Talk:Inca rope bridge

Untitled
I've never edited wikipedia before so sorry for just sticking this in here, but after a long trip I found the last remaining bridge in Peru and crossed it with a friend this morning. It would help if someone put in the proper spelling, since almost everyone who has heard of it (which is hardly anyone) speaks at least some Quechua - as far as we could figure out it is actually "Q'eswachaka", although we encountered "Queswachaka" and "Qeswachaka". Apparently it literally means 'bridge for soldiers' in Quechua. The (presumably Latinate or in some way Spanish) spelling Keshwa Chaca doesn't really do you much good if you're trying to find anything online.

P.S. It was slightly broken and literally terrifying. We took a lot of pictures, and would be happy to upload them once back in Europe. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.43.51.228 (talk) 05:23, 22 October 2011 (UTC)

How do you get started
Question: How did they get the rope from one side to the other? Walk it through the valley? --Golbez 03:05, Oct 16, 2004 (UTC)


 * Usually the bridge is built with a bootstrap approach.
 * First a couple of people go the long way round (or a village on the other side is contacted) to be group B
 * Meanwhile group A construct the large cables/ropes by twisting together thinner ropes.
 * Group A ties a light line to a stone and throws the stone across the gorge to group B. Several attempts can be made. If necessary the first line can be thrown across at a narrower point in the gorge that isn't to far from where the roads meet. Or the line can be fired across using a sling or a bow if the distance is too far to throw.
 * Group B uses the light line to pull across one or more stronger ropes which can be used to pull across the main cables.
 * The main cables are then tied around the stone bastions and drawn taught.
 * One person from group A then crawls along the cables, lashing them together to make a stable deck and stringing up to the two slightly higher cables that act as guard rails.

NB. don't try this at home. -- Solipsist 05:39, 16 Oct 2004 (UTC) I know who can help you call 1800 steamer stanley steamer gets you home cleaner — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.4.101.65 (talk) 18:42, 12 April 2013 (UTC)

Images
Wow! I Give to props to Leonard_G for entering into contact with the owner of the Inca bridge images. I had been in contact with the owner the images, too, but a couple of months ago we lost contact and I wasn't able to upload the images with his permission. Good addition to the article, thanks for working on it. --Dynamax 20:23, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

Rope bridges in other cultures...
Very good article, just one comment. I believe that rope bridges have been used extensively in other mountainous areas of the world, particularly by people in the Himalayas. If someone has info on these other bridges, maybe a general article on "Rope bridges" could be created to which the present article could be incorporated. ¿Anyone? Cazadordemolinos 19:03, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Length of Apurimac bridge
What was the length of this bridge?

220 ft: http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/729894

148 ft: http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Inca-Trail/blog-76010.html

Was the longest inca bridge really 330ft? http://www.angelfire.com/realm/shades/nativeamericans/incaempire3b.htm

...or was it 150 ft? http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/09/arts/snincas.php

Najro (talk) 18:32, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Slide show doesn't work
The old bridge sags (Slide show)

The slide show link just shows a single image -- unless there's some trick to making it work? -- Dougher (talk) 20:29, 24 November 2012 (UTC)