Inca Bridge

The first, the trunk bridge, is part of a mountain trail that heads west from Machu Picchu. The trail is a stone path, part of which is cut into a cliff face. A twenty-foot gap was left in this section of the carved cliff edge, over a 1,900-foot drop, that could be bridged with two tree trunks, otherwise leaving the trail impassable to outsiders.

The second was an ancient Inca grass rope bridge out of Machu Picchu, crossing the Urubamba River southeast of Cusco in the Pongo de Mainique. Every one or two years a replica bridge is constructed from dried grasses and wood, and the changing of the bridge is celebrated as a major event by locals.

The Q'iswa Chaka (Quechua for rope bridge), which spans the Apurímac River near Huinchiri in the province of Canas, is believed to be the last remaining Inca rope bridge. The Mawk'a Chaka (Quechua for old bridge), a historic suspension bridge over the Apurímac River near Curahuasi, disappeared by the end of the 19th century after 300 years of service. Remnants of its access tunnels and bridge supports remain.