Central America

Maya numerals used a base of twenty, the vigesimal system, instead of a base of ten that forms the basis of the decimal system used by most modern cultures. The Maya used mathematics to create the Maya calendar as well as to predict astronomical phenomena in their native Maya astronomy.

quipu, Quechua khipu (“knot”), quipu also spelled quipo, accounting apparatus used by Andean peoples from 2500 BCE, especially from the period of the kingdom of Cuzco (established in the 12th century) to the fall of the Inca empire (1532), and consisting of a long textile cord (called a top, or primary, cord) with a varying number of pendant cords. The pendant cords may also have cords (known as subsidiaries) attached. Experts believe that—in addition to the various knots placed there—a cord’s composition, ply, length, end treatment, and colour, as well as spacing between cords, were all significant factors in a quipu’s use and meaning.