Qhapaq Ñan

This hardly qualifies as a review, since my experience with Qhapaq Ñan is limited to the central Cuzco in May of 2024. But since this experience contains a couple of relative mishaps, recounting it could prevent someone from making the same mistakes.

First of all, the Cuzco central area location is not listed among the 137 components of Qhapaq Ñan on the site's official page on whc.unesco.org. I was questioning previous reviewers' contentions that it was included until Els stressed to me the "273 components" number found in the official description and directed me to take a look at the nomination file instead of the location listing. And yes, the component "Plaza Inca Hanan Haukaypata (PE-HH-01/CS-2011)" is basically Cuzco's Plaza de Armas with four roads leading from it in four directions.

I found myself in the exact geographical location that was included in the serial property. I took hundreds of pictures of the main square of Cuzco but none of them by themselves could serve as photographic evidence for Qhapaq Ñan. So I spent probably an hour scouring every square meter of the main square in search of the central road network marker that Clyde referenced in his review. And could not find it. I even asked a couple of policemen for help – they directed me to the small garden in front of the Companía church where you can find a number of commemorative stones, just not what I needed. They probably did not understand what I …

I visited this WHS in June 2019 focusing on a number of different locations in Peru. Like the Struve Geodetic Arc WHS, the Qhapac Nan WHS requires a lot of preparation mainly by reading parts of the 500MB+ nomination file, using the Find function on the PDF version and writing down a number of GPS coordinates.

The Qhapac Nan or Andean Road System was an administrative, transportation and communications system also used to demarcate the 4 basic divisions of the Inca Empire. The system expanded on almost all the territory of the Andes, nowadays Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile and Colombia.

A main path started in Cusco towards each of the four suyos or regions. The roads were inscribed in the geography of the State. The Qhapac Nan connected Cusco with the main administrative centres of the Inca empire like for example Pachacamac (more info on the archaeological site itself in another review of the tentative site). Pachacamac is the main part of the inscribed Xauxa/Jauja - Pachacamac coastal desert section (p. 930 of the nomination file) in the Lurin Valley. It was the second largest urban centre after Cusco. This section is made up of two different types of road systems. The coastal road to Pachacamac was originally one of the best and most used roads since the times of the Wari Empire. It was also used by the first Spaniards who arrived in Peru in 1533. On the other hand, the route along the sierra linked …

While the sites are nowhere as impressive as their counterparts in Peru and Bolivia, I did want to give a quick review to some of the Chilean elements to this complicated site.

To revisit the question at the core of Nan’s review (Is it the roads the Incas built to connect all parts of their empire? Or does it refer to the sites the roads connect?), I feel like within Chile at least, the answer is very much the latter. Chile has inscribed long portions of the road, but very almost no Incan associated sites. The roads themselves are often barely little more smudged trails through the desert, but it's still impressive how much has survived. In some places, local indigenous communities maintain the trail in a good condition.

During our Dec 2018 trip, we visited three components - a long stretch that runs for about 25km to the south of San Pedro de Atacama, a small component just north of San Pedro, and another longer stretch running north from the village of Lasana. Of the three, the most ‘impressive’ was the first, with the trail clearly visible through the desert. The setting, with the Andes to one side and Salar de Atacama to the other makes for a quite an experience. It also has the added bonus of being the point where the trail crosses the Tropic of Capricorn.

The other sites offered little in and of themselves, though Lasana is home to a rather impressive …

Site visited April 2018. I visited five inscribed sites of the Peruvian section of the Andean road network.

This WHS all about roads and archaeological sites associated with them. The Qhapaq Ñan road system is one of the most complex road infrastructures in the world. What makes it unique is its extreme geographical setting.

For some reason, this kind of sites are very intriguing for me. Whether it is Silk Roads, Grand Canal, Stećci or Struve, there is something like ’collect all the pieces together’ feeling. At first these inscriptions seem hard to grasp. But when you take a closer look at the single sites there are too many interesting places and you want to include as many sites as possible to your itinerary. But in the end there is time only for very limited amount of sites.

Reading the nomination document it takes some time to really understand which sites are actually inscribed and which are not even though they are mentioned in the document. To a non-devoted traveller there are some choices that could seem a bit confusing and inconsistent. For example impressive fortresses in Ollantaytambo are not inscribed even though Ollantaytambo is mentioned as a starting point to one of the road segments. Sacsayhuamán citadel on the outskirts of Cusco is not even mentioned. Llaqtapata archaeological site which is well known among hikers is not inscribed but other site with the same name that is only a minor site. The wall of Portada Rumiqolqa …

A site like Qhapaq Nan is fairly difficult to grasp. Is it the roads the Inkas built to connect all parts of their empire? Or does it refer to the sites the roads connect? Or a combination of the two? It doesn't really help that the nomination file comes in at 500 MB, the site names are somewhat cryptic IDs and that the GPS coordinates repeatedly do not match the nomination file boundaries. For a detailed discussion using Pachacamac as example, check Solivagants comments in the forum. 

To tackle the site I visited multiple points along my trip in Peru and Bolivia. You will find comments for each below. Personally, I would prefer the site to be limited to the actual trails instead of serving as a one size fits all nomination for Inka sites.

Pachacamac

Pachacamac is located South of Lima and a tentative site on it's own. It's here that the Qhapaq Nan reached the coast. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any remnants of the trail and the nomination file and the GPS coordinate took me into some random suburb wihere I was unable to spot any archeological traces. To get there grab a bus on the Panamericana heading South to Lurin.

Cusco

It's in Cusco that I actually found a trail labeled Qhapaq Nan including a sign. It's very well visible (see my picture) and starts near the Templo de la Luna/Chukimarka. The GPS coordinates we show are nearly correct. The trail runs North …

With this huge Qhapaq Nan serial nomination, the Andean countries seem to have clustered all Inca sites of any importance. I visited the area in 2011 and 2017, and besides Cuzco/Tiwanaku/Quebrada de Humahuaca which are already WHS in their own right, I visited some of the "lesser" sites too.

Pachacamac is an easy half-day trip out of Lima. I took one of the dozens of minibusses that leave all the time from Avenida Grau. It dropped me off right at the site's entrance. There's a little museum on-site, displaying some pretty Wari ceramics and also textile that has survived the ages due to the extremely dry climate here.

Its location indeed is one of the most remarkable things about Pachacamac - it's out there in the desert, within sight of the sea. The site is totally covered in sand. Archeologists are only slowly making their way to the many temples and other features below. Most of it is off-limits to visitors, though the Temple of the Sun can be climbed and other parts like the North-South Street have explanatory boards. You can do a full circuit walk of the large terrain in about an hour (if you have a car, you can also drive).

Pachacamac was a ceremonial and pilgrimage site between 200 and 1535. It was used by different civilizations: the Lima, the Wari, the Ichma, and the Inca. Its most distinguishing fact is that it predominantly is a Wari site, a culture that is not …

This is a strange site to visit - how do you determine whether you have 'seen' it, when it's made up of thousands of kilometres of track all across the continent?

I consider that I have ticked it off because I walked much of the tracks on my way to Machu Picchu in Peru. But you could so it so many other ways - or even spend years walking different routes and still never technically see it all.

I'm glad it has been added to the list, though. It's a really interesting part of national infrastructure and played a huge part in the ability of the Incans to grow their civilisation and conquer so much of South America.

Will UNESCO be tempted to look favourably upon a submission from the US to list the country's interstate highway system now? :)

I've visited three major elements of the Qhapac Nan WHS in Peru.

- Pachacamac

- Cuzco

- Inca Gaka - Qollotayoc

- Raqchi

1) Pachacamac is a sacred site that was important to the Inca, but long preceded them. The landscape is striking, because the archeological site is within sight of the Pacific ocean, but is very much a desert climate. Much of the pyramid/ziggurat shaped structure is buried. Pachacamac is truly a monumental site, and must have been stunning even to the Inca.

2) Cuzco is considered the center of Qhapac Nan, indeed the roads all connect to this high-altitude Inca capital. Several streets near the plaza highlight the precision and boldness of Inca stonework. The blocks are enormous. Behind the cathedral, parts of the Inca era palace foundations and walls are visible.

3) Inca Gaka - Qollotayoc, just outside Cuzco is an exception locating for hiking. The landscape in February was gorgeous and we covered about 10 kilometers. Since I was exploring parts of Qhapaq Ñan in 2009, my knowledge of the route was limited, though I had researched about hikes that linked Inca ruins, so it worked out pretty well.

4) Raqchi is an important stopping point along Qhapac Nan. The ruined site and surrounding landscape is exquisite. Wetlands surround part of the site and the various building are at least peculiar in their uniqueness. During my visit, Raqchi was merely a stopping point on the road from Cuzco …

In Argentina this nomination includes multiple locations throughout the Eastern border from Jujuy to Mendosa. I guess it should include the Quebrada de Humahuaca as well. In Salta Province there is a special Inca site atop the Llullaillaco mountain at the height of 6700 meters! Three mummies and an accompanying treasure were unearthed. They are now presented in the Museum of High Mountain Archaeology in Salta (MAAM) where I would recommend a visit.