Mackinley FitzPatrick | Knot Tricks: What Mathematical Knot Theory Can Reveal about the Structure of Khipu Knot Encoding

We’re excited to share a new article in Latin American Antiquity by Mack FitzPatrick, Ph.D. candidate in Archaeology at Harvard Anthropology.

This new article applies mathematical knot theory to the study of khipus—Andean knotted recording devices best known for their use by the Inka Empire (ca. 1400–1532 AD)—and tackles a long-standing problem: how different khipu knot types relate to one another. It shows that some knots that look different can actually share the same underlying structure, and that these variations may have helped khipu specialists (khipukamayuqs) encode or adjust meaning in khipus without requiring knots to be untied. Overall, the study reframes khipus as a flexible information systems rather than rigid numerical records, suggesting that Inka recordkeeping relied on a more adaptable knot vocabulary than previously recognized.

Read the article here.