Every June, one of the last known traditional grass bridges built by the Inca is rebuilt by Incan descendants in the villages around Quehue, Peru. The event is called the Q’eswachaka Festival and, as we saw for ourselves, this Incan rope bridge festival celebrates Incan culture past and present.

The Q’eswachaka Festival in Peru is a rare chance to see local communities come together to rebuild their traditional twisted rope bridge the same way their Incan ancestors built it hundreds of years ago.
A paved road was built into the area and a new modern bridge was put in over the Apurimac River in the 1980s. However, locals prefer the traditional bridge and they use it with pride. Many also believe that rebuilding the bridge is a way of ensuring good agricultural conditions so that farmers, who grow potatoes, beans, wheat, and other staples, have a good harvest.
There are other Incan rope bridges in Peru, but the q’eswachaka (sometimes spelled queshuachaca or keshwa chaca) in Quehue is considered the last of the Incan rope bridges that are rebuilt traditionally and are still in regular use.

The q’eswachaka near Quehue, Peru spans the Apurimac River.
Participation in the annual bridge rebuilding is expected and hundreds of local villagers participate–young and old, male and female. Everyone has a part to play from harvesting the grass used to make the ropes to twisting rope to constructing the actual bridge. We were told that each family is expected to contribute 230 feet (70 meters) of rope and fines can be levied against villagers who don’t do their part.

Traditional handmade clothing is a highlight of the festival.
Day by day at the Q’eswachaka Incan rope bridge festival
Day 1: Out with the old
During the first day of the festival, people from four area communities assembled near the bridge in the morning to begin producing the large braided ropes needed to replace the floor and handrails of the bridge.
Victoriano Arizapana, the bridge master (a position passed down through the Arizapana family for generations), is the man in charge of the annual rebuilding which begins when he and able-bodied men from the villages cut down the old bridge which bobs in the green water of the Apurimac.

Young girls watch older women as they begin the process of making the grass ropes used to rebuild the bridge.
The first step in the rope-making process involves beating Andean grass, called q’oya in the Quechua language, with stones to make the grass supple. This work is done by women and we were told that you must be 18 or older to do this work. Many young girls sat and watched as older girls and women went about their tasks.

Women pound Andean grass then braid and twist it into narrow ropes which are combined over and over to create much larger and stronger ropes.

Massive ropes are tightened and strengthened in a kind of tug of war between large groups of men.

This rope is nearly ready to be put in place as the bridge begins to take shape.
Day 2: A great gathering
The second day of the festival started with offerings to mountain spirits (called apus) and to Mother Earth led by a local healer named Cayetano Canahuire.
Around 9 am, the names of local villagers were called as residents flowed over the hillsides from their homes to the bridge site. Latecomers rushed. The women’s clothing flashed with color against a bright blue sky above the Andes.

These ropes, made by local women, may look dainty but they form the basis of this bridge.
Many women continued their work beating grass and beginning the twisting and braiding process to create more small diameter twisted ropes to be used to construct the sides of the bridge connecting the handrail ropes to the floor ropes.

Men in traditional clothing take a coca leaf break from the work.

Workers string and tighten large grass ropes across the Apurimac River to form the floor of the bridge.

It takes teams of workers on both sides of the bridge to get the job done.
Day 3: Teamwork
The festival’s third day was devoted to tightening the floor and handrail ropes and completing the rest of the construction of the bridge. After morning offerings to the apus and Mother Earth, Victoriano and a swarm of workers focused on the task of finishing the bridge. This day also held one of the most dramatic moments of the festival.

Victoriano, the local bridge master, took a dramatic and symbolic walk across the bridge with just the floor and handrails in place.

A worker installing ropes that form the side of the traditional Incan rope bridge near Quehue, Peru.

One of the final stages of the q’eswachaka rebuilding process involves workers installing ropes that form the sides of the bridge.

Workers installing ropes that form the sides of the traditional Incan q’eswachaka near Quehue, Peru.

A carpet of leaves and twigs is rolled out as a finishing touch on the completed bridge.

When the bridge work is done, offerings of corn, coca leaves, birds, and alcohol are made over an open fire.

Local leaders inaugurate the newly rebuilt q’eswachaka Incan rope bridge.
Day 4: Open for business
During the previous days of the bridge rebuilding, women were not allowed near the bridge. However, around midday on the fourth and final day of the festival, the bridge was officially opened and everyone was allowed to cross, including us.

Karen crossing the new q’eswachaka near Quehue, Peru at the end of the annual bridge rebuilding festival there.
Don’t miss our photo essay from the final day of this festival when dancers perform traditional dances in traditional clothing to celebrate the rebuilding of the bridge.
We loved this festival so much that we convinced our editor at American Way (the in-flight magazine for American Airlines) to commission a small piece about the event. Check out our story about the Q’eswachaka Incan rope bridge festival for American Way magazine.
See more of this festival in Peru in our travel video, below.
How to see the Q’eswachaka Incan Rope Bridge Festival
Tour companies offer very long day trips and multi-day trips to Quehue from Cuzco for travelers who want to see all or part of this Incan rope bridge festival.
Where to stay
A network of basic rural homestays (called casas habitantes) offers around 90 rooms in about a dozen homes in communities close to the bridge. In general, these homestays include a warm bed, electricity, outdoor shared bathrooms, and simple meals for purchase (or be prepared to be totally self-sufficient when it comes to food). Reserve early by visiting Turismo Rural. When we attended this festival, camping was also permitted on specific plots of land though it seemed like tour company groups had filled up most camping areas.
Getting to Quehue, Peru
Public transportation in this part of Peru is limited. Those with a vehicle or who’ve signed up for a tour company trip can expect a very scenic high-altitude drive of about 4.5 hours each way from Cuzco including three hours to the town of Combapata followed by another 30 minutes to the town of Yanaoca and then 40 minutes to Quehue. Remember that this festival takes place at 12,440 feet (3,792 meters), so pack layers, sun hats, comfortable shoes, and sunscreen and be ready for changeable weather.
Here’s more about travel in Peru
Here’s more about Festivals & Celebrations in the Americas
Here’s more about Cultural Travel in the Americas
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