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The Qhapaq Ñan is a unique tile improvement of the Incan civilization (when led by Pachacuti) in Civilization VI: Gathering Storm. It must be built on a Mountain tile in your own or neutral territory.
- Effects:
- Restrictions:
- Cannot be pillaged or removed.
Strategy[]
The effects of the Qhapaq Ñan are identical to those of the Mountain Tunnel. It can be placed in neutral territory, providing permanent vision on that Mountains tile and every adjacent tile to the civilization that builds it, even if that tile later gets taken over by another civilization.
With Qhapaq Ñan, land units are able to traverse Mountains at the cost of 2 
Movement. Qhapaq Ñan do not, however, allow units to end their turn on Mountains, so they cannot be used if units have too little Movement left or the exit is blocked. If more than one Qhapaq Ñan is placed on the same Mountain range, they will act as connected portals, allowing units to go in and out from any of these gates at the cost of 2 Movement. Since units cannot occupy a Mountains tile, this improvement cannot be pillaged, but it can still be removed by volcanic eruptions and nukes.
Additionally, 
Trade Routes going through Qhapaq Ñan will have increased yields in 
Gold. A Qhapaq Ñan tile grants 15 "efficiency" points to any Trader passing through, which is a lot more substantial than water tiles, Railroads, and Canals. More details are available here.
Although their effects are identical, the Qhapaq Ñan has a few traits that make it superior to the Mountain Tunnel. It's available in the Ancient Era rather than the Modern Era, which makes Trade Routes sent to and from the Inca much more fluid and effective and facilitates exploration (since they cannot be blocked off by a long mountain range). Qhapaq Ñan and Mountain Tunnels can be built on Mountains in neutral territory, but since the Qhapaq Ñan is available much earlier, the Inca can utilize this to launch a surprise attack on empires that are surrounded by mountains. Even when Chemistry is unlocked, there's no reason to build Mountain Tunnels over Qhapaq Ñan, since the Qhapaq Ñan is built by Builders rather than the more expensive Military Engineers. However, the cost of a Builder scales upward for every Builder you have trained while that of a Military Engineer stays constant, meaning that a Mountain Tunnel built by a Military Engineer always costs 85 
Production, while a Qhapaq Ñan built by a Builder may cost more depending on how many Builders you've trained throughout the game and how many 
build charges each one starts with.
Bear in mind that your opponents can use Qhapaq Ñan built by you, which may work to your detriment if you go overboard with this improvement. If an opponent declares war on you, immediately place your military units to block entrances and exits that lead to your core territory, or your cities may fall in one fell swoop. Qhapaq Ñan can also be captured by other civilizations or city-states, just like Mountain Tunnels.
Civilopedia entry[]
The Qhapac Ñan, also known as the Andean Road System, is a network of roads used by the Incan empire. What makes this site so remarkable isn't simply the distance covered – over 30,000 km – but also the terrain through which the roads travel - the mountains of the Andes, deserts, and lush rainforests. While the roads were used for transporting goods – usually by llama or alpaca – there was also in place a speedy messenger system. The chasquis were quick and agile men who would run through the extensive network of roads to pass messages to one another at relay stations until the message reached its final destination.
The Andean Road System was a truly innovative means for keeping such a vast empire connected, and to some extent, controlled by a central power.
Gallery[]
.png "Historic Moment Qhapaq Ñan (Civ6).png (540 KB)")
Related achievements[]
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Surprise Attack
Move a military unit into an enemy's owned tile using a Mountain Tunnel (or Qhapaq Nan)
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See also[]
- Qhapaq Ñan in other games
