Incana rope bridges are

simple suspension bridge A simple suspension bridge (also rope bridge, swing bridge (in New Zealand), suspended bridge, hanging bridge and catenary bridge) is a primitive type of bridge in which the deck of the bridge lies on two parallel load-bearing cables that a ...

s over canyons , gorges and rivers ('' pongos'') constructed by the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

. The bridges were an integral part of the

Inca road system The Inca road system (also spelled Inka road system and known as ''Qhapaq Ñan''Qhapaq=rich, powerful, opulent, wealthy, privileged; ñan=road, way, path, route. Source "Diccionario quechua - español - quechua" Gobierno Regional Cusco - Cusco ...

and exemplify Inca innovation in engineering. Bridges of this type were useful since the Inca people did not use wheeled transport – traffic was limited to pedestrians and livestock – and they were frequently used by '' chasqui'' runners delivering messages throughout the Inca Empire.

Construction and maintenance

The bridges were constructed using ichu grass woven into large bundles which were very strong. Part of the bridge's strength and reliability came from the fact that each cable was replaced every year by local villagers as part of their ''

mit'a Mit'a () was mandatory service in the society of the Inca Empire. Its close relative, the regionally mandatory Minka is still in use in Quechua communities today and known as ''faena'' in Spanish. Historians use the Hispanicized term ''mita'' t ...

'' public service or obligation. In some instances, these local peasants had the sole task of repairing these bridges so that the Inca highways or road systems could continue to function. Repairing these bridges was dangerous, with those performing repairs often facing death. In 1615, in

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

author Huamán Poma's manuscript '' The First New Chronicle,'' Poma illustrates the Guambo rope bridge in use. He describes the masonry bridges as a positive result of the Spanish colonization of Peru, as the new bridges prevented deaths from the dangerous repair work.

Famous examples

The greatest bridges of this kind were in the Apurímac Canyon along the main road north from

Cusco Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; ...

; a famous example spans a 45-meter gap that is supposed to be the inspiration behind

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 1928

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had ma ...

winning novel ''

The Bridge of San Luis Rey ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel. It was first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928, and was the best-selling work of fiction that year. Premise ''The Bri ...

'' (1927). Made of grass, the last remaining Inca rope bridge, reconstructed every June, is the

Q'iswa Chaka 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 Rive ...

(

for "rope bridge"), spanning the Apurimac River near Huinchiri, in

Canas Province Canas Province is one of thirteen provinces in the Cusco Region in the southern highlands of Peru. Geography The La Raya mountain range traverses the province. Some of the highest mountains of the province are listed below:escale.minedu.gob.pe ...

, Quehue District, Peru. Even though there is a modern bridge nearby, the residents of the region keep the ancient tradition and skills alive by renewing the bridge annually in June. Several family groups have each prepared a number of grass-ropes to be formed into cables at the site; others prepare mats for decking, and the reconstruction is a communal effort. The builders have indicated that effort is performed to honor their ancestors and the

Pachamama Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous peoples of the Andes. In Inca mythology she is an " Earth Mother" type goddess, Dransart, Penny. (1992) "Pachamama: The Inka Earth Mother of the Long Sweeping Garment." ''Dress and Gender: Making ...

(Earth Mother). File:IRB-1-OldBridgeSags-keshwa3h.jpg, File:IRB-9-NewBridgeComplete-keshwa-2.jpg, File:IRB-2-BuildersGather-KC603-pol.jpg, File:IRB-3-LayingOutRopeStrands-KC603-2.jpg, File:IRB-4-StrandsAcrossGorge-IRBKC603-1.jpg, File:IRB-5-LashingSides-KC603-4.jpg, File:IRB-6-BringingDeckMat-KC603-8.jpg, File:IRB-8-NewBridgeSideView-KC603-11.jpg, File:IRB-7-MUDDY2.jpg,

References

Bibliography

* * * Showed the bridge at Huinchiri and predicted the art of building it would be lost within another generation, which proved untrue. * Describes the documentary film directed by Jorge Carmona. * * * * * *

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inca Rope Bridge *Inca * Inca Ropework Footbridges Suspension bridges

Construction and maintenance

Famous examples

See also

References

Bibliography

External links