Not many people, even those versed in history, understand how powerful and large the Inca empire was. And the Inca empire was the largest in the Americas. The Aztecs and Maya did not come close to such a thing.
At the same time, it flourished in fact for only 100 years, from the 15th to the 16th century AD. But at its peak, it stretched from present-day Quito (Ecuador) in the north to Santiago (Chile) in the south.
Like the Roman Empire, the Incas built extensive road systems wherever they went. Today these roads are known as the "royal route" or Qhapaq nan in Inca language.
The roads of the Incas reached over 40 thousand kilometers in length (according to other estimates, no more than 30 thousand) and they are still used by rural residents in countries such as Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
There were two main "highways" crossing the territory of the empire from north to south. One went along the coastline, the other was inland and, among other things, crossed the high Andes.
In addition to these roads, there were shorter secondary roads and even shorter tertiary roads.
At the same time, it should be noted that some roads were not built by the Incas from scratch, but only strengthened, and they were built by even more ancient civilizations, from which only crumbs of artifacts have come down to us and whose names - Vari, Tiwanaku and Chimu are now very few people say.
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However, the Incas were the first to build roads in these areas in complex rocky landscapes. Their stone-lined, rugged roads cut through deep ravines, rivers, deserts and mountain passes.
One such road runs through the entire Atacama Desert in Chile, and the other along the western shore of the high-altitude Lake Titicaca.
In addition to the roads, the Incas set up small "stations" called chaskivasi at regular intervals. Large stations were located at a distance of about 20 km from each other. Travelers could rest, eat and sleep on them.
Most of the roads were used for official needs of the state, especially for the movement of the army. To keep the empire in order and to eliminate internal problems, the army had to quickly move from one point to another. Also, the roads served to collect tribute from the conquered tribes.
Modern people are often surprised why the roads of the Incas are so uneven, hilly and with a lot of steps. The answer is obvious - the Incas did not know wheels and used the legs of carriers or the backs of llamas to move loads.
There was also a special service of runners who ran along these roads, passing on important letters or … fish.
Yes, fish, as a rapidly perishable commodity in the era without refrigerators, had to be delivered to consumers as soon as possible. And the Inca nobility was very fond of fresh fish.
Ordinary people had to pay a special tax for the ability to walk on the roads, and in addition to this they paid another tax for crossing bridges. The Incas had many suspension bridges over precipices and ravines. They were regularly renewed and for this purpose the best weavers made the ropes for the suspension bridges.
The roads of the Incas were built with conscience and they are still in operation in the outback. Compared to paved roads, they have no equal there.
While the paved roads regularly require repairs due to flooding in the lowlands and seismic activity in the mountains, the old Inca roads still hold and are not collapsing.
Modern road next to the Inca road (right):