Lasting Records of the Inca Empire

in association withMachu Picchu, The Hopper/IC/Sibinacocha Collaborative

How to Make the Most of This LessonThis lesson serves as a road map for your journey through arich and exciting collection of online content made available
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Your journey in this lesson will take you through threemajor topics:
Chapter 1: Khipus for Record-Keeping
Chapter 2: The Legacies of Machu Picchu

Learning activity

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Welcome to Lasting Records of the Inca Empire
The powerful Inca Empire dominated western South America
in the 1500s. Its territory stretched from what is now Ecuador
in the north down the Pacific coast to central Chile. At theheight of their power, the Inca controlled some 12 million
people.
In this lesson, you’ll learn some fascinating details about theInca and see some of the evidence of their culture up close.
Then, you’ll work on creating a record-keeping device similar toa khipu, which you will learn about in this lesson.

What Will You Do?
1. Read about the Inca record-keeping system.
2. Learn about an Inca city that remains one of the mostfascinating and beautiful architectural sites in the world.
Tupac Inca Yupanqui and Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, Unknown completed in 1616, The J. Paul Getty
Museum4

What’s in this lesson?
1.

Understand how the Inca used knotted strings to track a variety of data, including population and crop production figures.

2.

Find out how the Inca managed their massive empire.

3.

Learn about one of the most famous of Inca archaeological sites.

By participating in this lesson, you will be able to:1.

Identify the origins of khipus.

2.

Name some of the purposes of khipus.

3.

Identify a famous Inca architectural site.

Vocabulary
Inca Empire, khipu, archaeology, oral tradition, Andes Mountains, archives, tribute, artifact, indigenous

Need help with some of these terms? See the glossary at the end of this lesson.
5Khipus for Record-Keeping
What is this chapter about?
The construction and purposes ofkhipus

How long with this chapter
take?
1 hourKhipu rolled found in Huaquerones-Puruchuco in the Rímac Valley Museo de Sitio Arturo Jiménez
Borja-Puruchuco. Ministerio de Cultura del Perú, Inca Culture 1400/1532, Museo de Arte Lima

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Chapter 1: Warming Up
Before you explore, answer the questions below in your notebook.

Consider1. What are some ways that historians and scientists gain information about ancientcultures?

Discover2. Have you learned about the Inca civilization in history class? If you are not familiar withthis South American empire, briefly research some key details, and write down what youfound.

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The Khipu
Though the Inca left no handwritten records, historians learned about their culture and society through archaeological evidence,oral traditions, and information recorded by the Spanish after invasion. One critical piece of evidence are khipus—knotted strings
used to record information. Khipus were in use by Andes cultures for more than 1,000 years. They were used not only to record
numerical information but also to write narrative histories, biographies, and more.
Khipus were made fromanimal or plant fibers. Thiskhipu was made by the Wari
Empire, whose people lived in
the Andes region from 600 to1100 CE. Wari khipus oftenfeatured brightly coloredyarns at the ends of thestrings.

Learn more
about thepurposes ofkhipus in thisexhibit.
See how khipusare made here.
Wari Khipu close up, MALI, Museo de Arte de Lima

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Inca Khipus
The Inca also usedkhipus. Inca khipus mostoften consisted of ahorizontal band withstrings attached likependants. The position ofthe knots on the strings
and the type of knots
used determined certain
numerical values. The
subject of a khipu wasdefined by theneedlework and colors
used.
Learn more
about how
khipus wereused here andhere.

Khipu, Inca Culture, 1400/1532, MALI Museo de Arte de Lima

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Empire Record-Keeping
Khipus were most widely used at the height of the Inca
Empire’s power (c. 1400–1532 CE). Hundreds of thousandsof khipus were created during this time and stored inarchives. Government workers used them to record
information and even sent them to other parts of the empire
via special runners known as chaskis. The ability tocommunicate over long distances was important in such alarge empire.
Royal record keepers tracked population numbers ofconquered peoples, how much tribute was being paid, howmuch was being produced, and more. These record keepers
were called khipucamayoq, which means “knotmakers/keepers.”

Find out more about khipus here, here, and here.
See an important collection of khipus here.
Learn how quipus helped the Inca manage theirlarge empire in this story.
Tupac Inca Yupanqui and a Quipucamayoc, Unknown, completed in 1616, The J. Paul Getty Museum10Important Archaeological Find
Today, some 1,400 khipu survive in the world’s museum
collections. The first major archaeological discovery ofkhipus occurred in the 1960s, at a site in Peru calledPuruchuco. This discovery was important because it was
the first time khipus had been found in their original
location. Others were carried to new places and ended up
in museum collections. These khipus were part of a burialsite.
Archaeologists studied them and were able to determine
key aspects of their construction. From the intact set, they
could tell that khipus contained coded information. This
information could only have been read by thekhipucamayoq. Historians and scientists have been able todetermine some meanings of khipus but not all.
Learn more about this archaeologicaldiscovery in this story.
Read about another set of khipus that haveprovided important information about the Incaculture here.
Khipu rolled found in Huaquerones-Puruchuco in the Rímac Valley, Inca Culture 1400/1532, MALI, Museo11
deArte de LimahttpsAfter the Spanish invasion,
Inca were often forced togive up the use of khipus
for recording information.
However, khipus were still
made in some places,
particularly in rural areas.
Today, some Peruvians
carry on the tradition tohonor their ancestors.
View this story to
see a record thatcombined both
written text andkhipus.
Learn more aboutkhipus during thecolonial periodhere.
See how khipus
influence modern
art in this story.

Khipu from UNMSM collection, Inca Culture 16th-17th Century

12Chapter 1: Wrapping Up
Now that you’ve read the chapter, reflect on what you’ve learned by answering the question below.
•

What information do khipus provide to historians and scientists?

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Chapter 2:
The Legacies ofMachu Picchu
What is this chapter about?
A world-famous Inca city

How long will this chapter
take?
1 hour14

Chapter 2: Warming Up
Before you explore, answer the questions in your notebook.

Consider1. How did people communicate with others before the existence of telephones,
computer networks, or modern transportation?

Discover2. How did people build before modern technology? What challenges might arugged, mountainous landscape involve?

15A Vast Empire
As you read in the lastchapter, the Inca Empire
stretched along thePacific coast of SouthAmerica. Governing thespread-out empire was achallenge. In addition to
meticulous recordkeeping with khipus, theInca also developed alarge network of footroads over the rugged
and beautiful landscape.
The roads covered some
15,000 miles. Thisphotograph shows men
with donkeys traveling an
Inca road in the 1940s.

Travel one of
the remnants ofInca roads
here.

Frank Scherschel 1945-06, LIFE Photo Collection

16Machu Picchu
The Inca built trails highinto the mountains. The
trails often led to sacredsites. One of these sites
is Machu Picchu,
originally built as afortified palace site for
Inca ruler Pachacuti Inca
Yupanqui (in power c.
1438–71). Because of its
location, Machu Picchu
remained untouched bySpanish conquerors whoarrived in the 1500s. The
city is located about 50miles northwest of theInca capital of Cuzco(which today is a largecity), high in the Andes.
Explore the siteof Machu
Picchu hereand here.
Machu Picchu, The Hopper/IC/Sibinacocha Collaborative17

Machu Picchu, “Rediscovered”
Machu Picchu was “rediscovered” in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, a Yale University professor. Bingham was looking for the “lost cityof the Incas,” where the final Inca rulers fought the Spanish. He was guided to the ancient site by a Peruvian resident. Because
the Spanish were unaware of Machu Picchu, it had remained intact.

The Inca buried their deadwith objects from everydaylife, so many artifacts havebeen found in burial sites.
These butterfly plates camefrom the burial site of three
women at Machu Picchu.

Read more
about theobjects foundat Machu
Picchu here.
Pair of Plates with Butterfly Motif, Inca culture 1476/1532, Museo Machupicchu - Casa Concha

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Excavations of Machu Picchu
In 1912 Bingham began aseries of excavations atMachu Picchu. His
searches led to thediscovery of a burial site,filled with objects ofeveryday life. Over many
decades, excavations
continued at Machu
Picchu, unearthing a widearray of items thatshowed the life of thepeople who had lived
there. Artifacts included
metal objects of bronze
and silver, tools used formetalworking, ceramics,
and jewelry.
Learn more about
the objects foundhere.
Globular jar, Inca culture and Inca culture, Museo Machupicchu – Casa Concha

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Sacred Objects
Some of the artifacts found at Machu Picchu were religious
in nature. The Inca religion emphasized the connection
between the people and Earth Mother, or Pacha Mama. TheInca worshipped several gods related to the earth.
The Inca brought offerings to their gods, including food;corn beer; gold and silver figurines, such as the one shown
here; and animal sacrifices. Ceremonial tools such as
knives were also created.
Offerings were given at certain times of year, according tocalendars based on the cycles of the moon, stars, and sun.
These cycles affected agriculture and were thus hugely
important to people’s survival.

Read more about Inca religion in thisexhibit.

Sculpture, Inca culture, Museo Machupicchu – Casa Concha20

Indigenous Traditions Today
As you’ve read, Spanish
conquerors arrived inSouth America in the1500s. They eventuallydefeated the Inca Empire,and Machu Picchu wasabandoned. However,some Peruvians in rural
areas, such as these
women who live in themountains near Cuzco,
carry on traditions of theindigenous peoples ofthe region with traditional
clothing, performanceart, and celebrations.

Learn more
about regional
traditions inthis story.
II, Traditional women’s costume, district of Tinta, province of Canchis, Cusco, Peru 2010, Mario Testino Apr-13, MATE Museo Mario Testino

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Chapter 2: Wrapping Up
Now that you’ve read the chapter, reflect on what you’ve learned by answering the question below.
•Think about the equipment involved in construction today. How do you think theInca built Machu Picchu at the top of a mountain range?

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Digital Learning in Action
So, what did you learn? Read the questions and complete the learning activities below to extend your learning based on what you
just experienced.

Reflect Answer these questions:•What did the Inca use khipus for?

•On what was the Inca religion based?

Summarize: You’ve seen one of the world’s most famous ancient sites. Today, millions of people stilltravel to Machu Picchu to marvel at its beauty and mountainous location. Why might the Inca havelocated a ruler’s palace on a mountaintop?

Create: Revisit the chapter on khipus. Then, gather some materials: string or yarn, scissors, and pen andpaper. Create a khipu system for recording numerical information of your own. (Your family members’
birthdates, your phone number, or your street address and zip code are all possible ideas.) Once you’ve
decided on a system, create a khipu with your information. If you need more ideas for your khipu, visit thesite page The Khipu Keepers.

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Glossary•

Andes Mountains: mountain range in South America that runs some 5,500 miles from the southern tip of the continent to the northerncoast of the Caribbean Sea•

archaeology: the scientific study of the remains of human life and culture•archives: a place where public records are stored•

artifact: an object of human craftsmanship•Inca Empire: South American native people that created a large empire in the 1500s; the empire’s capital was at Cuzco in what is now
Peru•

indigenous: living naturally in a region or environment•

khipu: a device made of a main cord with smaller cords that was knotted and used for calculating and other purposes••

oral tradition: the stories and beliefs that a people tell and share from generation to generation
tribute: a payment made by a conquered people to a ruler

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