What system did the Incas use for transferring messages across their vast empire?

The Incas implemented an impressive relay system known as the "Chasqui" system, which facilitated efficient communication across their extensive empire, stretching over 2,500 miles along the Andes mountains. This system involved a network of runners, called Chasquis, who would carry messages and information quickly from one point to another. They were strategically placed at various intervals along the Incan roads, allowing messages to travel swiftly as each runner would relay the message to the next.

This relay system was critical to the administration and control of the empire, given the vast distances involved. By using relay points and maintaining a constant flow of runners, the Incas could send messages much faster than any other known method at the time. The use of messengers on horseback or a postal service, as understood in modern contexts, did not apply to the Incas, as their infrastructure emphasized foot travel and human relay rather than animal transport. Written correspondence was not a common practice in the Incan culture, which relied more on oral communication and the use of quipus (a system of knotted strings) for record-keeping rather than written letters.