The trek gave rise to a unique conservation project that will involve six South American countries and which proposes to revive the functioning of the Great Route of the Incas.
Although many stretches of the network have disappeared due to the ravages of time or to the impacts of human activities, still intact is the "Capac Nan" (meaning "principal road" in the Quechua language), the axis of the network of roads built by the Incas to impose their dominion over territories that now form part of northern Argentina and Chile, southern Colombia, and nearly the entirety of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.
"The Incas did not have draught animals, so wheeled carriages were not possible or necessary. Their roads were designed for a world of people on foot. To once again walk those routes brings us closer to their creators. It permits us to see what they saw." (Espinosa, 43, a passionate student of philosophy and of the indigenous Andean religions).
A study conducted by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Conservation International states that the restoration of the Route of the Incas would have important benefits for numerous threatened ecosystems, promote ecotourism and favor the development of the Indian groups that are found along its path.

Information source: UNESCO Documentation Centre