K-Q 00003 Khipu- Qhipu small size (Inka’s Mathematics)

Most information recorded on the quipus studied to date by researchers consists of numbers in a decimal system,[16] such as “Indian chiefs ascertain[ing] which province had lost more than another and balanc[ing] the losses between them” after the Spanish invasion.[17] In the early years of the Spanish conquest of Peru, Spanish officials often relied on the quipus to settle disputes over local tribute payments or goods production. Quipucamayocs (Quechua khipu kamayuq “khipu specialist”, plural: khipu kamayuqkuna) could be summoned to court, where their bookkeeping was recognised as valid documentation of past payments.