The Qeswachaka Inca Bridge is the only bridge that shows off a great net of roads called “Camino Real” that linked the Inca Empire. The bridge is renovated from generation to generation until nowadays by a thousand people from different communities.
Did you know that the classic Qeswachaka Inca Bridge hung in a splendid area that offers beautiful sceneries of different mountains and four lakes: Pampamarca, Asnacqocha, Acopía, and Pomacanchi Lagoons?
What is more? On this tour, almost every tourist is thankful for the beauty of this bridge and the challenging hiking altitude. Don’t go with our words, just experience it once and you will also be thankful to its exquisiteness.
Why Visit Qeswachaka Inca Bridge?
Here, you might have a question in your mind that why you should visit Qeswachaka Inca Bridge? Well, the answer is very simple – to fill the blood pumping and go off the beaten track. There is no question in that Q’eswachaka Bridge is a must-see. This rope bridge hung between the two banks. It requires a lot of guts to cross while swinging in the wind.
However, it is also a fact that tours to Q’eswachaka are not so popular yet among tourists. But there are people who want to feel the last remaining and organic ambiance from the Inca Empire.
What’s So Special About Qeswachaka Inca Bridge?
As you will cross a number of villages on the way, you are on the verge of seeing parts of Peruvian history, ranging from typical animals such as Peru sheep, llamas, and alpacas to the region’s typic flora. Apart from that, tourists will learn about the Túpac Amaru (an indigenous leader in the 18thcentury), proprietor of a movement promoting Peru independence and the rights of Indigenous people.
In the historic year of 2013, UNESCO declared the Qeswachaka Inca Bridge as the new ‘Cultural Patrimony of the Nation,’ appreciating the ancestral acquaintance and the rituals carried out during the renovation process.
Importance of the Renovation Ceremony
The four-day renovation of Q’eswachaka Bridge involves a complete replacement of the structure. For communities renewing means to revalue and manifest the traditions inherited by the Inca culture, which survives over the centuries. However, this ancestral commitment demonstrates the roots of the Inca legacy in the hearts of inhabitants living in the Andes.
The tradition is carried out by twenty young people from the four district communities who are learned and responsible for maintaining the suspension bridge.
First Day –
On the first day, the community people initiate search of a solid straw of vegetal fiber called Ichu. After collecting, women weave solid straws in rope like structure for bridge making. Men, on the other hand, are responsible for joining the rope from end to end and after that braiding it.
Second Day –
On the second day, the structure of the old bridge is disarmed by removing the stone nails that sustain the bridge. Apart from this, four ropes that are the base/frame of the new bridge are placed.
Third Day –
This is the day when tired yet enthusiastic people assemble handrails and surface of the bridge. A team of master bridge-builders begins to weave the bridge from the right bank of the river. And the other team begins weaving from the left. After they meet in the center of the bridge, assistants cover the floor with matting.
Fourth Day –
On the last day that is actually a celebration day community people celebrate reconstruction of the bridge. We can say that this day is marked by the Inca people, who listen to traditional music and carry out indigenous dances.
Please note that at the time of renovation period, tourists cross the Q’eswachaka Bridge because of the work done. Besides those four-day suspension bridge is open for the rest of the year.
Also, as a point of fact, in the year 2009, the National Institute of Culture added the Q’eswachaka Inca Bridge’s renovation ritual to the list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.’
If you are willing to look at the splendid landscapes and extreme cliffs, you must not forget to book your tickets to Q’eswachaka Bridge.
We expect that you would have liked this post and hope to see you soon!
