Chan Chan — the world's largest adobe city and the Chimu empire's forgotten capital
Trujillo is northern Peru's colonial heart, set between the Pacific and the Andes. Its main draw is Chan Chan, a 20 sq km pre-Inca mud-brick labyrinth that was once home to 30,000 people. Nearby Huacas de Moche offer even older Mochica ceremonial pyramids covered in polychrome murals.
Founded by the Spanish in 1534 on the site of Chimu territory, Trujillo emerged as a gateway port for northern Peru. But the region's true legacy is pre-Columbian: Chan Chan was capital of the Chimu Empire (900–1470 CE), the largest empire in the Americas before the Inca conquest. Its nine royal compounds, each built by a successive ruler, remain the largest surviving earthen architecture complex on Earth.