Beginning to get our bearings on the streets of Santiago.
A couple of hours at the Museo Chileno De Arte Precolombino was time well spent.
What an amazing insight into 'Chile before Chile'. Learning about the indigenous peoples of Chile was a delight. My particular favourite exhibit, the Chemamulles, wooden statues placed on top of the tombs in ancient Mapuche cemeteries. In their journey to the afterlife Chiefs and Great Warriors were sent to the east to roam the volcanoes of Kalfumapu in the 'blue land' whilst all the others were sent to the west to eat bitter potatoes beyond the sea.
Inca knots - The Inca State used quipus or knotted cords to keep their accounts. Data was stored in the quantity, type and position of the knots on primary and secondary cords strung together. The largest quipu in the museum had 586 cords organised in to 8 sections of 10 sets, each with up to 13 sub levels of information. Overall this particular quipu holds 15,024 items of data. Beat that Bill Gates!!
