The Qeswachaka
hanging bridge
The Qeswachaka hanging bridge
• The Qeswachaka hanging bridge, of Cuzco,
Peru, is handwoven every year, from a local
grass called Qoya.
• Located approximately 100 km from Cuzco,
Qeswachaka bridge was once part of a
network of bridges, built in the time of the
Inca empire, but is now the only one of its
kind, in the world. Spanning 120 feet over the
Apurimac river, at around 13,000 feet above
water, Qeswachaka (also spelled
Q’eswachaka or Keswachaka) is built using
the ancient Qhapaq nan technique, used by
the Inca people.
• Qhapaq nan bridges were built from grass, and
were wide enough for only one person to pass, at
a time. In ancient times these bridges were
constantly under surveillance and everyone
crossing them was monitored. When Pizzaro
began his march for Cuzco, Qeswachaka was
destroyed, to slow his advance, but was
reconstructed, many years later.
• Made from a local herb, Qoya, the fibers of
Qeswachaka bridge deteriorate rapidly, and local
communities have to reconstruct the bridge every
year. Around 1,000 men and women, from
various Andean communities gather at
Qeswachaka bridge, every second week of June,
for the rebuilding ceremony. Long blade of Qoya
grass are woven into six long cables, which are
bound and secured by eucalyptus trunks, buried
at each end of the bridge.
More than just for
transportation, it
has a cultural
significance
• It’s not that building a
more modern bridge
would be impossible,
but this is a way for the
Andean people to
celebrate and honor
their Inca ancestors,
and keep their centuries
old traditions alive.