The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire

Ancestors of the Inka

Long before the Inkas reigned, there lived in these regions men like giants,
as large as the figures sculpted in stone reveal.

—Pedro de Cieza de León, chronicler of Peru, 1553

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Inka trapezoidal doorway, Pisac, Peru, 2014. Photo by Doug McMains, NMAI.

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Introduction Chavin Tiwanaku Wari Chimu

Inka Sacred Roads The Creator The Children of the Sun Milky Way

Creation Stories

Sacred Roads

QUECHUA
LANGUAGE
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Select highlighted words to hear them spoken in Quechua.
The Inka spoke the Quechua language, which is still spoken today in the Andes.
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For Andean people, past and present, the Qhapaq Ñan is more than a road. It is a connection to the spiritual universe. It shares in the divine nature of Pachamama, holy Mother Earth.