Building Chan Chan: A Project Management Perspective

A groundbreaking analysis of the ancient Peruvian site Chan Chan reveals that its monumental architecture, specifically Ciudadela Rivero, required over two million labor hours to construct. This was achieved by a modest workforce of 250 workers spanning six years, challenging existing hypotheses about the scale and organization of labor in complex societies. The study employed construction industry-standard tools like the Critical Path Method (CPM) for scheduling and estimating, providing quantitative insights into ancient project management strategies. These findings offer new perspectives on the social complexity and labor organization of the pre-Columbian civilizations that built Chan Chan.

Smailes, R. L. (2011). Building Chan Chan: A Project Management Perspective. Latin American Antiquity, 22(1), 37–63. https://doi.org/10.7183/1045-6635.22.1.37