Overview

• Researchers published in Science Advances on August 13 that multi-element isotope ratio mass spectrometry on a single hair strand offers dietary and geographic insights into its owner.
• The primary cord of khipu KH0631 was woven from a 104-centimeter human hair radiocarbon-dated to about AD 1498, spanning over eight years of growth.
• Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope ratios indicate a diet dominated by tubers and greens with minimal maize or meat and no marine signature, pointing to a highland commoner.
• The findings question colonial-era assertions that only elite male khipukamayuqs could produce khipus and suggest broader social inclusion, including possible female participation.
• Scholars emphasize that the claim remains provisional given the khipu’s weak auction provenance, the single-sample basis and unresolved methods for reading khipu content.