Q'iswachaka suspension bridge

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Q'iswachaka

The Q'iswachaka or Q'eswachaka suspension bridge , Hispanicized Queshuachaca , is a 28 meter long and 1.20 meter wide rope bridge in the Peruvian province of Canas . It consists entirely of plaited grass and spans the Río Apurímac . The bridge enables several hundred residents of the area to cross the river. The bridge is rebuilt every year in June and has existed in this form for around 500 years. Around 700 people from the area (the Andean villages of Huinchiri, Quehue, Choccayhua, Ccolana and Chaupibanda) come together annually to build it. The women weave the ropes out of Ichu grass ( Jarava ichu ), the men tie the ropes to form the bridge. After the bridge is completed, it is consecrated by traditional priests and a festival is held. The bridge is considered the last functioning suspension bridge by the Inca and was declared a national cultural heritage by the National Cultural Institute of Peru (INC) in 2009 .

In December 2013, the knowledge, skills and rituals involved in the annual reconstruction of the bridge were added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.

Movie

  • The bridge made of grass , documentary on behalf of the SDR, 45 minutes, 1979
  • Q'eswachaka - The Last Suspension Bridge of the Incas , documentary, director: Chus Barrera, a film by Pablo Barrio, 51 minutes

Web links

Commons : Qeshuachaca  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Footnotes

  1. a b c d e Reisenews-Online.de, Inca suspension bridge Qu'eswachaka raised to the national cultural heritage of Peru , September 19, 2009
  2. a b n-tv.de, picture series - construction of the Inkas Bridge entirely from grass , accessed on June 26, 2010
  3. http://www.n-tv.de/mediathek/bilderserien/wissen/Die-letzt-Haengebruecke-der-Inkas-article924099.html?imageIndex=20

Coordinates: 14 ° 22 ′ 52.7 ″  S , 71 ° 29 ′ 2.4 ″  W.