The Last Inca Suspension Bridge in Peru, which collapsed in March, has been restored to preserve the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
The Q’eswachaka Bridge was built by the Incas over 500 years ago as part of the Qhapaq Ñan trail and is the last remaining bridge of its kind, thanks to the persistent conservation efforts of four local Quechua communities.
Quechua people restore the collapsed Q’eswachaka suspension bridge over the river valley in Peru. (Video: AFP).
“It is a historical symbol of ancient Peru and a prime example of the continuity of cultural traditions that have existed since pre-Columbian times,” emphasized anthropologist Luis Guillermo Lumbreras, former director of the National Institute of Culture of Peru.
The restoration of the Inca suspension bridge takes place annually, typically between May and June. However, the lockdown due to the pandemic last year hindered the replacement of the deteriorating ropes, leading to its collapse on March 23 of this year.
In a statement on June 16, Cusco city governor Jean Paul Benavente announced that the Q’eswachaka Bridge had been restored to its original state after three months of inactivity. Approximately 1,000 residents from neighboring communities in Cusco replaced the damaged structure of the bridge with new ropes. The entire process took only three days.
The work was a community effort involving both men and women. Men were responsible for assembling the structure, while women braided and wove the ropes.
Indigenous women braid ropes from ichu grass fibers. (Photo: National Geographic).
“Generations of Quechua people have inherited the knowledge and wisdom of their ancestors, which has helped us preserve the Q’eswachaka Bridge, a symbol of Inca engineering that astonishes the world,” Benavente expressed gratitude to the villagers for their efforts.
The Q’eswachaka Bridge spans the majestic Apurímac River valley at an altitude of 3,700 meters above sea level. The bridge structure—28 meters long and just over 1 meter wide—is entirely made of braided ropes from ichu grass, a plant endemic to the Americas.
The construction and preservation techniques of the Inca suspension bridge by the Quechua have been recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity since 2013. “This is a tribute to the contributions of indigenous communities over centuries to maintain and utilize the bridge,” Lumbreras added.
