Incan rope bridge named UNESCO World Heritage

Last edited Fri Jun 13, 2014, 05:06 AM - Edit history (1)

Incan rope bridge named UNESCO World Heritage
CCTV.com
06-13-2014 00:43 BJT

- Video at link -

The Q'eswachaka rope suspension bridge, which crosses a gorge of the Apurimac River in the southern Peruvian Andes, has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Q'eswachaka bridge is rebuilt annually using traditional Incan techniques and raw materials.


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The Q'eswachaka rope suspension bridge over a gorge of the Apurimac River in the southern Peruvian Andes
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But this amazing structure is about more then just getting across a river. In the Quechua-speaking peasant communities, residents also refurbish the bridge as a means to strengthen their social and cultural identity.

Over a three-day period, the process unfolds as locals cut and twist straw to form thin ropes about 70 meters long. Bridge-builders then guide the process of twisting them together to form medium-sized ropes, which are then braided to form six large ropes. When these are ready, men from the community tie the ropes tightly to ancient stone bases. The craftspeople then lead the weaving of the bridge, each starting from opposite ends.

"That's how we make a 'quechua' from wild straw. That's what we call it here in the community of Huinchiri. We cut, braid and then weave in order to build the bridge," a member of the Quechua-speaking community said.

More:
http://english.cntv.cn/2014/06/13/VIDE1402591326235436.shtml