2000.6.1, quipu from the Andean region of South America
Cordage
Inca empire? (A.D. 1200–1533)
Unknown donor
Photographs by B. Bernard
The Inca managed their empire by coding information on cords. Variations
in cord colors and knot shapes increased the information content beyond
a simple binary system. Specialists could run their fingers through the
quipus and in short order, obtain information on the empire's
resources and their distributions. The longest hanging strand
on this quipu is about 40 centimeters (16 inches) long.
The next photograph shows details
of the cordage and knots.
The quipu is supposedly authentic but its colors are so vibrant, it is difficult to imagine it being half a millenium old. It may instead be a modern copy.
To return to the previous page, please click on your browser's "back" button, or click here.
All content copyright © Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico. A high-resolution verson of this photograph may be ordered from the Maxwell Museum's photo archives. Please make note of the catalogue number. For more information please visit the photo archives web page
Page last revised on May 27, 2008. Please report problems to toh@unm.edu