This study provides a territorial characterization of the Qhapaq Ñan through a multiscale cartographic analysis of its historical and contemporary routes, comparing the Inca road system with the present-day heritage network recognized within Peruvian territory. The Qhapaq Ñan was the largest infrastructure in pre-Columbian America, consolidated by the Incas in the 15th century to integrate an extensive territory in South America. Its inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014 reflects the continued use of many of its segments by rural Andean communities.
A territorial and multiscalar approach is employed to examine the Qhapaq Ñan as a system that continues to shape socio-spatial dynamics in the Andean region. This study draws on open-access georeferenced data from SIGDA (Geographic Information System of Archaeology), complemented by historical scholarship and official technical documentation produced by the Peruvian state.
The contemporary Qhapaq Ñan is a physically discontinuous road network. The preserved stretches form a fragmented whole due to historical processes of destruction of the original layout. The system no longer retains its capillary territorial model, which once articulated settlements with a distant imperial center. Nonetheless, despite the loss of macro-regional continuity, the Qhapaq Ñan remains tangible, albeit sectorized, manifesting through localized stretches and nodes that preserve functional and symbolic relevance.
While most academic studies conceptualize the Qhapaq Ñan primarily as an archaeological asset, this article addresses a gap by approaching it as a system of routes, emphasizing its spatial inscription and contemporary relevance within the Andean landscape.
