The Llama, the Incas, Perú and the Andes
by Charles Young and Karl Klooster

The Inca Empire
(continued)

Alongside each of the tampus ran a rivulet of fresh drinking water brought by an artificial canal. Inside were basic supplies including "freeze-dried" potatoes, yet another Inca invention. At a time when the roads of Europe were little more than muddy, pothole-laden ruts, the Incas had the finest roads in the world. Given the extreme difficulty of construction in the rugged Andes, they surpassed even those of the Romans at their height.

Dozens of bridges tied the road system together - some pontoon, others cantilever, and still others, suspension. The latter, ingenious footbridges fashioned with woven rope cables, spanned deep canyons that would otherwise have taken days to get around. These bridges were an integral part of this efficient road network. And, those roads served not only as a system of travel and transportation, they were also the Lord Inca's line of communication throughout his empire.