Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Ravne tunnels.
Ravne Tunnels
Colors and volumes in the patio.
Monterrey’s Contemporary Art Museum (MARCO)
Inside Wonderwerk Caves, underground caves and excavation, Kuruman, Northern Cape
Wonderwerk Cave
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display
about 5 hours ago
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
2 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
3 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Peru Q'eswachaka Rope Bridge

Q'eswachaka Rope Bridge

Keshwa chaca, among the last handwoven Incan bridges, crosses Apurimac Canyon in Peru.

Peru

Added By
Dylan Thuras
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Dylan / Atlas Obscura User
  Dylan / Atlas Obscura User
  Dylan / Atlas Obscura User
  Dylan / Atlas Obscura User
  Dylan / Atlas Obscura User
  Dylan / Atlas Obscura User
  Dylan / Atlas Obscura User
Amazing craftsmanship!   amelsing / Atlas Obscura User
  amelsing / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Known as Q'eswachaka (the first syllable is a lateral "click"), Queshuachaca or Keshwa Chaca, this is one of the only remaining examples of the Incan handwoven bridges once common in the Incan road system.

Made of woven straw, the bridge spans 118 feet and hangs 60 feet above the canyon's rushing river. The Incan women braided small, thin ropes, which were then braided again by the men into large support cables, much like a modern steel suspension bridge. Handwoven bridges have been part of the trail and roadway system for over 500 years, and were held in very high regard by the Inca. The punishment for tampering with such a bridge was death.

Over time, however, the bridges decayed, or were removed, leaving this last testament to Incan engineering. The bridges' sagging was addressed by destroying and rebuilding it in an annual ceremony—originally considered a social obligation under Inca rule, and now preserved as a way of honoring their history by the nearby community of Quehue, Peru. This bridge has been christened with a traditional Incan ceremonial bridge blessing and is in extremely good condition.

Every June, Quechua communities gather on the banks of the Apurimac River to renovate the bridge. On this day, they manifest their honour to Pachamama, the Earth Mother, and behold archaic traditions. When the work is over, people express gratitude to Apus (mountain spirits) and afterward celebrate with music, traditional food and drinks

Related Tags

Architectural Oddities Long Now Locations Ruins Bridges Architecture

Know Before You Go

From Sicuani, follow signs to Arequipa (a left turn if you are on the main highway facing toward Cuzco). Continue on that road until you begin seeing signs for Quehue. From Quehue, continue through town to the west (probably best to ask directions from a local at this point). When you cross the Apurímac River on the steel roadway bridge, Q'eswachaka is on your right. There is one walkway down to it on either side of the roadway bridge (about 100 m away from the bridge in both cases). The geocoordinates are -14.3811214,-71.484012.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges

Discover Inca Wonders.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Dylan

Edited By

JoeDeRose, Molly McBride Jacobson, ghbondar, aribrown...

  • JoeDeRose
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • ghbondar
  • aribrown
  • TeaAndCoffeeLover
  • SlkTraveler
  • amelsing

Published

June 7, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queshuachaca
  • https://rove.me/to/peru/qeswachaka-bridge-weaving
Q'eswachaka Rope Bridge
Apurimac Canyon
Peru
-14.381121, -71.484012
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Volcán Pabellones

Peru

miles away

Rainbow Mountain

Pitumarca, Peru

miles away

Museo Ritos Andinos (Andean Rites Museum)

Andahuaylillas, Peru

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Peru

Peru

South America

Places 116
Stories 34

Nearby Places

Volcán Pabellones

Peru

miles away

Rainbow Mountain

Pitumarca, Peru

miles away

Museo Ritos Andinos (Andean Rites Museum)

Andahuaylillas, Peru

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Peru

Peru

South America

Places 116
Stories 34

Related Stories and Lists

This Man Rebuilds the Last Inca Rope Bridge Yearly

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

Peru’s Incan Rope Bridges Are Hanging by a Thread

science

By Lidio Valdez and Cirilo Vivanco

Lesson Plans: The Last Incan Bridge in Peru and Scotland's Electric Brae

bridges

By Dylan Thuras

10 Extraordinary Places That Celebrate 10 Years of Atlas Obscura

List

By Dylan Thuras and Josh Foer

39 Places That Will Warp Your Perspective of Time

List

By Molly McBride Jacobson

100 Wonders: The Last Incan Bridge

ancient technology

By Dylan Thuras

Related Places

  • Skara Brae is on the west coast of Scotland.

    Sandwick, Scotland

    Skara Brae

    Amazing and mysterious Neolithic settlement on Scotland's Orkney Islands.

  • Gobekli Tepe

    Örencik, Turkey

    Gobekli Tepe

    This hunter-gatherer architecture is believed to be the oldest religious complex known.

  • Hussaini Suspension Bridge

    Hussaini, Pakistan

    Hussaini Suspension Bridge

    Known as the most dangerous bridge in the world, the Hussaini Hanging Bridge is only one of many precarious rope bridges in Northern Pakistan.

  • Chand Baori

    Abhaneri, India

    Chand Baori

    Thousands of exquisitely carved stone water storage wells, hundreds of stone steps fill this exquisite medieval stepwell.

  • Living Root Bridges

    Cherrapunjee, India

    The Root Bridges of Cherrapunji

    Centuries-old bridges grown from tangled roots.

  • West Virginia’s New River Gorge Bridge is the longest steel bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

    Lansing, West Virginia

    Bridge Walk

    In West Virginia, you can walk across the longest single-arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

  • Pause to admire Jože Plečnik’s masterpiece.

    Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Triple Bridge

    Inspired by the Rialto Bridge in Venice, these three clustered bridges were just one part of a Slovenian architect’s grand vision.

  • Græshoppebroen (Grasshopper Bridge)

    Karrebæksminde, Denmark

    Græshoppebroen (Grasshopper Bridge)

    This distinctive bug-like bridge is made of recycled horseshoes.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.