Number 42 Ecuador 1996

Tracking the Incas

At the height of their power the Inca empire extended from northern Ecuador to central Chile. This huge area was linked by a system of well made roads, the longest of which extended over 5000 km from Quito to Talca south of Santiago de Chile. Since the Incas had not yet invented the wheel, the roads used stairs to climb up and down hillsides. In addition the Incas preferred to travel on the crest of the mountain ranges and not in the valleys when possible. Although today much of the roads is lost there are still some remnants which can be walked. The most famous is the one to Macchu Pichu which since a long time is overrun by tourists to such an extend that it is closed for a month each year to clean away all the rubbish. A far less travelled stretch is in the southern part of Ecuador not far from Alausi. A walk of 3 days leads to the Inca ruins of Ingapirca, the biggest and best preserved in Ecuador, but of course no match to the famous Macchu Pichu. 

The road up to the pass 

A truck brings us from Alausi to the little village of Achupallas. From there a hike of six hours takes us up along a creek into an increasingly empty Andean wilderness across a pass to the laguna las tres cruces at a height of almost 4000 m. Wheezing we fight our way up in the thin air. Since we have left the village we did not meet a human being. 

A big part of the road is on the crest

The lake is surrounded by complete silence until an Indian with a long machete arrives on a donkey and angrily shouts at us. We do not understand a word. After he has disappeared we set up our tent and begin preparing our dinner of pasta and tuna-tomato sauce. It is not yet dark when somebody appears at the other end of the lake, shouts something incomprehensible and throws something into the lake’s mirror-like surface. We are a bit worried and after it gets dark I remain sitting in front of the tent but there are no more visitors. It gets dark quite early so close to the equator and at this height it is cold at night. There is no way to spend the night in front of the tent and finally I retreat into my sleeping bag for a restless sleep. But there are no disturbances and we wake up in the morning without being hacked to pieces. 

Our tent at the Laguna las tres cruces

We follow the remains of the old Inca road which still forms a clear line along the valley. There are even some ruins of Inca bridges where the road had to cross the creek. From the top of the ridge some Llamas watch us, but otherwise we are left alone. We reach a cluster of ruins called Paredores in the map. 

The ruins of paredores

The ruins are supposedly dating back to the Incas, but they could also be much more recent. The masonry is crude and there are no typical Inca features. The main structure has three big and two small rooms. Scattered around are the foundations of several smaller buildings. The sun has come out and so this is an inviting place to stay. Nearby is another lake, Laguna Culebrillas, where we set up our camp. 

Llamas watch the hiker

When we wake up in the morning the mountain tops at the horizon are covered in snow. After paradores the Inca road widens to its full breadth of 7 meters. However, the area becomes more and more boggy and walking with the back-pack in the mud turns into a real nuisance. We regret that we did not bring walking sticks. It gets even worse after the area becomes more developed and the stony Inca road turns into a country road. A herd of cattle has been on this road before and the surface is a loose slimy brown mass. The mud sticks in a lump to the sole of the boots and there is no grip any more. With every step the feet slide sideways and with the back-pack it is difficult not to fall. It gets even worse after it starts drizzling. My mood is at its lowest point when we encounter the first human being in two days, an Indio on a mule. My reply to his hola is only a “carretera mal, gobierno mal.” I don’t know whether the poor guy on his mule knows what my problem is. 

The snow covered mountains at the horizon

The only other traveller in two days

Eventually we reach the ruins of Ingapirca. At 3160 m above sea level the buildings have some of the typical Inca features of close fitting masonry and the trapezoidal windows, which the Incas had to built since they did not know about arches. The museum is closed and we continue along the frustrating muddy track to the nearby village. I am glad that the torture on the muddy track is over. 

The ruins of Ingapirca

We find a truck which brings us to Cañar, a village on the main road pleasant enough to spend the night. The friendly owners of the residencial where we stay are also eager to prepare an especially tasty dinner for us. They come with a sack with something living in it. The content of the bag are two lovely, frightened guinea pigs, which they want to prepare for our dinner. We would never be able to eat these cute creatures, so I guess they get another day of life. Instead we get pollo, which must have been very skinny. I am glad that they did not show us the living chicken before they prepared it. At least there is no problem with the beer …. 

   

The begin of the expansion of the Inca empire traces back to 1438 starting from an area around Cuzco in Peru. At the time the Spanish arrived in 1532 they had conquered most of the Andean districts between Colombia and central Chile. However, their hold of the subdued tribes was rather loose. Local rulers would be offered gifts to accept the Inca supremacy. Most had no choice than to agree. Those who resisted were killed. Children of the local dignitaries would then be taken away to be educated by the Incas and sent back indoctrinated enough to take over rule according to the ideas of the Incas. 

      

The elaborate Inca masonry    

When the Spanish arrived at Guayaquil in what is now Ecuador, Francisco Pizarro had 170 men, 1 cannon and 27 horses. On the other hand the Incas neither had horses nor did they know about iron or steel. Their weapons were from hardwood and there victories were attained by an excess of manpower. The Inca Atahualpa had just won the civil war of succession against his brother Huascar and had 80.000 men at his disposal. It was his mistake that he met the Spanish with only a small group of followers. Atahualpa was imprisoned. To be set free, he accepted a ransom in an amount of gold sufficient to fill the room he was imprisoned in and double of that amount in silver. It took 4 month to collect almost 8 tons of gold. But instead of being set free the Spaniards publicly strangled Atahualpa in retaliation for the murder of his brother Huascar. There was some more Inca resistance but by 1572 their last stronghold was taken and their last leader Tupac Amaru executed. However, the Incas did not only have to fight the spanish enemy. With the Spaniards came the smallpox and the virus had taken a great toll among the non-resistant Indios. The efficient road system might have helped spreading the virus. 

Chapel of one of the villages on the way

The horrible betrayal and genocide committed by the Spanish on the Incas put the latter in the light of innocent victims who underwent a tragic fate. However, the Incas were a ruling caste whose brutality probably was in no way inferior to that of the Spanish. Another part of the Inca road network passed through the area of the charming northern argentine town of Salta. The biggest attraction of the museo archeologico de alta montaña at the main square in Salta are mummies buried by the Incas on Llullaillaco volcano, with 6715 m the third highest active volcano on earth. The Incas had the revolting practice of burying children alive on high mountain tops. 200 summits are known to have these sites, 50 of which are in the argentinian province of Salta. That happened in less than 100 years. The children were gifts from different parts of the Inca empire with the intention to increase the bondage between the rulers and their subjects. They were brought to the top of the mountain, drugged and buried alive. The mummies from the Llullaillaco volcano were a 6 and 15 year old girl and a 7 year old boy. The six year old girl is called “la niña del rayo” since the mummy had burns from a lightning that struck at a point in the 500 years it was lying there.

The plaza mayor of Salta. The museum is in the building on the right

But if you think this is history and our times are better the museum will provide proof of the contrary. They also have another mummy, called “la dea de montaña”. This mummy, originally discovered years ago on a summit near Cafayate in Argentina, was sold and disappeared for a long time. Eventually it resurfaced from the house of a private owner. Who would bring it into his sick mind to buy a mummy and keep her in his house? Maybe he had her next to himself in his bedroom?