About our group

Early inhabitants of the South American Andes, the incas, developed and used a sophisticated medium of recording administrative data, the khipu. A khipu is constituted by pieces of strings tied in particular forms (resembling, we would say today, a tree structure) implementing a complex data model. The khipukamayoq was the expert in the creation, update and interpretation of the data coded in the khipus. Invaders in the XV century ordered the destruction of the khipus and hunted the khipukamayoq, temporarily destroying in this way this data management tradition.

The Khipu Center, inspired by the pioneer work of our ancestors, is pursuing the research on data models and information processing in this region.

Joining the group

If you have any questions about our group, or you are thinking about doing research on any of our areas of interest, please send an e-mail to khipudb at gmail.com or to any of the associated researchers.