Chan-Chan facts for kids
Chan-Chan is an ancient place and a beach found on the coast of Mehuín, in southern Chile. It's known for being home to hunter-gatherers a very long time ago. These people lived there during two different periods of the Middle Archaic period, with a break in between.
One period was from about 6,420 to 6,250 years ago (BP means Before Present). The second period was from about 6,130 to 5,730 years ago.
The beach at Chan-Chan stretches north to a landform called a tombolo (a sand spit connecting an island to the mainland) named Huezhui. To the south, it reaches a peninsula (land almost surrounded by water). The ancient site itself is located above the beach, on a coastal terrace. This terrace was formed by different types of sediment (tiny bits of rock, sand, and soil). Some sediments came from far away (allochthonous), like volcanic rocks and old mollusc shells that were moved by water. Other sediments were local (autochthonous), mainly sands, gravel, and peat (decayed plant material).
Discovering Ancient Life at Chan-Chan
After studying many old tools and objects found along the coast near Valdivia and Concepción, an archaeologist named Menghin suggested these findings belonged to a special ancient group he called the "Chanchaense Complex" or culture. This culture seemed to stretch from Quiriquina Island in the north (around 37° South) all the way down to Tierra del Fuego in the south (around 55° South).
The people living at Chan-Chan had access to many different kinds of rocks. Rocks like schists, basalt, quartz, and chert were found very close to or right at the ancient site. They even had grey obsidian, a type of volcanic glass, that came from Chaitén Volcano. This volcano is located about 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Chan-Chan, showing they traveled or traded over long distances.
As of 2005, archaeologists had found a lot of things at Chan-Chan. They discovered 3,484 stone tools and 12,050 pieces of carved rock. They also found bones from mammals, birds, and fish. Plus, there were many middens, which are ancient trash piles made mostly of marine invertebrate shells (like clams and mussels).
Tsunamis and Chan-Chan's Past
The top layers of the Chan-Chan site were washed by a huge tsunami (a giant ocean wave) that happened after the 1960 Valdivia earthquake. This earthquake caused waves that were 12 to 15 meters (about 40 to 50 feet) high! These powerful waves might have placed some special disc-shaped cobbles (rounded stones) onto the terrace at Chan-Chan.
Interestingly, the same kind of disc-shaped cobbles are also found in the much older, lower layers of the site where people used to live. This makes scientists like Pino and Navarro wonder if these older cobbles were also left behind by an ancient tsunami, suggesting that tsunamis have shaped this coast for thousands of years.
See also
In Spanish: Chan-Chan para niños
