THE NUMBERS IN QUECHUA

Research on the quipus has determined that the Incas used the decimal system
and that they used it as a system of accounting and political control of the peoples.

The investigations that have been carried out on the numbers in Quechua show us
that in Ancient Peru, the Incas used the decimal system. This has been possible to
determine thanks to the interpretation of the quipus, which are organized in such a
way that the knots show us according to their location the representation of the
units, tens, hundreds, etc.

The quipu (Quechua: khipu, 'knot') was a mnemonic system of wool or cotton
strings and knots of one or several colors developed in the Ancient Tahuantinsuyo.
The secondary ropes each represent a number. The knots indicate the numbers in
their order: the units are at a greater distance from the main string. Pablo Macera,
the peruvian historian explained that the quipu was the matrix element of the Inca
culture, through them the political control of the people was carried out.

Although it is known that it was used as an accounting system by the officials of the
Inca Empire, the British engineer William Burns Glynn puts forward the theory that
the quipus were also a form of writing.

Inca Mathematics

The Incas stood out mainly in the field of mathematics for their ability to calculate,
in the economic aspect. Thus, the quipus and yupanas (abacuses) indicate the
importance that they gave to this area, in the Inca administration. Inca arithmetic
was simple but effective, for accounting purposes, and was based on the decimal
system.

We must bear in mind that the construction of the great networks of canals, roads
and monuments, as well as the layout of cities and fortresses, required the
development of a practical geometry, which was indispensable for measuring
lengths and surfaces, in addition to architectural design.

At the same time they developed important systems for measuring length and
capacity, which took the human body as a reference.

Approaching the numbers in Quechua allows us to take a look at our history and
revalue the importance of runasimi.

Dina Vera-Lazaro
Quechua teacher
+51 989 614 423
dinavera64@gmail.com
http://dinavera64.wixsite.com/cultura-quechua