A 1615 sketch by indigenous chronicler Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala depicts a quipucamayoc, or Inca accountant, holding a quipu. (such as a simple overhand knot or a long knot with multiple turns) and its position on the string. A knot near the top might represent thousands, while one at the bottom represented single digits. The color of the string, the direction the fibers were spun, and the spacing between cords added further layers of data, indicating what was being counted—llamas, gold, or taxpayers. The empire relied on a specialized class of administrators called quipucamayocs(knot makers) to read and maintain these devices. These officials traveled throughout the provinces collecting census data, tracking crop yields, calculating labor obligations, and managing military logistics. Recording narrative history, however, was a different challenge. The Inca maintained their history primarily through a strong oral tradition. A specialized class of wise men called amautas memorized royal genealogies, military victories, and religious myths, passing them down through highly structured poetry and songs. Yet Spanish chroniclers reported that quipucamayocs could also "read" histories from their cords. Because a quipu does not record phonetic sounds, scholars believe the strings functioned as complex mnemonic devices. The physical structure of the knots and colors provided a framework that triggered the memory of a trained official, allowing them to recall specific historical narratives and recite them verbatim. When the Spanish conquered the region, they initially relied on quipus to calculate tribute. However, in 1583, the Catholic Church declared the cords to be instruments of idolatry and ordered them burned. Only about 1,000 quipus survive today. While modern researchers have successfully decoded the numerical data on many of them, the exact method the Inca used to translate strings and knots into historical narrative remains undeciphered.

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