Editing Inca rope bridge (section)

==Famous examples==
The greatest bridges of this kind were in the [[Apurímac River|Apurímac Canyon]] along the main road north from [[Cusco]];<ref>{{cite book|author=Leonard, Jonathan Norton |title='Ancient America', Great Ages of Man Series |publisher= Time/Life Books|date= 1968 |page=185}}</ref> a famous example spans a 45-meter gap<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/stream/peruincidentsoft00squi#page/n605/mode/2up/search/bridge |title=The Great Hanging Bridge Over the Apurimac|work=Peru: Incidents of Travel and Exploration in the Land of the Incas|date= 1877|author= Squier, Ephraim George|author-link= E. G. Squier|publisher=Harper Bros.|location=New York}}</ref> that is supposed to be the inspiration behind [[Thornton Wilder]]'s 1928 [[Pulitzer Prize for the Novel|Pulitzer Prize]] winning novel ''[[The Bridge of San Luis Rey]]'' (1927).

Made of grass, the last remaining Inca rope bridge, reconstructed every June, is the [[Q'iswa Chaka]] ([[Quechua language|Quechua]] for "rope bridge"), spanning the [[Apurimac River]] near Huinchiri, in [[Canas Province]], [[Quehue District]], Peru. Even though there is a modern bridge nearby, the residents of the region keep the ancient tradition and skills alive by renewing the bridge annually in June. Several family groups have each prepared a number of grass-ropes to be formed into cables at the site; others prepare mats for decking, and the reconstruction is a communal effort. The builders have indicated that effort is performed to honor their ancestors and the [[Mama Pacha|Pachamama]] (Earth Mother).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/life/world_of_wonders/2011/02/the_last_incan_grass_bridge.html |title=The Last Incan Grass Bridge|author=Foer, Joshua |date=February 22, 2011|work=Slate}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:IRB-1-OldBridgeSags-keshwa3h.jpg|{{center|The old bridge sags<BR />([[:Image:IRB-1-OldBridgeSags-keshwa3h.jpg|Slide show]])}}
File:IRB-9-NewBridgeComplete-keshwa-2.jpg|{{center|Notice how much less the new bridge sags}}
File:IRB-2-BuildersGather-KC603-pol.jpg|{{center|Builders gather during the renewal}}
File:IRB-3-LayingOutRopeStrands-KC603-2.jpg|{{center|Preparing side lashings}}
File:IRB-4-StrandsAcrossGorge-IRBKC603-1.jpg|{{center|Main cable and hand-ropes are in place}}
File:IRB-5-LashingSides-KC603-4.jpg|{{center|Lashing the hand-ropes to the main side cables.}}
File:IRB-6-BringingDeckMat-KC603-8.jpg|{{center|Trimmed mat rolls form the bridge deck.}}
File:IRB-8-NewBridgeSideView-KC603-11.jpg|{{center|The new bridge is now complete and in use.}}
File:IRB-7-MUDDY2.jpg|{{center|Bridge in use during the rainy season.}}
</gallery>

{{Clear}}