Andean States (200 b.c.–A.d. 1534)

The train of llamas walks steadily up the steep incline, zigzagging along the rugged mountain face, as the herders urge on the laden beasts with sticks. Each animal carries an odoriferous load of fish meal, tied in coarse fiber sacks. Their handlers are oblivious to the smell, as the llamas walk sure-footedly along the narrow track, dense mist swirling at their feet. Then, suddenly, a cry from the head of the caravan brings everyone to a halt. Cursing, the drivers urge their animals against the hillside. An Inka runner trots around the corner ahead, steadying himself on the bend as he keeps up a stiff pace. He raises a hand as he lopes on, never slacking his speed, his destination the tiny government rest house 2,000 feet down the mountain. The drivers watch him incuriously, for royal dispatches between Cusco and the many outlying administrative centers of the empire flow up and down the mountain pass every day, regardless of the weather .