Inca bridges

E296098

Inca bridges are traditional Andean suspension structures, often made from woven grass or fiber ropes, that enabled the Inca Empire’s road network to cross deep gorges and rivers.

All labels observed (3)

Label Occurrences
Inca bridge of Checacupe 1
Inca bridges canonical 1
Inca road system 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Inca engineering structure
bridge type
suspension bridge
culturalSignificance element of living Andean tradition
symbol of Andean engineering
designFeature flexible deck
multiple main cables
stone or earth anchor points
era Inca Empire period
pre-Columbian era
function crossing deep gorges
crossing rivers
supporting foot traffic
supporting pack animals such as llamas
geographicContext highland canyons
steep valleys
hasConstructionMethod hand-woven cables
suspension from stone anchors
twisted fiber ropes
heritageStatus recognized as important Andean cultural heritage
influenced later rope bridge designs
locatedIn Andes
surface form: Andes Mountains

South America
madeOf ichu grass
plant fiber ropes
stone abutments
wooden elements
woven grass ropes
maintainedBy local Andean communities
maintenance community-based reconstruction
periodic replacement of ropes
materialProperty biodegradable fibers
high tensile strength grass ropes
partOf Inca bridges self-linksurface differs
surface form: Inca road system
region Bolivia
Ecuador
Peru
risk damage from heavy rainfall
damage from lack of maintenance
weathering and decay
safetyFeature side ropes or railings
spanType single-span suspension
technologyLevel pre-Columbian engineering
trafficType pack animal
pedestrian
usedBy Inca Empire
usedFor administrative travel
military movement
trade and transport

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Qhapaq Ñan hasPart Inca bridges
Inca bridges partOf Inca bridges self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Inca road system
Canchis Province hasArchaeologicalSite Inca bridges
this entity surface form: Inca bridge of Checacupe