Built by the Chimu Empire approximately 1200 AD, the citadel of Chan Chan consisted of nine major sub-cities. Each was built by a previous leader and housed more than 50,000 inhabitants at their height. With a span of more than 45 square miles, it was the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas and the largest mud city in the world. It took more than 100 million adobe bricks and thousands of man hours to build this archaeological wonder.

The temples and pyramids were adorned with plates of gold, and from the palace gardens plants and animals were made of precious metals. Even the citadel walls were beautifully painted with murals and relief decoration of animals, fish, and gods of their cultural beliefs.