Andean record keepers tied numbers in knots on cords. Learn to read them, then check, mend and read real khipus.
About these games
Khipu numbers count in tens, like ours. Start with Knot Count, then check a chief’s accounts, mend a worn khipu, and read a real one from Peru.
New games are drafts: their rules and dates are marked as unchecked until a separate review confirms them against the public-domain books they follow (Locke, and Garcilaso in Markham’s translation). The sources behind the games will gather in the Keeping Time collection in Hearth Library.
Beginner
No knowledge needed
Easy
Once you know a little
Medium
Reading real texts
Hard
For confident readers
Numbers, Daily
Knot Count
Read and tie numbers in knots on khipu cords, the way Andean record keepers did.
Beginnerabout 4 minEarly version
In English
Numbers, Daily
The Keeper’s Accounts
Check a chief’s tribute against his khipu, as Garcilaso de la Vega did as a boy in Cuzco: gold on yellow cords, silver on white, soldiers on red.
Easyabout 5 minEarly version
In English
Numbers, Daily
Mend the Khipu
The knots are worn away. Read what survives and use the top cords’ sums to tie back what was lost.
Hardabout 8 minEarly version
In English
Numbers, Lessons
The Huando Khipu
Read a real khipu from Peru, group by group, as Leland Locke did in 1912, worn knots and a count that will not add up included.
Mediumabout 10 minEarly version
In English
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