Knotted Survivors: Documenting the Ancient Khipu Traditions of Jucul, Peru

This project will document and preserve the ancestral khipus (knotted cord writing) of the remote highland community of Jucul, Peru. Khipus, an Andean form of record keeping, were central to Inca modes of knowledge, yet they are little understood. It was thought that, except for simple herding cords, khipu use died out after the Spanish conquest in the 1500s. Recently, however, anthropologists have encountered several Peruvian communities (Tupicocha, Rapaz, Collata, and Mangas) where khipus continue to play a vital role in village life. Villagers’ memories of how khipus were utilised have led to insights into how ancient khipus functioned.

Jucul possesses 97 khipus and khipu fragments stored in plastic garbage bags. In 2024, Jucul authorities requested my help to conserve the khipus, which had never been shown to outsiders. During the initial survey, we discovered that the collection contains the world’s largest khipu, 68 metres long. According to villagers, each khipu records the ritual offerings given at different sacred sites. Each site is believed responsible for distinct environmental effects, such as rain, earthquakes, etc. The khipus were kept as a record of human interaction with the environment. Tied the khipus are ritual objects such as pink offering bags (“chuspas”) with coca and tobacco cigarillos, and an 18^th century figurine representing a sacred earth being. Storage of khipus in garbage bags is precarious; only the elderly still understand the khipus. We will collaborate with Jucul authorities to clean and conserve the khipus, record interviews with knowledge holders about how the khipus encoded data, and create a local museum display to transmit knowledge of the khipus. We also will restore the silk garments on the 18^th century figurine that is attached to one of the khipus.