DMP’s I Did Not Know That!
The Inca’s Tribute to the Industry – Rope Bridges
Did you know that Rope Bridges (Chacas) date back originally to the ancient Inca Civilisation sometime in the early 13th century?!
They considered bridges to be holy structures and made up their main road and travel ways. Any individual found interfering with a chaca would be sentenced to death.
Woven grass was used as the main material for construction which would be plaited together into a thick rope make-up. These were extremely robust to the point the bridge itself could last up to five centuries.
We all know, even in modern society, construction/building is not without its hazards! Creation of an Inca Rope Bridge could be extremely dangerous or even fatal as they hung hundreds of feet over rivers and gorges and spanned up to 170 feet. Nevertheless construction and maintenance would continue to keep Inca’s main trade routes open.
The last remaining Inca Rope Bridge is the Q’iswa Chaka located in Canas Province in Peru.
