Tesaurus d'Art i Arquitectura Getty Institute 0000-00-00 2024-01-24 15:40:44 en khipus300264828khipukipuknot recordknot recordsquipoquipocamayosquipuquipus Knotted string recording devices used in the Inca empire and its predecessor societies in the Andean region. The term "khipu" is an orthographic rendering of the Quechua word for knot. A khipu typically consists of colored cotton or alpaca cords or strings; arranged with a main cord to which are attached a variable number of pendant strings. Pendant strings may bear further subsidiary strings. On most khipus there are three types of knots. It is believed that khipus were used to record numeric values for tributes, censuses, and the like; according to contemporaneous European accounts, the khipus were also used as mnemonic devices representing cultural histories and tales. khipu quipus 2026-03-30 20:37:04