Transportation and storage of jerky Or 'charki' (the Inca name) was much easier to transport and lasted longer than not dried meats. These all had potential to be freeze-dried. Both meats and vegetables went through a similar freezing process. They would start by laying all the different foods on rocks and during the cold nights in high altitudes with dry air they would freeze. The next morning, a combination of the thin dry air and the heat from the sun would melt the ice and evaporate all the moisture. The most important factor about this process and what made the Inca able to do this is the dry and atmosphere that they live in. A few different methods can be used for the last step which is taken out the last of the moisture. The overarching idea is to compress the food to a point where it would expel the rest of its moisture. The process of freeze-drying was important for transportation and storage. The high elevation (low atmospheric pressure) and low temperatures of the Andes mountains is what allowed them to take advantage of this process. The vast size of the Inca empire made it essential that efficient and effective transportation systems were created and built to assist in the exchanging of goods, services, people, etc. At one point, "their (the Inca) empire eventually extended across western South America from Quito in the north to Santiago in the south, making it the largest empire ever seen in the Americas and the largest in the world at that time (between c. 1400 and 1533 CE)." It is known to have "extended some 3500-4000 km along the mountainous backbone of South America." The trails, roads, and bridges were designed not only to link the empire physically, but these structures also helped the empire to maintain communication. Rope bridges were an integral part of the Inca road system. "Five centuries ago, the Andes were strung with suspension bridges. By some estimates there were as many as 200 of them." As pictured to the right, these structures were used to connect two land masses, allowing for the flow of ideas, goods, people, animals, etc. across the Incan empire. "The Inca suspension bridges achieved clear spans of at least 150 feet, probably much greater. This was a longer span than any European masonry bridges at the time." Since the Incan people did not use wheeled vehicles, most traveled by foot and/or used animals to help in the transporting of goods. Although these bridges were assembled using twisted mountain grass, other vegetation, and saplings, they were dependable.