In Inca times, there was a large network of roads called the "Royal Road" that connected their empire. However, due to its inaccessibility, a large number of places were connected by suspension bridges, made of plant fibers.
"Q´eswachaka" is the only bridge that is being renovated from generation to generation to this day. This bridge is the only remaining example of a hand-woven bridge that has survived for centuries! It is called Q'eswachaka, and in translation it means Knitted Bridge ("Q'eswa" knitting, "Chaka" bridge).
The Apurimak River is one of the tributaries of the mighty Amazon, and it springs on the Nevado Misimi mountain at an altitude of as much as 5,597 meters. It is about 690 kilometers long and breaks through the extremely steep cliffs of the Andes mountain range. And in one part of it, the Apurimak River is bridged by a fantastic suspension bridge, built with the traditional weaving technique used by the Inca civilization. This technique has been preserved by being passed down from generation to generation, and today there is only one village that still preserves this traditional technique!
Every year, residents of the surrounding villages of Cusco province gather to rebuild this bridge. They weave it from a type of grass called “Q'oya” and it grows in the environment, but it is not abundant.
This activity lasts for a full 3 to 4 days and both young and old actively participate in it. Since the bridge is made of natural materials that decay over time, the tradition of knitting is repeated every year, so as not to collapse.
On the first day, people from the communities go in search of a solid straw of natural fiber, which is called iću in the Quechua language. When they collected a sufficient amount of ichu, the women would weave straw to create ropes for the bridge, and the men would tie the ropes from one end to the other and fasten them. On the second day, the structure of the old bridge is removed, the stone wedges that hold the bridge are removed and four ropes are placed, which form the basis of the structure of the old bridge.
On the third day, the villagers finish assembling the handrails and the surface of the bridge, where the villages will be connected.
The communities are working together to connect the ropes from both ends. The builders leave the bridge in the old place, until they stretch new ropes along the gorges of Apurimak, then cut it and let it fall into the water.
After the main ropes, which support the new bridge and form the floor, are fixed, and after the handrails are made, the main masters work on both ends of the bridge to weave it. A braided tread on the tread every few meters helps prevent the bridge from warping.
This tradition was recognized by UNESCO a couple of years ago, and was placed under protection as intangible heritage.
