Chaskiwasis
by hughpierre
Purpose / Function
Chaskiwasis are strategically spaced waystations built along the vast road system to support the empire’s runners.
Design
Chaskiwasis are small stone dwellings with sloped thatched roofs, typically built within a day's run along major routes. Locations are also chosen for their visibility on a typical day, defensibility, access to fresh water and adjacency to storehouses obligated to support all the chaskiwasi within their specific range.
Contents & Furnishings
Each contained food stores like chuño and roasted maize, spare gear and sleeping mats. They also often had small in-built fire pits and water basins.
Tourism
Newly annexed territories can perceive the construction of a chaskiwasi network in one of two ways.On one hand, it represents access to imperial logistics and the benefit that carries. However, they also represent the loss of independence and the intrusion of their conquerors into their daily lives.
Some locals resent their symbolic presence, yet they could never sustain their current quality of life without them.
Alternative Names
Messenger Houses
Type
Hut
Parent Location
Connected Rooms
Owning Organization
Contested By
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