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Resurrection of the Great Inca Road
Abraham Lama
LIMA, (Tierramérica) - From May to
December 1999, Ricardo Espinosa made a
3,000-km journey on foot between Quito
and La Paz, head of an expedition of
Ecuadorian, Peruvian and Bolivian
archaeologists who followed the
monumental road built by the Incas some
500 years ago.
The enthusiasm of the people involved in
the trek was the impulse behind a plan
to restore the 8,500-km network of
roads. This unique conservation project
will involve six South American
countries in putting the Great Inca
Route back in operation.
The proposal by Espinosa and his team
was adopted in 2001 by the World
Conservation Union (IUCN), which won
further support from the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP), Conservation
International and other global
organisations.
Although many stretches of the network
have disappeared due to the ravages of
time or to the impacts of human
activities, still intact is the ”Capac
Ñan” (meaning ”principal road” in the
Quechua language), the axis of the
network of roads built by the Incas to
impose their dominion over territories
that now form part of northern Argentina
and Chile, southern Colombia, and nearly
the entirety of Bolivia, Ecuador and
Peru.
”The Incas did not have draught animals,
so wheeled carriages were not possible
or necessary. Their roads were designed
for a world of people on foot. To once
again walk those roads brings us closer
to their creators. It permits us to see
what they saw,” said Espinosa, 43, a
passionate student of philosophy and of
the indigenous Andean religions.
The great Incan roads traverse valleys
and high plains throughout the Andes,
ranging from 1,000 to 4,500 metres above
sea level, and are monumental in size:
at some points the cobblestone paths
measures 15 meters wide.
The restoration of the centuries-old
network will be part of an ecosystem
conservation program and will facilitate
the integration of hundreds of
indigenous communities along its
thousands of kilometres of roads,
according to the report that the IUCN
presented at the World Parks Congress in
September in Durban, South Africa.
A study conducted by the IUCN and
Conservation International states that
the restoration of the Inca Road would
have important benefits for numerous
threatened ecosystems, promote
ecotourism and favour the development of
the Indian groups that live along its
path.
”The Inca roads can be compared to the
network constructed by the Romans. If we
were to put it in Africa, the great
route would run from Cape Town, in South
Africa, to the south of France,” Miguel
Pellerano, IUCN regional director for
South America, told the Durban
conference.
The historic, social and spiritual
importance of this ancient feat of
engineering requires the support of the
international community, he said.
The idea of following the Incan roads
”was whispered in my ear by humble
residents who I met on my trek along the
beaches,” says Espinosa, known in Peru
as ”the solitary walker” for having
covered the 3,000 km of beaches of his
country in 1995. He wrote about his
experience in a book that was a Peruvian
best-seller.
”The Inca roads were described by
researchers Alberto Regal and León
Strube, and Victor von Haguen and John
Hyslop conducted important field work. I
decided to follow the entire extension
of the main road on foot, just like the
Incas,” said the expedition-leader, who
recounted the adventure in the book
”Capac Ñan”.
”We discovered that there are stretches
that remain intact and can easily be
restored, while others are deteriorated,
but identifiable.”
The route crosses eight nature reserves
that together cover 422 km, or five
percent of the total network, says
Eduardo Guerrero, of the IUCN South
America office, based in Quito.
Thousands of visitors to Peru skip the
train trip and make the journey from
Cusco to Machu Picchu in a two-day walk
along the most famous of the network's
lateral routes. But the great number of
tourists is a cause of concern among
environmental authorities.
The Great Inca Route presents a unique
opportunity to alleviate congestion
along that path, which is being
deteriorated and eroded, says Stephen
Edwards, tourism expert with
Conservation International.
”Small sections can serve as a pilot
effort for fomenting ecotourism. I
recommend four stretches, located
between the northern and central sierras
in Peru, although there are many others
that are impressive for their monumental
size, beautiful landscapes and because
it is virtually impossible to reach them
by vehicle,” says Espinosa.
”The communities united by each section
would work in partnership to manage
tourism activities and preservation of
the route. They would have to organise
commercial services for lodging and
meals for the visitors,” he recommends.
In each country touched by the road
network, commissions have been set up to
study the feasibility of the project,
which, it is hoped, will unfold with the
participation of indigenous communities
-- the descendants of the great route's
architects.
(* Abraham Lama is a Tierramérica
contributor. Originally published Nov.
29 by Latin American newspapers that are
part of the Tierramérica network.
Tierramérica is a specialised news
service produced by IPS with the backing
of the United Nations Development
Programme and the United Nations
Environment Programme.)
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