Online Exhibit: Un Viaje por el Qhapaq Ñan

The Qhapaq Ñan, the Andean road system, was built by the Inca over several centuries, partly on older roads, into a network of more than 30,000 kilometers linking Cusco to the far reaches of an empire that stretched from present-day Colombia to Chile and Argentina. It connected towns, administrative centers, storehouses and shrines across mountains, deserts and forests. In Ecuador, Ingapirca is the largest known Inca site in the country, built where Cañari and Inca cultures met, and Pumapungo in Cuenca preserves remains of the Inca city of Tumebamba. In Peru, the Aypate Archaeological Complex is an Inca administrative center in the highlands of Piura. The Qhapaq Ñan became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

More about Un Viaje por el Qhapaq Ñan