Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System
The site is a vast network of 30,000 km of roads built by the Incas for communication, trade and defence. Built over centuries by the Incas, partly on pre-Inca infrastructure, this extraordinary road network traverses one of the most extreme geographical terrains in the world, linking the snow-capped peaks of the Andes (over 6,000 metres above sea level) to the coast, passing through parched rainforests, fertile valleys and deserts. It reached its greatest expansion in the 15th century, spanning the entire Andes. The Qhapac Ñan Andean Road System includes 273 constituent sites spread over more than 6,000 km, which have been selected to highlight the social, political, architectural and engineering achievements of the network, as well as its associated trade, lodging and storage infrastructure, and sites of religious significance.