Suspension bridges of the Inca empire

Abstract

When Spanish forces arrived on the coast of Peru in 1531, under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro, they entered the vast and highly organized empire of the Incas. As they marched into the Andean mountains the Spaniards marveled at the complexity of the empire and the sophistication of the immense road network that was maintained by the Incas. Pedro de Cieza de León, a young Spanish foot soldier who arrived in South America just ten years after Pizarro, recorded his thoughts on these engineering achievements, writing: © 2006 Springer.