The roads were usually paved with stone. Stone steps were often built into steep areas in the mountains.
The network was based on two north-south roads with numerous branches. The best known portion of the road system is the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Part of the road network was built by cultures that precede the Inca Empire, notably the Wari culture. During the Spanish colonial era, parts of the road system were given the status of Camino Real. In 2014 the road system became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The most important Inca road was the Camino Real (Royal Road), as it is known in Spanish, with a length of 5,200 kilometres (3,200 mi). It began in Quito, Ecuador, passed through Cusco, and ended in what is now Tucuman, Tucumán. argentina The capital of the Inca empire, Cuzco, still contains many fine examples of Inca architecture, although many walls of Inca masonry have been incorporated into Spanish Colonial structures. The famous royal estate of Machu Picchu is a surviving example of Inca architecture.  The Inca used the road system for a variety of purposes. Not only did the road simply provide transportation for people who were traveling through the empire, the road also provided many military and religious purposes for the Inca. The most important Inca road was the Camino Real (Royal Road), as it is known in Spanish, with a length of 5,200 kilometres (3,200 mi). It began in Quito, Ecuador, passed through Cusco, and ended in what is now Tucuman, Tucumán. argentina At its peak the Incas Empire lasted less than a century before it was destroyed by the Spaniards. In about 1300 the Incas founded their capital city of Cuzco. They were only a small tribe but they came to rule a vast empire including most of Peru and parts of Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia and northwest Argentina. The Inca empire was like a pyramid with the Sapa Inca at the top. The empire was divided into 4 regions ruled by men called opas. Below them there were more layers of government. To help rule their vast empire the Incas created an efficient network of roads. The Inca Empire was a complex society with an estimated population of 10 million people. They had large stone cities, beautiful temples, an advanced government, a detailed tax system, and an intricate road system. The Inca were able to create sturdy stone buildings. Without the use of iron tools they were able to shape large stones and have them fit together without the use of mortar. The main purpose of the roads were to hold the Empire together and create a network of communication and stability. Today, roads and bridges are still used; however, the Inca region has became advanced with railroads. Trains are used mostly for the tourist that come and visit Peru and Columbia. In contrast, stone was laid over the roads and canals for wet areas.The Inca road system was highly used in the Inca state and often used to move government messengers, Inca armies, royal litters, or state trade caravans. Land of the Four Quarters or Tahuantinsuyu is the name the Inca gave to their empire. It stretched north to south some 2,500 miles along the high mountainous Andean range from Colombia to Chile and reached west to east from the dry coastal desert called Atacama to the steamy Amazonian rain forest. With the arrival from Spain in 1532 of Francisco Pizarro and his entourage of mercenaries or conquistadors, the Inca empire was seriously threatened for the first time. Duped into meeting with the conquistadors in a peaceful gathering, an Inca emperor, Atahualpa, was kidnapped and held for ransom. Inca Road System. Another thing that was very important to the Inca was their roads. Since they lived in the mountains it was very hard for the Inca to get around. To deal with this problem the Inca built roads. A lot of roads. Although we do not exactly know how much terrain they covered, it is estimated that there are 40,000 kilometers of Inca roads in the Andes. Most roads were paved and made of stone but the some were simply dirt roads that were still successful roads however The Inca Road System (1453 – 1533). Among the many roads and trails constructed in pre-Columbian South America, the Inca road system, or Qhapaq Ñan ñan was the most extensive and highly advanced for its. time Much of the system was the result of the Incas claiming exclusive right over numerous traditional routes, some of which had been built centuries earlier. Many new sections were built or upgraded substantially: through Chile's Atacama desert, and along the western margin of Lake Titicaca, as two examples. The Incas built a large system of roads that went throughout their empire. The roads were usually paved with stone. Stone steps were often built into steep areas in the mountains. They also built bridges where the roads needed to cross rivers. The Inca were able to create sturdy stone buildings. Without the use of iron tools they were able to shape large stones and have them fit together without the use of mortar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_road_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_architecture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_road_system http://www.localhistories.org/inca.html http://www.ducksters.com/history/inca/science_and_technology.php http://jessica14.myweb.usf.edu/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/lost-inca-empire.html http://jwhitneyinca.weebly.com/inca-road-system.html http://www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=2639 http://www.ducksters.com/history/inca/science_and_technology.php
what technique did the inca empire use to build its roads