The true extent of the road network is not completely known, since the Spaniards, post conquest, either dug up the road completely in some areas, or allowed it to deteriorate and fall into ruin under iron-clad horses' hooves, or the metal wheels of ox-carts.
Today, only 25 percent percent of this route is still visible, the rest having been destroyed by the construction of modern infrastructure. Different organizations such as UNESCO and IUCN have been working to protect this route, in collaboration with the governments and communities of the 6 countries through which the Great Inca Road passes. Qhapaq Ñan as a World Heritage Site.