Researchers have long known that the Incas used a mysterious communication system known as khipu, which was based on intricate combinations of knots and strings. It was believed that this method fell out of use after the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. However, British scientists have now discovered four villages in the Peruvian Andes where this method of information transmission is still alive and well. Moreover, local residents have carefully preserved dozens of rope messages from their ancestors.
One example of a centuries-old khipu from the village of Santa-Leonor-de-Jucul that researchers studied stretched an incredible 68 meters.
Interestingly, the first recorded mention of khipu (from the Quechua language, khipu meaning “knot”) was made in a letter by conquistador Hernando Pizarro in 1533. In 1923, American historian Leslie Leland Locke was the first to prove that khipu is a form of ancient writing.
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This, fortunately, is not a completely lost form of Incan writing; it represented a complex system of twists and knots made from alpaca or llama wool, as well as cotton. One message could contain around two and a half thousand knotted suspensions.
Professor Sabina Highland from the University of St. Andrews, who led the research, told IFLScience: “Incan khipu is what we would call a proto-writing system. You have a horizontal cord with suspensions hanging down, and on those suspensions are knots, most of which represent numbers in a decimal system.”
Before the arrival of the conquistadors, Incan communities in the Andean highlands exchanged information about key events and financial matters using cords and strings. Until now, samples of khipu had mostly resisted deciphering. However, the research team led by Professor Highland has shed new light on this ancient writing system. She noted that some messages contained data about climate change.
According to the researcher, the Incas created a sort of climate chronicle. They sought to understand patterns by looking back at previously recorded information about past climate changes, much like we do today.
What Else Did the Researchers Discover?
Thus, the university team was fortunate to work in four very remote Andean villages where the traditions of khipu are still alive. The researchers were particularly drawn to the 68-meter khipu sample, recognized as the longest of all known knotted “records” in existence.
According to Professor Highland, the uniqueness of this communication artifact lies in the fact that it has no knots. Instead, it features tassels.
In addition to these, the scholar discovered a number of ritual items within the unusual message, such as pouches containing coca leaves and cigarettes. The research leader concluded that this khipu was likely used to record ceremonial offerings, with different items indicating the location of the ritual.
For example, tassels made from llama tails could signify offerings to the sacred high-altitude lake Pachcha-cocha, which the indigenous people prayed to for rain. Many offerings to the lake recorded on the cord indicated that the year was dry. “And then, if you look at another cord and see no offerings to Pachcha-cocha, you might think, oh, they could be facing a flood,” added Professor Highland.
“I was also told that when you go to very, very high mountains, you take a llama tail with you because it protects you from evil spirits that want to push you off the mountain,” she added.
Currently, Professor Highland’s team is trying to determine the precise radiocarbon dating of the ancient bundles that have come to the attention of scientists. This will allow them to create a chronological record of certain past events, including “gaining an incredible overview of climate data from this region that has been preserved by indigenous peoples,” noted Professor Highland.