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The Inca road network, the Qhapaq Ñan, ran for some 30,000 km across what are now six South American countries, over mountains, deserts and valleys. The Andes had no wheeled vehicles or horses, so it was built for people on foot and caravans of llamas.

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Qhapaq Ñan means “royal road” in Quechua, the Inca language. Two main routes ran north to south, one along the coast and one high in the mountains, with many branches; parts were older, built by earlier cultures such as the Wari and Tiwanaku. Relay runners called chasquis carried messages and small valuables from post to post, often as quipus, knotted cords that recorded numbers. About a day's walk apart stood tambos, way stations with food and shelter. Stone stairways climbed the slopes, and bridges of rope woven from plant fibres crossed the gorges. These had to be rebuilt about every two years; the one over the Apurímac River spanned 45 metres. Estimates of the network's total length range from 23,000 to 60,000 km. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 2014, shared by Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.

Türkçe oku
İnkaların Qhapaq Ñan adlı yol ağı, bugün altı Güney Amerika ülkesinin topraklarında dağları, çölleri ve vadileri aşarak 30.000 km kadar uzanıyordu. And Dağları'nda tekerlekli araç da at da bulunmadığı için bu yollar yayalar ve lama kervanları için yapılmıştı.

Qhapaq Ñan, İnkaların dili olan Keçuvacada “kraliyet yolu” demektir. Kuzeyden güneye uzanan iki ana yoldan biri kıyıyı izliyor, öteki dağların yükseklerinden geçiyordu; ikisinden de pek çok kol ayrılıyordu. Bazı bölümleri Wari ve Tiwanaku gibi daha eski kültürlerden kalmaydı. “Çaski” denen koşucular, haberleri ve küçük değerli eşyaları bir istasyondan ötekine bayrak yarışı gibi taşırdı; haberler çoğu zaman sayıları kaydetmeye yarayan düğümlü iplerle, yani kipularla iletilirdi. Aşağı yukarı bir günlük yürüyüş arayla, yolculara yiyecek ve barınak sağlayan “tambo” adlı konak yerleri vardı. Yamaçlara taş merdivenler tırmanıyor, derin vadileri bitki liflerinden örülmüş halat köprüler aşıyordu. Bu köprülerin yaklaşık iki yılda bir yenilenmesi gerekirdi; Apurímac Irmağı üzerindeki köprü 45 metre uzunluğundaydı. Yol ağının toplam uzunluğu için verilen tahminler 23.000 ile 60.000 km arasında değişir. UNESCO, Kolombiya, Ekvador, Peru, Bolivya, Şili ve Arjantin'in ortak mirası olan yol ağını 2014'te Dünya Mirası Listesi'ne aldı.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Inca road system
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