Tambo (Incan structure) facts for kids

A tambo (pronounced TAHM-boh) was a special building used by the Incas. It was like a rest stop, a supply depot, and an office all in one! You could find tambos along the long network of Inca roads. They held important supplies, offered places for travelers to sleep, and stored records kept using quipus (knotted strings). People from nearby villages helped maintain and work at the tambos as part of their community service, called mit'a. Tambos were usually built about a day's walk apart along the roads.

What Were Tambos For?

The Incas built many tambos when they improved their road system. This happened during the rule of Thupa Inka Yupanki (from 1471 to 1493). Experts believe there were more than 2,000 tambos! They came in many different sizes and had various jobs.

At the very least, a tambo would have places to sleep, cooking areas, and storage buildings called qullqas. But they could be very different from each other. Some were just simple inns. Others were like small towns that offered temporary homes for many travelers. It can be hard to tell the difference between a very large tambo and a small village.

Qunchamarka tambo on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

The job of a tambo depended on its size and what it contained. Every tambo could house different government workers. For example, the smallest tambos were like relay stations for the chasquis. These were special messengers who ran along the state roads.

Larger tambos could do even more. They had bigger storehouses. These could provide supplies and lodging for armies moving through the empire. It's important not to confuse tambos with qullqas. Qullqas were only storehouses where armies would get supplies. The biggest and fanciest tambos were usually used to host the traveling Inca ruler and his group. This group often included his wives and important officials.

Besides taking care of travelers, bigger tambos also had workshops. Here, skilled people like potters and weavers would make their goods. They could also act as administrative centers. Local leaders would use them to manage their region. Plus, larger tambos often had special areas for religious ceremonies. Historians have also found signs of hunting, mining, and coca plant production at some tambo sites.

A Spanish writer named Pedro Cieza de León wrote about tambos in his book Crónicas de Peru. He explained what he learned from the local people: "To make sure there were enough supplies for their men, every four leagues (a measure of distance) there were lodgings and storehouses. The representatives who lived in the main cities made sure that the local people kept these inns (tambos) well supplied. To ensure everyone contributed fairly, they kept records using knots, which they called quipus. This way, after the troops passed, they could check that everything was correct."

How Far Apart Were Tambos?

Many historians say that tambos were usually placed about a day's walk from each other. However, how far someone can walk in a day can change a lot. So, this isn't a perfect way to measure distance. In reality, the distance between tambos varied greatly. It could be less than 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) or almost 45 kilometers (about 28 miles).

Many things affected where tambos were built. The Incas usually tried to build them near water and good land. They tried to avoid bad areas like swamps or very steep hills. Sometimes, the Incas built tambos away from local towns for reasons we don't fully understand. Other times, they built them close to where they could find workers.

The speed of llama caravans might also have influenced tambo placement. Llamas move slower than a person. The Sapa Inca (the Inca ruler) also traveled slower than a normal person. He traveled with a large group, which made travel slower. This meant tambos needed to be closer together when he was on the move.

Tambo Architecture

The remains of tambos can still be found today in modern-day Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia. These remains show many different building styles. It's hard to describe all the variations, but we can group them into a few types.

Some tambos were built even before the Inca Empire existed. The Incas simply took them over. These older tambos can be divided into two groups. Some were not changed at all, so they look completely pre-Incan. Others were updated by the Incas, so they show a mix of old and Inca styles.

For the tambos built during the Inca period, there are three main styles. Some tambos clearly show local building styles. This happened in places where the local culture was strong and allowed to continue. Other sites had mostly Inca architecture but also some small influences from local traditions. Finally, some tambos were built only in the Inca style. Because local culture often influenced these buildings, Inca-style-only tambos are more common in isolated areas, not in places with many people.

The kancha was a common architectural feature found in many tambos. A kancha was a large building with rectangular walls. Inside, it held several smaller, one-room structures. Building smaller rooms inside seems to have been related to the "cold, rainy environment of the Andean highlands." Kanchas were found in many Inca buildings, from the grand Qorikancha temple in Cusco to the smallest tambo. Historians believe kanchas were typically used as living quarters. This fits with the tambos' purpose of housing travelers.

Tambos After the Inca Empire Fell

After the Inca Empire collapsed, people living in the area stopped using tambos in the same way. This suggests that the tambo system was a special network created by the Inca Empire itself. It might have been more useful to the Incas than to the regular people living throughout the empire. One reason for this idea is that tambos were often placed for long-distance travel and contact between regions, not always near large local villages.

Even though the local people might have stopped using tambos, the Spanish colonizers started using them. Sometimes the Spanish used the original Inca tambo buildings. But they also built new structures along the roads. Sometimes, they even built a new tambo right next to an old Inca one. Historians know that the Spanish expanded the tambo system beyond what the Incas had. They covered even more territory.

The city of Santiago was built around an old local settlement. This settlement had an irrigation system and a "Tambo Grande" (Big Tambo). According to archaeologist Rubén Stehberg, the Spanish used existing buildings. They didn't build any new structures in Santiago for at least eight months after they arrived.

In Spanish: Tambo (arquitectura) para niños