Facts about Inca Quipu Writing

1. 05

   Colored strings on an Inca quipu conveyed meaning through their hue, with different colors likely representing specific categories of recorded information.

   Inca Quipu WritingJun 7shareancientcommunicationandean
2. 04

   A base-ten positional system underlies Inca quipu knot placement, with knot clusters on each string representing units, tens, hundreds, and thousands.

   Inca Quipu WritingJun 7shareancientmathematicsandean
3. 03

   Surviving quipus number in the hundreds and are held in museums around the world, with many originating from coastal Peruvian archaeological sites.

   Inca Quipu WritingJun 7shareancientarchaeologyartifact
4. 02

   Inca quipu recording was performed by specialist record-keepers called quipucamayocs, who were trained to create and read these knotted devices.

   Inca Quipu WritingJun 7shareancientculturecommunication
5. 01

   The Inca quipu used knotted strings of wool or cotton to record numerical and possibly narrative information across the Andean empire.

   Inca Quipu WritingJun 7shareancientwritinginca