Quipu means knot, tied, cords. It is a form of writing used by the planet’s oldest peoples.
It is primarily an exercise in memory that has a specific structure.
Quipu follows a meticulously ordered system of knots, shapes, and sequences, each with a particular meaning.
By combining all these elements into cords, one could construct complete phrases, long sentences, and historical and mythological accounts. They endured through time and were recalled whenever needed by the quipucamayoq or readers of the quipu.
Quipu Inti Take
An enormous radial quipu, contained at its center a circle that represented the Sacred Valley of Qosqo, with the Temple of Qoricancha as the midpoint.
From this circle, 41 cords extended along the four rays corresponding to the cardinal directions.
Each of these 41 cords contained 350 temples or huacas, places of worship and locations of great significance.
The Inti Take is also a document of extensive information about Andean society.
It contains data on panacas, ayllus, and the towns of the Qosqo Valley. It gathered records of succession, lineage, social hierarchy, and correspondence.
It is likewise a meticulous account of the history of each ruling Inca, serving as an effective informant on the eponymous events of Qosqo‘s history.
This transcendent quipu is reproduced in the chronicle of Cobo, and its reconstruction involved a meticulous, patient, and orderly systematization of all the information contained within.
The information stored in this quipu is vast. We will transcribe in detail the cited persons, named towns, ayllus, offerings, motives, historical events, and more.
The Origin
The origin of the Inti Take dates back to the ancient times of the empire. When quipus and huatanas were the primary means used by people of that era to store information.
These tools allowed them to record all the events of their lives and preserve them for generations.
Over time, the original Inti Take from the four suyus grew enriched with the genealogy of the Incas, adding new panacas and new huacas and mallquis.
It gathered tales of heroes and battles, conquests and celebrations, and extended into the period of conquest, becoming a symbol of a culture. The Inti Take contains the entire history, development, expansion, and civilization of the Incas.
Thousands of these records existed, and there was no place in the empire that had not been documented, censused, and organized. The quipus were, in the time of the Incas, what communication technology is for us today.
The knots ensured an everlasting history for the Incas; they are now the labyrinths we must solve to uncover the writing of the Incas.
References:
- Candia, C. (2002). Cuadernos Andinos. Records of Inca writing.
