what is camino inca

Camino Inca (the Spanish  name of  the  Inca road system)  in pre-Columbian South America  was the most advanced and extensive  transportation system. The routes  and trails ran in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and  Argentina.

It was about 24,800 miles long or more than 30, 000 km! And now it is still in  good condition after over 500 years of use.

Much of the system was the result of the Incas claiming exclusive right over numerous traditional routes, some of which had been  paved  centuries earlier mostly by the Wari Empire (culture that precede the Inca Empire).

The network was based on two north-south roads with numerous branches.

The most important Inca road was the Camino Real (Royal Road), as it is known in Spanish, with a length of 5,200 kilometres (3,200 mi). It began in Quito, Ecuador, passed through Cusco, and ended in what is now Tucumán, Argentina.

Climbing by the Camino inca

The true extent of the road network is not completely known, since the Spaniards, post conquest, either dug up the road completely in some areas, or allowed it to deteriorate and fall into ruin under iron-clad horses’ hooves, or the metal wheels of ox-carts.

Today, only 25 % of this network is still visible, the rest having been destroyed by the construction of modern infrastructure. Different organizations such as UNESCO and IUCN have been working to protect the network in collaboration with the governments and communities of the 6 countries through which the Great Inca Road passes.

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How the Incas used they road system (part 3)

Junio 26, 2015 0 Comments 0 tags

A high degree of energetic investment was put into the ritual purposes of the road. In Inca society, the mountains were objects of worship

How the Incas used they road system (part 2)

Junio 26, 2015 0 Comments 0 tags

These roads provided easy, reliable and quick routes for the Empire's civilian and military communications, personnel movement, and logistical support.

How the Incas used they road system (part 1)

Junio 8, 2015 0 Comments 0 tags

The Inca did not  use the road  network  only  for  travelers through the empire, the road system also provided many religious and  military  purposes   for the Inca culture. Transportation The