﻿232 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  Spanish 
  mail 
  did 
  the 
  same 
  distance 
  by 
  horse 
  in 
  12 
  to 
  13 
  days 
  (Cobo, 
  

   1890-95, 
  bk. 
  12, 
  ch. 
  32) 
  , 
  13 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  using 
  the 
  post 
  for 
  urgent 
  

   government 
  messages, 
  the 
  Emperor 
  had 
  fresh 
  fish 
  brought 
  to 
  him 
  from 
  

   the 
  Coast 
  in 
  2 
  days 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95). 
  Beacon 
  fires 
  were 
  used 
  to 
  send 
  

   a 
  message 
  with 
  unusual 
  speed 
  (Garcilaso, 
  1723, 
  pt. 
  1, 
  bk. 
  6, 
  ch. 
  6; 
  

   Pachacuti, 
  1879, 
  p. 
  319). 
  

  

  Bridges. 
  — 
  The 
  Inca 
  had 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  different 
  ways 
  of 
  crossing 
  rivers. 
  

   Most 
  Andean 
  rivers 
  are 
  small, 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  easily 
  forded, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  

   rainy 
  season. 
  A 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  rivers 
  were 
  sufficiently 
  placid 
  to 
  be 
  

   crossed 
  by 
  balsas; 
  a 
  balsa 
  ferry 
  was 
  operated 
  across 
  the 
  Santa 
  River 
  

   on 
  the 
  North 
  Coast 
  in 
  Inca 
  times 
  (Cieza 
  1554, 
  bk. 
  1, 
  ch. 
  70 
  ; 
  Cobo, 
  1890- 
  

   95, 
  ch. 
  14), 
  and 
  another 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  use 
  on 
  the 
  Azangaro 
  River 
  in 
  Puno. 
  

   For 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  however, 
  the 
  mountain 
  rivers 
  are 
  so 
  swift 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  

   water 
  is 
  even 
  knee 
  deep, 
  some 
  sort 
  of 
  bridge 
  is 
  necessary. 
  

  

  Across 
  a 
  narrow 
  river, 
  the 
  Inca 
  laid 
  long 
  beams 
  and 
  covered 
  them 
  

   with 
  cross 
  bars 
  and 
  branches. 
  The 
  Huatanay 
  River 
  in 
  Cuzco 
  was 
  

   bridged 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  principle, 
  but 
  with 
  great 
  slabs 
  of 
  stone 
  9 
  to 
  12 
  feet 
  

   (3 
  to 
  4 
  m.) 
  long, 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  still 
  in 
  place 
  until 
  recently 
  when 
  

   the 
  river 
  was 
  newly 
  canalized. 
  

  

  Wide 
  rivers 
  were 
  spanned 
  by 
  suspension 
  bridges, 
  which 
  were 
  very 
  

   skillfully 
  constructed. 
  The 
  bridges 
  were 
  hung 
  from 
  four 
  masonry 
  

   pillars 
  or 
  towers, 
  two 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  into 
  which 
  were 
  set 
  the 
  

   beams 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  cables 
  of 
  the 
  bridges 
  were 
  hung. 
  Five 
  cables, 
  

   each 
  some 
  16 
  inches 
  (40 
  cm.) 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  made 
  of 
  supple 
  twigs 
  

   twisted 
  or 
  braided 
  together, 
  were 
  required 
  for 
  each 
  bridge. 
  The 
  

   cables 
  were 
  wound 
  around 
  the 
  beams 
  in 
  the 
  supporting 
  towers 
  as 
  

   tightly 
  as 
  possible, 
  and 
  fastened 
  securely. 
  Three 
  formed 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  

   the 
  bridge; 
  two, 
  the 
  guard 
  rails. 
  For 
  the 
  floor, 
  small 
  cross 
  poles 
  were 
  

   fastened 
  to 
  the 
  cables, 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  smaller 
  sticks 
  and 
  brush. 
  

   The 
  guard 
  rails 
  were 
  formed 
  by 
  weaving 
  a 
  vine 
  or 
  rope 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  

   between 
  the 
  floor 
  and 
  the 
  guard-rail 
  cables, 
  and 
  served 
  mostly 
  to 
  give 
  

   the 
  traveler 
  a 
  sense 
  of 
  security. 
  The 
  middle 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  bridge 
  sagged 
  

   considerably 
  from 
  its 
  own 
  weight. 
  The 
  Inca 
  apparently 
  never 
  

   thought 
  of 
  hanging 
  the 
  floor 
  below 
  the 
  cables 
  and 
  adjusting 
  the 
  verti- 
  

   cal 
  ropes 
  which 
  supported 
  it 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  floor 
  was 
  level. 
  No 
  guy 
  ropes 
  

   were 
  used, 
  and 
  the 
  bridges 
  swayed 
  in 
  the 
  slightest 
  wind. 
  Nevertheless, 
  

   the 
  construction 
  and 
  maintenance 
  of 
  a 
  suspension 
  bridge 
  200 
  feet 
  

   (about 
  65 
  m.) 
  long, 
  such 
  as 
  Father 
  Cobo 
  crossed 
  at 
  Vilcas 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  

   Apurimac 
  River, 
  was 
  no 
  small 
  feat. 
  The 
  bridges 
  were 
  cared 
  for 
  by 
  

   nearby 
  villages 
  as 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  mit'a 
  tax, 
  and 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  rebuilt 
  every 
  

   year. 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  14, 
  ch. 
  13; 
  Estete, 
  1917, 
  p. 
  81; 
  1924, 
  p. 
  37; 
  

   Sancho, 
  1917 
  b, 
  chs. 
  6, 
  13; 
  Xerez, 
  1917, 
  p. 
  32; 
  Morua, 
  1922-25, 
  bk. 
  

   3, 
  chs. 
  18, 
  27; 
  Poma, 
  1936, 
  pp. 
  356-357.) 
  

  

  » 
  Means 
  gives 
  an 
  interesting 
  table 
  of 
  the 
  speed 
  of 
  the 
  runners 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  different 
  chroniclers 
  (1931,, 
  

   p. 
  334). 
  

  

  