SearchThe Queshuachaca Bridge in Peru can only be described as an amazing feat of engineering. It crosses a gorge above the Apurimac River in the Canac Province and connects four communities, providing a vital link for the local Andean people.
A rope suspension bridge has been in existence here for over 500 years and each year the communities come together, working from each end, to repair and replace this one-of-a-kind bridge.
Women harvest local grasses for weaving into small cables of twisted grass. In turn, these are twisted together to make larger ropes, which are then twisted again to make the cables for the bridge. These are the first parts to be put in place.
Teams working from either end weave the supports and sides. Sticks are put in place for the floor and when they meet in the middle, matting is placed down to make the floor.
The process takes three days to complete. Unesco recognized the traditional weavers’ methods in 2013 and the construction of the bridge as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This amazing video shows the entire process photographed from above:
