The enigma of the Andean quipus, ever closer to being deciphered

The enigma of the quipus, the complex system of ropes with knots and different colors that was used in the Andes in pre-Hispanic times, has been synthesized by the American researcher Manuel Medrano, for whom the use of mathematics and digital resources brings more and more to decipher its mysteries.

Medrano has published “Quipus. A thousand years of history knotted in the Andes and its digital future“, A book published in Lima by Planeta in which it offers a historical synthesis and current academic knowledge about this system that, according to its research, encompasses a series of” genres “that go beyond mere accounting.

The researcher, a graduate in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University who is currently a researcher in the Department of Social Anthropology at the Scottish University of St. Andrews, stated that his book also seeks “have the spirit to break some myths”Deeply rooted popularly.

An ancient history

Traditionally, the quipus have been considered an accounting system used by the Incas and whose keys were lost over time, starting with the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.

In that sense, Medrano emphasized that there are “great myths“That seeks to confront, among which is that this system is”an invention of the Incas“, Who lacked a writing system”traditional”.

“We know, thanks to this great historical trajectory, that it is possible that there are pre Wari quipus,” he indicated in reference to another great culture that developed between the 7th and 13th centuries of our era in the current territory of Peru.

The researcher added that little is said “of the invention or who made them for the first time“And that, for that reason, he decided to use the idea”thousand years” of history “to clarify and highlight that talking about the Inca quipus is only talking about less than 15% of the period of active use of the same object in the Andes”. Another great myth, he said, is that it was just “an accounting system“, Before which he states that there was”genera of quipus”, Including those that were close to a type of writing.

“To talk more precisely about what a quipu is and for what purposes the Andean populations made them, we need to talk about many more genres: what exactly were those genres? We have to discover it and find it, but talking about multiple genders represents progress for me. in this field of study”, He explained.

In different contexts

In this sense, Medrano stated that “it’s true“That the quipus were used”in some accounting contexts“, But added that it was also done”in historical, demographic, calendar contexts”.

For this reason, it has established the “central idea“On the existence of”genera of quipus”, Similar to the different styles and titles of books found in a modern library or bookstore.

“We can only imagine that there were quipus dedicated to reviewing important data for different areas of the Andean world; Therefore, one of our central tasks is to identify and propose possible groups of quipus among the almost 1,400 that survive in museums and private collections.”, He said.

His intention is to continue interpreting the elements to identify criteria that make it possible to distinguish between a quipu from one field and one from another, in a task that he considered should be one of “the central problems” to be investigated in the coming years.

A writing system?

For Medrano the word writing “it is very complicated“, Since its definition often depends on the cultural context, so he assured that it would be better to point out that”the quipus constitute a form of three-dimensional inscription”.

“The central problem is whether, from that point, we could continue to define quipus as a form of writing and, in that context, that is an ongoing debate.”, He admitted.

Beyond this, he is optimistic about the advances in research, which have allowed “propose new hypotheses about the meaning of particular elements”Of this system through the use of computer techniques.

This sequence allows you to move from manual recording and analysis to a large-scale evaluation that “represents one of the most promising avenues“In the future of these investigations, he said.

In accordance with that, Medrano has started “a great project“Of research, which he hopes to develop over the next five or six years, to write”a global history of the quipu”, Based on the review of documents from archives and museums from various countries and from sources already published but little known.

He suspects that he will be able to identify more details of the original quipus excavation context than “nowadays in the deposit they appear with a label that says ‘from Peru’ or ‘near Lima’“, With which, in addition, it hopes to continue contributing”to decryption efforts”So desired by specialists.