The lack of written language has made it hard for historians to piece together the true history of the Inca people. Most of what is known are preserved oral extracts, or written reports done by Spanish observers while in the area. For a while, it was believed that they didn’t document anything physically.

But how?

For an empire as efficient as the Inca, how did they achieve success without different forms of communication? How were they so advanced in everything except writing? They were made up of 10 million people across 5,000 kilometres, originating from different cultures with different languages. It’s impossible to imagine, especially from the perspective of the modern-day, how one could keep such a huge production running without the convenient communication of the written word.

Their way of communicating, as it turns out, was through intricately knotted strings, called the quipu.

Although the Inca were one of the most powerful empires to use them, the quipu’s original origin dates 4,000 years before any Inca appearance. Those who came before would use them to exchange information, regardless of the language barrier, because the system provided a universal form of communication. Even while the Incas were using this system, they weren’t the only ones. Multiple ancient Andrean cultures were using quipus at the time.

How do they work?

Quipu’s, as we understand them today, can function like an abacus.
The knots, in order from top to bottom, represent:
– Ten thousands
– Thousands
– Hundreds
– Tens

All digits are separated by spaces between the knots. The knot type is different depending on what digit it represents.
Reading the rope from top to bottom represents the whole number. Each successive rope is added/subtracted together to form a final value, which is displayed using that ending chain.

These were beneficial in keeping track of the number of things. From populations, to payments, to an amount of a specific resource. Inca people even had a dedicated role for those who were meant to tie and read the cords. They were called the khipumayuq.

Can they do more than just record numbers?

Due to their intricate nature, it is difficult for translators to figure out how they were used in relation to language. Deciphering it is still an ongoing process, especially when there is nobody left who knows how to read it. They range so heavily in their string colour, knot variation, and knot direction, that it seems almost impossible that it’s all for the sake of recording numbers. Though, that’s still for debate.

The true meaning of each quipu is still lost to the tides of time, but still, the possibilities for what they could hold are endless. So many were created during their peak, which makes the mystery even more alluring. I find them to be one of the most beautiful forms of documentation out of all the others I’ve seen. Their formation requires an amount of effort that leads it to look artful, but they don’t look like they’d take an unnecessary amount of time to make, like the hieroglyph carvings.

Citations:

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021, September 21). Inca. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Inca

Cossins, D. (2018). We thought the Incas couldn’t write. These knots change everything. New Scientist. Retrieved 6 October 2021, from https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23931972-600-we-thought-the-incas-couldnt-write-these-knots-change-everything/.

Cronin, G. (2020). Quipu: The Ancient Computer of the Inca Civilization. Peru For Less. Retrieved 6 October 2021, from https://www.peruforless.com/blog/quipu/.

Quipus. U.osu.edu. Retrieved 6 October 2021, from https://u.osu.edu/svoboda.33/quipus/.