Inca Bridge

The Inca Bridge or Inka Bridge refers to one of two places related to access to Machu Picchu, in Peru.

Close-up view of the Inca Bridge
The cliff towering over the Inca Bridge

One of the two was built by the Incas as a secret entrance to Machu Picchu for the Inca army.[1]

The Inca Bridge (trunk bridge)

This Inca Bridge is a part of a mountain trail that heads west from Machu Picchu. The trail is a stone path, part of which is cut into a cliff face.[2] A twenty-foot gap was left in this section of the carved cliff edge,[3] over a 1,900-foot drop,[3] that could be bridged with two tree trunks, otherwise leaving the trail impassable to outsiders.[4]

The Inca Bridge (rope bridge)

This Inca Bridge was an ancient Inca grass rope bridge[5] out of Machu Picchu, crossing the Urubamba River southeast of Cusco in the Pongo de Mainique. It was made of dried grasses and wood and no longer exists.

Other rope bridges

The Q'iswa Chaka (Quechua for "rope bridge"), believed to be the last remaining Inca rope bridge, spans the Apurímac River near Huinchiri, Peru in the province of Canas.

The Mawk'a Chaka (Quechua for "old bridge", hispanicized spelling Mauca Chaca), an historic suspension bridge over the Apurímac River, near Quebrada Honda, the town of Curahuasi and the Cconoc thermal baths (13°31′46″S 72°38′35″W), disappeared by the end of the 19th century after 300 years of service. There are still remnants of the access tunnels and the bridge supports. Local organizations are planning to rebuild the bridge with its access roads and tunnels to serve the hiking community and provide a view of the gorge.

References
Citations
  1. PeruPeruPeru.com (2008). "Day 19: Machu Picchu / Cusco". Peru The Grand Tour, 21 Days 20 Nights (travel agency). Retrieved 2007-08-18. [...] hike Huayna Picchu the pyramid-shape mountain above Machu Picchu, walk to the Inca Bridge a secret entrance used by the Inca's army, or toward the Inca Trail to find the historic Sun Gate.
  2. MachuPicchuPeru (2006-01-26). "Machu Picchu". Machu Picchu 2006. Retrieved 2008-08-18. [Inca Bridge photograph] Inca Bridge – carved into the cliff
  3. DeLange, op. cit.
  4. Dunn, Jerry Camarillo, Jr. (2007). "Machu Picchu". How Stuff Works.com, Travel, Destinations. Retrieved 2008-08-18. The famous Inca Bridge is located along an ever-narrowing mountain trail that, at some places, is cut into a sheer cliff. The builders cleverly left a gap in a buttressed section of the trail that they could bridge with two logs. As needed, the logs could be removed to make the road impassable to outsiders.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Encyclopædia Britannica, Hispanic Heritage in the Americas, "Machu Picchu"
Sources
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