WASHINGTON, DC — Each June in Huinchiri, Peru, four Quechua communities on two sides of a gorge join together to build a bridge out of grass, creating a form of ancient infrastructure that dates back ...

The Inca Empire in South America, one of the most powerful pre-Columbian societies, was known for many innovations — such as the architecture of Machu Picchu, an extensive road network, and a system ...

At the height of its dominion, the Inca empire held sway over much of western South America—from the jagged spine of the Peruvian Andes to the sunbaked deserts of northern Chile. To traverse the vast ...

What remains of the Inca legacy is limited, as the conquistadors plundered what they could of Inca treasures and in so doing, dismantled the many structures painstakingly built by Inca craftsmen to ...

This article is part of our Summer reads series. Visit the full collection for book lists, guest essays and more seasonal distractions. SPAIN’S CONQUEST of the Inca empire in the 16th century was ...

One of history's greatest engineering feats is one you rarely hear of. It's the Inca Road, parts of which still exist today across much of South America. Fortunately, I have Peruvian archaeologist ...

Inca bureaucrats recorded all the goings-on in their bustling empire using knotted cords called khipu, where the position and order of the knots represented numbers. They relied on the khipu system to ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Popular Science’s new series, The Builders, takes you behind the ...

The growth of the Inca Empire can only be described as meteoric. Though precise dates for its beginnings remain elusive, the realm known to the Inca as Tahuantinsuyu, or "The Four Parts Together," ...

Ancient mummified bodies stand guard over windswept deserts near the Nazca and Ica mountain summits. © Charles Rennie/Robert Harding World Imagery/Corbis In 1533 the ...