Engineering the Inka Empire

Inka engineering, based on the close observation and understanding of terrain and natural forces, united a vast empire. A network of roads that reached more than 20,000 miles—crossing mountains and tropical lowlands, rivers and deserts—endures to this day. Woven-grass suspension bridges spanned distances much longer than European bridges of the time. In this collection, engineers, archaeologists, and other experts discuss the achievements of Inka engineering; its social and religious dimensions; and new research, such as the 3D virtual reconstruction of the Inka capital, Cusco, and the use of software to decipher the Inka record-keeping system. The exhibition "The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire" will be on view at the museum in Washington, D.C., from June 26, 2015, to June 1, 2018. This collection is based on the symposium "Engineering the Inka Empire," presented at the National Museum of the American Indian on November 14, 2013. Cosponsored by the National Museum of the American Indian and the Smithsonian Latino Center, the symposium was supported funds from the Smithsonian Consortium for World Cultures.