Qhapaq Ñan: The Inca Road
The National Museum of the American Indian is located in Washington, D.C. It is
just one of the museums operated by the Smithsonian Institution.
In June, this museum opened a new exhibit about the Qhapaq Ñan, a 25,000-mile
series of roads located in South America. Several Native American groups built
these roads, entirely by hand, over the course of 2,000 years.
One of these groups was the Inca, centered in the modern-day country of Peru.
Starting in the year 1438 C.E., the Inca formed an empire, or a group of nations
and territories all under one authority. The Inca did this by taking over many of the
other civilizations in and near the Andes Mountains, the longest mountain range in
the world.
The Inca then used the Qhapaq Ñan to link all its territories. The Inca Empire
stretched through Peru and parts of five other modern South American nations:
Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. For this reason, the Qhapaq
Ñan is also called the Inca Road.
These roads are still used every day by people all over South America. These include
hikers who use the Qhapaq Ñan to travel to places such as the famous historical site
of Machu Picchu. This site is located near the ancient Inca capital of Cusco.
Native American groups use and maintain the road, just as they have for centuries.
Many of them revere it as something more than a physical road. One of the most
famous parts of the Inca Road is the Q’eswachaka rope bridge. People from four
local villages get together to rebuild this bridge every year, using techniques that
have been passed down from their ancestors.
Parts of the fascinating Inca culture are
still alive today in South America.
The Inca Empire was at its peak from 1438 to 1533, when it was the largest
civilization in the Americas. The Inca built stunning structures. One famous Inca site
is Machu Picchu. This was a citadel, or small city, with homes, a temple, and farms. It
was unknown for many years until it was rediscovered in 1911. Today, Machu Picchu
is one of the most famous ancient sites in the world. More than 2 million tourists visit
it every year.
The Inca empire was divided into four parts, each with its own ruler. Over them was
one main ruler called the “Sapa Inca,” or “Unique Inca.” The civilization was wealthy,
but the Inca did not use money. Gold and silver were used for decoration, and
payment was made in the form of goods — such as food and cloth — and work. The
Inca did not have a written language. The language they spoke was called Quechua.
Different forms of Quechua are still spoken by 8 to 10 million people today, mostly in
Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador.
When the Spanish explorers arrived, they exposed the Inca to the smallpox virus. The
Inca and many other Native American cultures had never been exposed to this virus
before, and their bodies were unable to fight its effects. Within just a few years, up to
90 percent of the Inca were dead.
The real end of the Inca Empire came soon thereafter. In 1533, a Spanish force led
by Francisco Pizarro made its way to the Inca capital of Cusco. Pizarro and his men
captured the Sapa Inca, Atahualpa, and eventually killed him. Pizarro claimed the
entire empire, and its gold, for Spain. He then instructed his men to destroy as many
Inca cities as he could find. But although the Inca Empire is gone, it lives on through
its roads, its language, and its influence all throughout South America.