Quipu (/ ˈkiːpuː / KEE-poo), also spelled khipu (Ayacucho Quechua: kipu, [ˈkipu]; Cusco Quechua: khipu, [kʰipu]), are record-keeping devices fashioned from knotted cords. They were historically used by …

Mar 8, 2026 · A quipu (also spelled khipu, and sometimes searched as “quipa”) is a recording device made of knotted cords that was used by the Inca Empire and other Andean civilizations to store …

May 8, 2014 · A quipu (khipu) was a method used by the Incas and other ancient Andean cultures to keep records and communicate information using string and knots. In the absence of an alphabetic …

Apr 27, 2026 · quipu, accounting apparatus used by Andean peoples from 2500 bce, especially from the period of the kingdom of Cuzco (established in the 12th century) to the fall of the Inca empire (1532), …

Jun 10, 2025 · Quipu is the Spanish form of the Inca (Quechua language) word khipu (also spelled quipo), a unique form of ancient communication and information storage used by the Inca Empire, …

Nov 8, 2011 · Quipus (kee-poo), sometimes called talking knots, were recording devices used by the Inka Empire, the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The word quipu comes from the Quechua …

Learn about the history and purpose of the quipu, with insights from anthropologist and best-selling author of The Last Days of the Incas Kim MacQuarrie. Quipus, or talking knots, were record-keeping …

Quipus tell a story that is no less important: They were critical instruments of factotums and bureaucrats, an imperial language of record-keeping that helped tally censuses and tribute payments from far …

To construct a quipu, artisans typically selected fibres from camelids such as alpacas or llamas, or from cotton in lowland areas. Then, they spun the fibres in either an S-twist or a Z-twist, with each cord …

Apr 7, 2026 · Quipus, sometimes called ‘talking knots’, were recording devices historically used in the region of Andean South America. A quipu usually consisted of colored, spun, and plied thread or …