Q’eswachaka Rope Bridge

This guide to the Q'eswachaka Rope Bridge near Cusco follows the one week every June when families from four Quechua-speaking communities twist ichu grass into cables strong enough to span the Apurímac gorge. You'll meet the chakaruwaq, bridge weavers whose craft passes hand to hand and has never been written down, working from opposite banks until they meet in the middle. It follows what becomes of last year's bridge once the new one is tied into place, cut loose to fall into the river below.