Qhapaq Nan - the principal cultural traditions of Peru (part 1)

credit: Qhapaq Nan -  Government of Peru, Min. of Culture

 

Archeological sites on the Great Inca Road in Peru (part 2)

credit: Qhapaq Nan -  Government of Peru, Min. of Culture

Ephraim George Squier, "Peru: Incidents and Explorations in the Land of the Incas (1877)"

A wonderful book of lithographs by Ephraim George Squier, « Peru: Incidents and Explorations in the Land of the Incas (1877)" is now available from the site below or directly from www.archive.org

The Qhapaq Ñan - bridges

Situated between 500 to 800 metres (1,600 to 2,600 ft) above sea level, this monumental road, which could reach 20 metres (66 ft) in width, connected populated areas, administrative centres, agricultural and mining zones as well as ceremonial centres and sacred spaces.

Various means were used to bridge water courses. There were multiple types of bridges used throughout the road system. Some bridges were made of simple logs, while others were built of stone or floating reeds were used in marshy highlands. Inca rope bridges also provided access across narrow valleys. Rafts were used to cross wide meandering rivers. A bridge across the Apurímac River, west of Cuzco, spanned a distance of 45 metres. Ravines were sometimes crossed by hanging baskets, or oroya, which could span distances of over 50 metres. Bridges were sometimes built in pairs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qptgIcQebLg

One of the difficulties of creating bridges was obtaining wood. Sometimes, the laborers who were making the bridges has to bring the lumber from very far away. In places where they had no timber, bridges would be built from ropes made of straw and grasses. If the bridges were made from rope, they had to be replaced about every two years, while if they were made from wood, they would not have to be replaced for about eight years.

The construction of these bridges was accomplished by the help of many workers. For simple log bridges, the construction was done by placing a series of logs over projecting canes. The construction of stone bridges was more complicated. The stone wall foundations for bridges were built with both rough and dressed stone. The masonry is extremely well fitted, with no evidence of any mortar being used to keep the stones in place.Rather, they used a method of stone working which used simple tools, such as hammerstones, to pound the rocks in a way that the contours of the upper rock matched those of the rock below so that the seams fit perfectly without mortar.

 

Qhapaq Nan/Great Inca Road - the UNESCO 2014 World Heritage Monument

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qptgIcQebLg

The Qhapaq Ñan

(English: Great Inca Road, or Main Andean Road, and meaning "the beautiful road") constituted the principal north-south highway of the Inca Empire traveling 6,000 kilometers (3,700 mi) along the spine of the Andes.  Situated between 50 to 5,000 meters (16 to 16,000 ft.) above sea level, this monumental road, from Pasto, Columbia to Rancagua, Chile, which could reach 20 meters (66 ft.) in width, connected populated areas, administrative centers, agricultural and mining zones as well as ceremonial centers and sacred spaces.

The eastern route ran high in the puna grasslands and mountain valleys from Pasto, Columbia to Mendoza, Argentina. The western route followed the coastal plain not including in coastal deserts where it hugged the foothills. More than twenty routes ran over the western mountains, while others traversed the eastern cordillera in the mountains and lowlands. Some of these roads reach heights of over 5,000 meters (16,000 ft) above sea level. The trails connected the regions of the Inca empire from the northern provincial capital in Quito, Ecuador past the southern provincial capital Inca Mapocho, known today as  Santiago, Chile in the south. The Inca road system linked together about 40,000 kilometers (25,000 mi) of roadway and provided access to over 3,000,000 square kilometers (1,200,000 sq. mi) of territory.