Along the Inka Trail system were dotted tampu (also spelled tambu), roadside lodgings at a day's walk apart, approximately one every 20 kilometers of the roadway. These facilities were maintained by local communities, with storage facilities to keep food, fodder, firewood and other useful commodities nearby.
Architecture at tampu along the way were extremely variable. The Inka tampus ranged in size from one or a collection of several separate structures, to whole villages. Some of these structures predate the Inca period, and some are of Spanish construction.
Sources and Further Information
Inca Empire Study Guide
The Inca Road System
Hyslop, John. 1984. The Inka Road System. Academic Press: New York.
McEwan, Gordon F. 2006 The Incas: New Perspectives. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
