What was the Inca system of roads and paths called?

The Inca system of roads and paths was called the Qhapaq Ñan.

Meaning roughly “royal road” or “great road” in Quechua, the Qhapaq Ñan was a vast network linking the empire’s capital, Cusco, with provincial centers, settlements, military sites, farms, mines, and ceremonial places. It crossed deserts, valleys, high plateaus, and steep mountain passes rather than following one single route.

Engineers built sections with paving, stairways, drainage channels, retaining walls, suspension bridges, and roadside facilities. The network supported armies, administrators, messengers, and the movement of food and other supplies. Relay runners known as chasquis could carry messages rapidly between stations, allowing the central government to communicate across enormous distances.

The Qhapaq Ñan is often confused with the Inca Trail, the popular trekking route associated with Machu Picchu. The Inca Trail is only one surviving section of the much larger imperial road system. Estimates of the full network vary, but it extended for tens of thousands of kilometres across the Andes.