The Inca Empire built the road network centered on Cuzco and spanning the Andes. Known as the Qhapaq Ñan, or Great Inca Road, the system linked the empire’s major administrative centres across present-day Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Argentina.
The network included thousands of kilometres of roads crossing deserts, high mountain passes, valleys and tropical environments. Engineers used stairs, suspension bridges, retaining walls and paved sections to adapt routes to difficult terrain. Way stations called tambos provided supplies and resting places for officials, soldiers and messengers.
The Inca had no wheeled transport or conventional writing system, so trained runners known as chasquis carried messages along the roads. The network supported administration, military movement and the movement of goods and people. The Qhapaq Ñan was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014 through a multinational nomination.