Almost 500 years after the collapse of the largest empire in Latin America, Peru has only one bridge left from the Inca’s extraordinary road system – which is still used today by the locals.

Standing 22 meters above the Apurímac River, near the 500-person village of Huinchiri in Peru’s southern highlands, the Queshuachaca Bridge is rewoven each year from ropes of local grass to serve the region’s few mountain dwellers – and daring tourists – to cross the street.

cross the bridge

Although there is a modern bridge nearby, local residents keep alive the ancient tradition and techniques of the Incas, renewing the bridge every year in the second week of June

Families from the nearby indigenous communities of Chaupibanda, Choccayhua, Huinchiri and Collana Quehue, gather in celebration and – each having prepared ropes of grass and ‘mats’ to step on, all work together for the annual and very dangerous ‘weaving’ of the bridge .

In the past, according to the BBC, each Inca bridge was overseen by a “bridge master,” who was responsible for guarding and repairing it. Today, Queshuachaca is overseen by the last living descendant of the Inca bridgeheads: Arizapana.

“Trust yourself, have faith in God and don’t look down” is the advice his father gave to Arizapana, who takes part in the dangerous process every year.

peru bridge

Locals participate in the annual weaving of the bridge – Photo source wikimedia.org

One of the keys to the rapid expansion of the Incas was an excellent road network of roads used for communication, trade and military campaigns known as Qhapaq Ñan (The Royal Road) which covered almost 40,000 km.

The Royal Inca Road ran from Quito, Ecuador to and beyond Santiago, Chile, in two main north-south arteries, along with more than 20 smaller routes that ran east to west like a giant staircase.

Today, almost 500 years after the fall of the Inca Empire, only one bridge of the Royal Road remains: the one over the Apurimac River.