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The Chimú were the residents of Chimor with its capital at the city of Chan Chan in the Moche valley of Peru. Chimor was conquered 50 years before the arrival of the Spanish, so there were plenty of survivors from pre-Inca times to dictate the particulars of the daily life of the Chimú before their conquest by Inca Tupac Inca Yupanqui. Chimor grew out of the remnants of the Moche culture; initially, Chimú pottery had some resemblance to Moche pottery.
The Chimú are best known for their distinctive monochromatic pottery and fine metal working. The pottery is often in the shape of a creature, or has a human figure sitting or standing on a cuboid bottle. The shiny black finish of most Chimú pottery is not achieved by using glazes, but instead is achieved by firing the pottery in at high temperatures in a closed kiln which prevents oxygen from reacting with the clay.
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