in-line inherited the right to rule, but not the wealth
0:53:37 > 0:53:41or revenues that had belonged to the previous monarch.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43To earn their own tributes,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46the monarchs had to give something back to their people.
0:53:46 > 0:53:51That meant each new king or queen was highly motivated
0:53:51 > 0:53:54and keen to demonstrate their ambition.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59Because each new king or queen had to establish their own reputation,
0:53:59 > 0:54:02it explains their relentless drive,
0:54:02 > 0:54:05that Chimu aggression to conquer new territory.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08It also explains why there are so many palaces here at Chan Chan
0:54:08 > 0:54:11and that they all date to different periods.
0:54:16 > 0:54:21The ten palaces are a memorial to the triumphs of the Chimor kingdom -
0:54:21 > 0:54:24a kingdom where the people had brought water to the desert
0:54:24 > 0:54:27and vast riches to its kings and queens.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33Where shocking sacrifices were made to appease the gods
0:54:33 > 0:54:36to protect the kingdom from the elements.
0:54:36 > 0:54:43But in the 1460s, Chimor was gravely threatened - not by another El Nino,
0:54:43 > 0:54:46but by a force that would change South America for ever.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55As the Chimu were extending their northern frontier,
0:54:55 > 0:54:57another empire was on the march - the Inca.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05From their Andean strongholds further south,
0:55:05 > 0:55:07they prepared to conquer the coast.
0:55:09 > 0:55:14Around 1463, uniformed Inca soldiers descended from the mountains
0:55:14 > 0:55:16to meet the Chimu.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20Not even this powerful empire could withstand the Inca for long.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26By 1470, the last king of Chimor was defeated
0:55:26 > 0:55:30and exiled to the victor's capital of Cusco.
0:55:34 > 0:55:38A society that embodied hierarchy for 450 years
0:55:38 > 0:55:41was suddenly without a ruler.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44With nobody in control, the Chimu were lost.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55Chan Chan was abandoned,
0:55:55 > 0:55:58its people scattered to the surrounding deserts.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02When the Spanish arrived in 1527,
0:56:02 > 0:56:05they brought lethal European diseases
0:56:05 > 0:56:09and filled their galleons with gold and silver.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19Tragically, the ruins of Chan Chan have been repeatedly looted
0:56:19 > 0:56:22over the past 500 years.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25By the time archaeologists arrived in the 20th century,
0:56:25 > 0:56:29the El Ninos had transformed it into a true lost city,
0:56:29 > 0:56:31a ruin, blasted by sand and storms.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37After centuries of neglect,
0:56:37 > 0:56:41the painstaking process of conserving and excavating it
0:56:41 > 0:56:42is underway.
0:56:47 > 0:56:51Archaeologist Margarita Pena is overseeing the project.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH:
0:57:38 > 0:57:43Today, Chan Chan enjoys the status and protection it deserves.
0:57:43 > 0:57:46In 1986, it has made a World Heritage Site, and it's
0:57:46 > 0:57:51taken its rightful place in the pantheon of Peru's great cultures.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53The palaces, friezes
0:57:53 > 0:57:57and fragile adobe structures are being protected and displayed,
0:57:57 > 0:58:00and it's a testament to the builders of this amazing city
0:58:00 > 0:58:06that 500 years after the last king of Chimor was exiled by the Inca,
0:58:06 > 0:58:12the corridors, plazas and palaces of Chan Chan still inspire such awe.
0:58:40 > 0:58:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd