Q’eswachaca 1 Day

First we will pick you up from the hotel between 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Then we head towards the South Valley of Cusco and pass through some small traditional villages of the region, our first stop will be in the village of Cusipata where we will have breakfast. Immediately after we begin our journey to the Mirador de Combapata, then we will stop at the Mini Volcano of the Pavilions and pass through Yanaoca which is one of the eight districts of the province of Canas. Then we will continue our trip for another hour and we will arrive to the district of Q’ewe where the famous Inca bridge of “Q’eswachaka” is located.

We will have plenty of time to know this attraction and part of the Apurimac canyon; then we will go to Mosoc Llaqta place where the house of Tupa Amaru II is located and after a guided tour we will go to the circuit of the four lakes (Pampamarca, Asnacqocha, Acopia and Pomacanchi). After visiting the aforementioned places we will go to Cusipata, where we will have lunch for the day.

Then we will return to the city of Cusco, arriving around 16:00 pm. End of service.

DESCRIPTION

During the time of the Incas, the Quechua people elaborated hanging bridges, made of vegetable fibers, to cross the rugged geography of the Andes mountain range and thus connect some communities with others. Q’eswachaka is the last Inca bridge “alive” today, which is renewed every year for its preservation.

The Q’eswachaka bridge is built over the Apurimac River at an altitude of 3,700 meters above sea level and is 29 meters long and 1.20 meters wide. Every year, during the second week of June, the communities of Chaupibanda, Choccayhua, Huinchiri and Ccollana Quehue gather for its renovation.

This process begins days before, when the villagers go out in search of q’oya, a strong vegetable fiber used for the construction of the bridge. Once collected, it is left to dry for a day and then beaten with stones and soaked to harden. Once this process is finished, the q’iswa is made, which is the union of several q’oyas to form a rope. All the members of the family participate in this elaboration. With the q’iswas prepared, everything is ready for the renovation of the bridge, a process that takes three days and includes a series of rituals and offerings to the Pachamama (mother earth) and the Apus (mountains).