Without a doubt, one of the best-conserved sections of the Qhapac Nan, the 25,000 kilometre network of Inca highways that linked every corner of Tawantinsuyo - from southern Colombia to northern Argentina - is the stretch that links Huari (very near Chavin de Huantar) with the great Inca imperial centre of Huanuco Pampa. It is about time for a re-evaluation of the Inca highways beyond the well-trodden path to Machu Picchu, and the involvement of rural communities and overwhelming scenery combine to make this route an unforgettable experience.

Text: Rolly Valdivia.
Photos: Luis Yupanqui.

The Apus command the wind and the clouds to punish, with their furious breath and stormy drops, the strangers attempting to cross their rugged domain. The ancient, proverbial rage of the mountain gods becomes a thunderous roar that shakes the plains and valleys, together with the souls of the runas (men). 

It was hard to continue through the fog, wind and rain, the freezing drops that penetrated our clothing, along stone paths that suddenly became covered in slippery mud. All we could do was stop and try to placate the Apus, as the ancients did, as their descendants do to this day, and as we did also.

Seven llamas for the Apu
The voices of collective memory tell of how the Son of the Sun himself had to confront the might of the mountains and lakes that protect the communities, pastures and water that surround the great Inka Naani - that long, legendary and historic legacy that winds through the apparently inhospitable heights of Ancash and Huanuco. 

In the fog it was comforting to remember that the Inca, the powerful lord of Tawantisuyo, wept impotently at the Waga Pass (4,358 metres above sea level) when the Apu Angurajay - offended by the construction of the highway and the ruler's broken promise - welcomed him with a storm that prevented his passage.

Angurajay had warned the Inca that he would only allow the road to be used if his slopes were reforested. The Inca accepted the mountain's proposal, but for several reasons did not keep his word. The apocalyptic hailstorm was the Apu's way of protesting and making clear the precarious situation of mankind in the face of the immense power of nature.

It is said that the travellers were so desperate that one of the priests dared to confront the Inca with his lack of respect for the gods. It was decided that the only way to placate the irascible mountain was to offer seven llamas in ritual sacrifice.

The bearer of the mascaypacha had the advantage over us. We - did I mention that I had company? - could only offer the mountain three coca leaves and at the Punta Huamarin ushnu (4,400 metres above sea level) we offered another three leaves, because even if the sky itself came down on us we were not prepared to sacrifice the expedition's llamas. They were untouchable, for they carried our equipment.

A Hundred Kilometres of Hope
With the blessing of the Apus and the Earth (patsa), of the lakes (cochas) and the wind (wayra), we walked for five days along an imposing route, and the simple act of walking became an overwhelming experience that connected us with the roots of ancient Peru, with an ancient past that inhabits this land still.

Each day was intense, unique and unforgettable on the Inka Naani ("Inca highway" in the Quechua dialect of the region), a trail more than one hundred kilometres long that crosses mountains, takes precipices in its stride and represents hope in the lives of fifteen communities located along the Qhapaq Nan, the ancient road network that joined the four corners of the Andean world.

Stepping through mud, stepping across stone. Stepping across the wild plains. Steps that exhaust and comfort, steps that take us to the stone doorways and walls of Huanuco Pampa, the imposing capital of Chinchaysuyo (the province of Dos de Mayo, Huanuco), like the last bead in an adventurous rosary that begins in the town of Castillo, in the province of Huari (Ancash).

In this bucolic corner of the highlands, with its splendid geography and poverty, tourism represents hope for the future - albeit tenuous still. The Mountain Institute, in cooperation with the Kuntur Institute for Conservation and Development, established the Inka Naani project in 2003.

In essence, the project's aim is to transform the route into an attractive tourism circuit, with accommodation, pack animals (horses and llamas) and food offered by local people, who will then benefit by improving their standard of living in an area where 90% of residents live below the poverty line.

Between April and November 2005, the area received 12 experimental groups of Peruvian and foreign tourists, generating 300 soles for each of the 80 families in the Ancash and Huanuco communities that participate in this ambitious plan financed by USAID.

Sacred Hills, Mythical Lakes
Waking before the cock crows - if there is a cock nearby. Striking the tent, packing the sleeping bag, organising the backpack. Stretching muscles, warming up and dressing. Breakfast without coffee, but with soup, boiled potatoes and popcorn. Delicious… ah, and with a second course in preparation for the long morning's hike.

Leaving quickly to beat the rain. A goodbye without nostalgia. A last look at the mud brick houses of Soledad de Tambo, Taparaco or Isco. The desolate playground of the San Cristobal de Tambo school, the smallholdings sown with potato, barley or peas, and the soaring peaks that seem to watch over the pilgrims on the Inka Naani.

Listening to the legends and myths told expertly by Basilio Trujillo Zorrilla, the lively and eloquent guide from the Kuntur Institute; dreaming with the plans and projects of Miriam Torres Angeles of the Mountain Institute; feeling the mysticism of the nearby sacred mountains and the shores of Lake Sacracocha, said to have been split in two by the Inca's slingshot.

Feeling solidarity with the complaints of the residents of Castillo, as they ask for help with the maintenance of the road to their village which "is like an abyss, not fit for goats". Discovering with Joaquin the archaeological remains of Soledad de Tambo; laughing with Sofia, a strong and charismatic woman from Sacracocha.

Enjoying each step when the trail is wide and runs tamely alongside the Taparaco, a fast-flowing river; hating stretches like the descent from Ayash, a sombre village in tense conflict with local mining concerns; suffering the steep climb to Waga and the interminable final descent that punishes the knees all the way to Colpa.

Huanuco Pampa and the Silence of the Apus
And despite the tiredness and the burning blisters, one advances determinedly towards faraway Huanuco Pampa (also known as Huanuco Viejo or Huanuco Marka). Whatever the place is called, one just wants to get there, breathe deeply and relax in that magnificent city built during the reign of Tupac Yupanqui.

Archaeological remains under a sky filled with clouds heavy with rain. Visiting the acllawasi and the ushnu, and from there the residential area, looking at the stone pumas and a trapezoidal doorway. Everything was perfect until we saw the ridiculous graffiti painted on one of the walls of this emblematic city. I am told it was an archaeologist. I don't know what to think.

I leave. It rains. More mud and I no longer care for I am no longer on the Inka Naani. I seek refuge and wait for the sky to clear on its own, without coca leaves or the help of the Apus. 

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