ESCUELA SUPERIOR POLITÉCNICA DE CHIMBORAZO

FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS PECUARIAS

CARRERA DE AGROINDUSTRIA
INGLÉS III
Name: César Emilio Ormaza Grade: 3rd “A”
Date: 06/05/2020 Code: 280
ANCIENT ROPE BRIDGES
Voice 1 
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.

Voice 2 
And I’m Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is
easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1
In the Andes Mountains of Peru a group of people walk through the forest. They carry long,
thick ropes made from grass. Their trip is difficult. The path is full of rough rocks. The
mountain paths are narrow and go up very high. But the people keep travelling. They finally
arrive at a large deep canyon. It is a large open space between the mountains. Down
below, a large river flows through the bottom of the canyon. A bridge stretches across this
canyon. But this bridge is not made of metal, wood, or stone. It is a rope bridge. The people
in this area have been making rope bridges like this for hundreds of years. Today’s
Spotlight is on the Inca suspension bridges of Peru.

Voice 2
More than 500 years ago, Spanish explorers came to South America. They travelled
through many areas, including the Andes Mountains. They were very surprised by these
rope bridges. They had never seen bridges like these before. Bridges in Europe did not
stretch across such large spaces. The Spanish soldiers were afraid to walk across the
bridges. To the Spanish, these bridges looked weak.

Voice 1
But the Peruvian Inca people knew their bridges were safe. Five hundred years ago, the
Inca Empire was the greatest nation in the Americas. The Empire stretched far along the
Andes Mountains. But this culture did not use common ancient technology. The Incas did
not use wheels. They did not have a written form of mathematics. But the Inca people were
skilled engineers. They built many amazing buildings. They were very skilled stone
workers. Their stone work continues to surprise engineers even today!

Voice 2
The Inca’s engineering skills also helped them to build road systems. These roads covered
the whole Inca Empire. The trails and roads went through the mountains. Fast runners
carried messages through the empire using these roads. Animals also carried heavy loads
along the roads.
Voice 1
But rivers caused a problem for road builders. The rivers cut deep valleys and canyons
between the mountains. They were very difficult to cross. And people could not complete a
trip if they could not cross the rivers. So, the Inca engineers invented something amazing to
solve this problem: rope suspension bridges. Experts say that in the 16th century, there
were at least 200 rope bridges in the Inca Empire.

Voice 2
John Ochsendorf is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. MIT
is one of the best technology schools in the world. Doctor Ochsendorf studies ancient
building and engineering. He says that when the Spanish came to South America, they also
tried to build bridges. But they tried to build the kind of bridges they used in Europe. These
bridges were made of stone. And these bridges always fell down and broke.

Voice 1
The Inca people were very skilled with stone. They knew that stone would not work for
bridges like this. The river canyons were too large. So the Incan engineers used another
resource they understood. They used grass, cloth fibers, and animal hair. Their rope
bridges stretched more than 50 metres across large canyons. This was farther than any
European stone bridge of that time. And no European bridges stretched across such deep
canyons. The Inca rope bridges were some of the most amazing bridges of the time. Some
of the ropes of these bridges were as thick as a man’s body.

Voice 2
People in Peru still make these rope bridges today. Once a year, hundreds of people
gather at the Apurimac River near the village of Huinchiri. They come here to help rebuild
the rope bridge crossing the river. People must rebuild the bridges when the ropes become
too old or damaged. But it is a quick process. Villagers say they can build these bridges in
only three days.

Voice 1
In 1997, the television program Nova recorded this process. The villagers all came to help
build the new bridge. Clotilde Vilcas was one of the first people to arrive in the morning.
She brought a rope made of grass. The rope was 45 metres long. Soon, other people also
arrived. They also carried long ropes made of grass and animal hair. Before the villagers
could build the bridge, they needed about 6,500 metres of rope.

Voice 2
By the afternoon, almost 500 people had arrived to help build the new bridge. They turned
and twisted their ropes together to form larger ropes. They continued to do this many more
times to form the final ropes. Each large rope is made from 24 small ropes. In the end, the
people create three large ropes. And each one weighs about 90 kilograms.

Voice 1
Phillipe Petit is a French tightrope walker. He is very skilled at walking on ropes in very high
places. Because of this, he knows a lot about rope! He was in Peru to watch how the
people create this bridge. He talked to Nova about the rope they made.

Voice 3
“It is beautiful because each family did one little piece. Each community brought their own
rope. Those small ropes are like your little finger. But they are combined into a bigger one.
Then they are made into an even bigger one and now those three big ones. It is really a
communion, a coming together.”

Voice 2
The next morning, the people were ready to stretch the ropes across the river. A man
started by throwing a small rope across the river. Then the other men used this small rope
to pull the larger ropes across. Large stones stand on each side of the canyon. The people
tied the ropes to these stones. Then they worked all day to make the bridge stronger. They
pulled on the ropes until they were very tight. This made the bridge move less in the wind.
The largest ropes formed the floor of the bridge. Two other ropes were higher. People can
hold these ropes as they walk across.

Voice 1
Then, the men completed the final step. They tied small ropes between the floor and the
other ropes. The small ropes kept the large ropes connected and also made the bridge
safer. These ropes prevented people from falling down into the river. The bridge was now
ready for another year of traffic. Animals and people could cross the bridge safely.

Voice 2
The community of people worked together to make this bridge. The bridge is made from
many small ropes, but together those ropes are very strong. The bridge is like the village
community. The community is stronger when its members work together.

RESUMEN
In the Andes Mountains of Peru a group of people walk through the forest. They carry long,
thick ropes made from grass. Today’s Spotlight is on the Inca suspension bridges of Peru.
They finally arrive at a large deep canyon. It is a large open space between the mountains.
Down below, a large river flows through the bottom of the canyon. A bridge stretches
across this canyon. But this bridge is not made of metal, wood, or stone. It is a rope bridge.
The people in this area have been making rope bridges like this for hundreds of years.
Today’s Spotlight is on the Inca suspension bridges of Peru.

The Inca people were very skilled with stone. They knew that stone would not work for
bridges like this. The river canyons were too large. So the Incan engineers used another
resource they understood. They used grass, cloth fibers, and animal hair. Their rope
bridges stretched more than 50 metres across large canyons. This was farther than any
European stone bridge of that time. And no European bridges stretched across such deep
canyons. The Inca rope bridges were some of the most amazing bridges of the time. Some
of the ropes of these bridges were as thick as a man’s body.

In 1997, the television program Nova recorded this process. The villagers all came to help
build the new bridge. Clotilde Vilcas was one of the first people to arrive in the morning.
She brought a rope made of grass. The rope was 45 metres long. Soon, other people also
arrived. They also carried long ropes made of grass and animal hair. Before the villagers
could build the bridge, they needed about 6,500 metres of rope.

The next morning, the people were ready to stretch the ropes across the river. A man
started by throwing a small rope across the river. Then the other men used this small rope
to pull the larger ropes across. Large stones stand on each side of the canyon. The people
tied the ropes to these stones. Then they worked all day to make the bridge stronger.
 QUESTIONS:
Have you ever seen a rope bridge?
Yes, I have seen several and I have crossed some of them, but my experience has not
been entirely good on the subject of these suspension bridges

Have you crossed one?

Yes, and not just one, I have actually crossed several, but I will always remember one
that I crossed at an altitude of 800 m and almost fell due to losing my balance.