Historic Inca Highway Rounds Out Trip for Arnot and Dossett

By Melissa Arnot

I have become very interested in the Ecuadorian history of the Inca Highway recently. As we board a short flight south to Cuenca, I know that I will learn so much about it in the next few days. Our local guide meets us, here to help us understand more about the local culture as well as the historical Inca culture. We drive for a few hours and suddenly a bluff appears with stone structures on it. This is our first Inca ruin.

As we wander through the maze of rockwork, I can imagine a village of people here. The Inca people were remarkably advanced in their infrastructure, despite the fact that they had a rather short reign here (about 70 years). There is clearly a system to divide workers from royals and keep families close.

We see the start of the Inca road that we will eventually follow. It looks like a cobbled sidewalk…I had somehow thought it would be bigger, but our guide reminds me that it is 1,200 miles long…I guess that is sufficiently big!

We head out into the hills and suddenly come upon a tall structure with the remnants of the road next to it. These are the tambos, or way stations, that made the Incas’ communication systems possible. I sit inside, again imagining that a runner is coming to bring me a verbal message that I will carry anywhere from 12 to 50 miles before passing it on to the next runner. Their system is amazing.

I am so happy to have experienced this part of Ecuador, this deep and rich history that has helped to define the current culture. I feel like I have a more complete understanding of this fantastic country and all that happens here. Now I just have to start planning my next trip…