Inca Bridge

I had heard about the Andes Mountains when I was a girl and a plane from Uruguay with young rugby players going to Chile crashed in them. By watching the news on the television I could have an idea of the great mountains they were… I could really realise of their immensity when being a teenager I had the opportunity to visit them with my parents during a holiday in Argentina.

We were in Mendoza and started driving up the mountains towards Chile, we wanted to cross the Andes. About 120 miles from our start, we found a river, called Las Cuevas River. This river is rich in minerals and at a certain point, about 2.700 metres height over sea level, we got to the Inca’s Bridge. It’s a natural stone bridge with a 20 m span bathed in mineral water deposits. There used to be a monastery next to it a long time ago. There are many stories about its formation, one of them was told by Afredo de Giusti in his article “Recuerdos de Puente del Inca” and he tells the following: “Time before the arrival of the Spaniards, a chief of the Inca tribe had a sick child affected by paralysis and after trying all kinds of cures without result he heard that land to the south there was a place where healing waters could end their misfortune. Without thinking, he prepared a group with the best warriors and went to the high peaks. When he arrived, he observed the famous healing waters of the place, but before them there was a torrential river that prevented him from arriving. Their warriors, to make their boss’s dream come true, embraced each other and formed a human bridge to make it reach the other side. The Inca walked over his back with his son in his arms and reached the therms where he found the cure. When he looked back to thank his warriors, they had petrified and, according to legend, created the famous Puente del lnca (The Inca bridge)”.

The water from the river has so many minerals, the local people use its water to create souvenirs for the tourists by placing objects during a certain short period of time in it so they get petrified. I remember I walked near the river and the following day my white socks had tiny orange stone pieces!

There were many old shoes as petrified souvenirs, and this caught my attention, making me think.

Those shoes had definitely battled many roads! We all have battles to fight during our lives, sooner or later. There is no doubt these difficulties make us stronger but they can also make our heart become like a rock caused by the so many struggles. Too many times we find ourselves fighting strongly, trying to turn ourselves into survivors… trying to avoid becoming petrified… the old shoes sold at the Inca Bridge may look nice on a shelf as a souvenir from a picturesque place but it is just a lifeless object whose main purpose was over. We are supposed to be nice as well, but full of life! We can be able to turn ourselves into the strong superhero from a great story, our own story, able to get to the top of a giant mountain and even fly higher, conquering the heights, touching the lives of everyone we meet for good. Letting them know we are strong but with a soft beating heart.

In spite of any struggles, my heart is beating softly, fortunately, not yet petrified. How about yours?