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The Apurímac River ( que, Apurimaq mayu; es, Río Apurímac, ; from Quechua ''apu'' 'divinity' and ''rimaq'' 'oracle, talker') rises from glacial meltwater of the ridge of the
Mismi Mismi is a mountain peak of volcanic origin in the Chila mountain range in the Andes of Peru. A glacial stream on the Mismi was firmly identified as the most distant source of the Amazon River in 1996; this finding was confirmed in 2001 and a ...
, a mountain in the Arequipa Province in the south-western mountain ranges of
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, from the village Caylloma, and less than from the Pacific coast. It flows generally northwest past Cusco in narrow gorges with depths of up to 3,000 m, twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, its course interrupted by falls and rapids. Of the six attempts so far to travel the Apurímac in its full length, only two have been successful. After , the Apurímac joins the Mantaro River and becomes the Ene River, above sea level; then after joining the Perené River at above sea level, it becomes the Tambo River; when it joins the Urubamba at above sea level the river becomes the
Ucayali The Ucayali River ( es, Río Ucayali, ) is the main headstream of the Amazon River. It rises about north of Lake Titicaca, in the Arequipa region of Peru and becomes the Amazon at the confluence of the Marañón close to Nauta city. The city o ...
, which is the main headstream of the Amazon. Sometimes the complete river from its source to its junction with the Ucayali, including the rivers Ene and Tambo, is called "Apurímac", with a total length of . In the 13th century, the Inca constructed a bridge over this river which gave them access to the west.Jonathan Norton Leonard, "Ancient America", Great Ages of Man Series published by Time/Life Books, 1968 p 185 Erected around 1350, it was still in use in 1864, and dilapidated but still hanging in 1890. It was the basis for the titular bridge in
Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and '' The Skin of Our Teeth'' — ...
's 1927 novel '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey''. One such bridge,
Queshuachaca Queshuachaca (also spelled ''Keshwa Chaca, Q'iswa Chaca, Keswachaka, Q'eshwachaka, Qeswachaka, Q'eswachaca, Q'eswachaka, Queshuachaca, or Queswachaka''), is the last remaining Inca rope bridge, consisting of grass ropes that span the Apurimac Riv ...
, is reassembled on an annual basis.


See also

* Aqumayu *
Choquequirao Choquequirao (possibly from Quechua ''chuqi'' metal, ''k'iraw'' crib, cot) is an Incan site in southern Peru, similar in structure and architecture to Machu Picchu. The ruins are buildings and terraces at levels above and below Sunch'u Pat ...
* Hatun Wayq'u *
Majes-Siguas Majes-Siguas is an irrigation project in Peru which envisages transferring water from the Colca River to the Siguas River for irrigation purposes, and further to take water from the Apurimac River. The project The original plan of the project ...
* Source of the Amazon River * Arequipa Province


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Apurimac Tributaries of the Ucayali River Rivers of Peru Rivers of Cusco Region Rivers of Apurímac Region