Stone irrigation channels and water distribution systems allowed for control of water resources that were shared by Inka communities for drinking and irrigation. Parts of the original Inka water management infrastructure are still used by contemporary towns in the Andes today. Modern systems of water management are based on Inka designs.
Drinking from an Inka Fountain Video: Watch a Quechua man drink water from an Inka fountain at the ancestral site of Machu Picchu, where spring water flows freely through the original Inka fountains. The Inka developed major public works projects to address water issues.
Read interviews with local experts in the Andes who continue to use water management methods developed by the Inka.
Felipe Romelio Ascoe Gibaja, Water Management Expert
Pacchapata, Ollantaytambo, Cusco Region, Peru
Interviewed by staff of the Smithsonian Institution
June 2014
Prior to restoration of the ancestral canals in this area, the rain and the water that was coming down the road was chaos. The canals couldn’t be seen. This place is called Pacchapata which means "place of a waterfall.” The water came down with great force, flowing wherever it could. I had to ask my neighbors and other villagers nearby to work together. We have removed roots and stones. The architects in the area have also helped remove some of the stones. The canal had been forgotten for hundreds of years. An excavation was made of the totally destroyed Inka canal. There were remnants of physical evidence that served as a guide indicating where the original canal was located. The original paccha (waterfall) was gone. The initial restoration efforts have been completed and the second part of the canal is still under reconstruction. We have repaired 150 yards of the 300-yard long canal. We have also repaired the agricultural terraces as they had been destroyed. It’s turned out moderately well. It was a three-month job with twenty to thirty workers. I am a farmer and a homeowner from Ollantaytambo, one of the oldest communities. Since my youth, I have felt that it is my duty to repair important structures that have been destroyed. The Apus and the Pachamama enlightened me a bit. Then came a flood and were it not for the already partially restored canal, everything would have disappeared. We are all Inka here; we all know how to do the job.
Vicente Cusihuaman Valer, Water Governor
Ollantaytambo, Cusco Region, Peru
Interviewed by staff of the Smithsonian Institution
June 2014
As a water governor, I work on the management of water and the maintenance of drainage systems. I also do installations. It is my job to control the water supply. Every morning I come and see how the system is working. Today we have a modern reservoir that supplies water to all the people of Ollantaytambo, using the spring water that comes from the mountain. Sometimes this is not enough water for the community’s daily use. There are times during the day when there is no water in the village. From July to November we have water shortages, and then the rain comes and we have enough water. We don’t pump water from wells here because it’s very rocky. The springs give us water. This water we have now is used to irrigate the fields of quinoa, potatoes, and root vegetables in our agricultural terraces. In the Sacred Valley, different crops grow during different seasons. We have no frost or bad weather. Three hundred types of tubers and three hundred types of corn are grown here.
