The Inca Trail – Roads of the Inca (Capac Ñan)

The Inca Paths or Inca Trails (Capac ñan Qhapaq Ñan)

The Incas stood out for their engineering works, especially the road network. There were two main roads from north to south, one along the coast and another crossing the highlands. They were betrayed by crossroads and secondary roads that united all the villages and “pueblos.”La main road left from Tumbes passed Arequipa and Chile. The longest route was from Colombia to Cusco and Ayavire, where it branched into two branches surrounding Lake Titicaca and continued southeast to Tucumán, Argentina. From there began a unit that reached Coquimbo, Chile, and from there to Santiago.

Another branch ended in the current Mendoza Valley of Uspallata. To this place, the Incas transferred populations of some mitimas. The construction of the existing ditches is undoubtedly due to the influence of the Incas. These roads were paved with a stone slab and measured between 4.5 and 6 meters and 1 and 2 meters. In the coastal area, the streets were straight, and it was impossible to make them.

A territory as extensive as the Tahuantinsuyo, for example. Moche, the Huari, the Tiahuanaco, and the Chimu covered large areas and had efficient road networks.

According to the historian Victor von Magen, while the Europeans traveled along paths full of mud and mud, the Peruvians were already walking on roads resembling those elsewhere; nothing in Europe or Asia could compare.

Main roads

1. The Road of the Mountains

That started from the Cuzco, passed by Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Huánuco, and Cajamarca, and arrived in Quito, prolonging until Pasto Colombia.

This road was between 6 and 8 meters wide, engaged, and delineated the straightest possible. Because of this, steps saved the slopes and bridges that crossed the rivers. It was to supply all the state officials who were traveling.

2. The Coast Road

It also departed from Cusco and descended to the coast at the height of Nazca. It extended through the ancient territory of the cult Paracas, Chincha, Pachacamac, and Rimac to Tumbes, arriving at Quito’s city. He touched red sandals, and when he reached the valleys, he was surrounded by walls and trees that shaded the traveler. Acquires of freshwater and sticks of Huarango marked the coastal roads. There was a lot of information for the traveler on these Inca roads, such as directions and distance, directions to posadas on the streets, etc.

These roads were preserved by the population adjacent to the Inca road network; the curaca, or head of Ayllu, organized the maintenance work after the conquest and left it to the free will of the people, or Ayllus, the road maintenance Inca.

The Bridges

Different types of bridges are allowed to cross the rivers. In the Sierra, there were tree trunks when distances were not great, and those who became famous for their ingenuity were those that the Spaniards called “de criznejas.” These bridges rested on two great stone abutments with solid foundations, and between each stirrup were four or six thick beams that lashed the hanging bridge. The Maromas were woven from thin branches like wicker, braiding three by three thicker ones and increasing units until reaching a diameter of about fifty centimeters. A 1534 reference discloses one of the said bridges as follows: “There are very great and powerful rivers on which there are bridges made of thick ropes, and between one and another there are thin and small ropes, and from these bridges, there are two where the lords passed and two where the common people passed.” The chroniclers commented

• There are several types of bridges in the Tahuantinsuyo: Hanging bridges, used when the river was wide, consisted of thick wires of agave or maguey that extended from one side to another and were tied to dense rocks and, as beds, tightly attached logs.
• Stone Bridges: They were built when the river was narrow, and it was enough to place a gigantic stone from one shore to another in such a way as to permit