 lpacas
are camelids, members of an ancient suborder of mammels. About three
million years ago the camelid family split, with the Camelini Group
migrating to Asia, where only the Bactrian and Dromedary Camels remain.
The Lamelini Group traveled down the western side of North America into
the southern part of the continent. Four types of camelids resulted
— the wild guanaco, from which the domestic Llama was bred, and
the wild vicuna, from which it is now generally acknowledged the domestic
alpaca was bred. By the end of the last ice-age (10,000 - 12,000 years
ago) camelids were extinct in North America.
About fifteen thousand
years ago man first arrived in South America. Until about seven thousand
years ago he lived a hunter — gatherer existence, capturing wild
deer, guanacos and vicunas to provide meat and skins, and bone to use
as tools. Ten thousand years ago groups of these men were hunting together,
and they have left cave paintings high in the Andes which show them,
with outstretched arms, rounding up guanacos. Then, about six to seven
thousand years ago man decided to herd the vicunas and guanacos, and
the alpaca emerged as a new "breed" of domesticated vicuana.
The domestication
of the alpaca reached its highest point during the Inca Empire, when
a chosen caste (the "llamamichis," a quechua term for llama
herders) was in charge of the breeding and exploitation of llamas, alpacas
and vicunas. They selectively bred alpacas to provide a surprisingly
large array of colors and a very fine, dense fiber.
Together with
the llamas, alpacas provided clothing, food, fuel and, no doubt,
companionship as domesticated animals as long as 5,000 years ago.
They played a central part in the Incan culture and religious
ceremonies. The alpaca's fleece was reserved for use by the Incan
royalty. Peasants caught wearing alpaca clothing were punished,
sometimes even killed.
Called "pacos"
by the Incans, the animals' name changed when the Spanish invaded
South America five centuries ago to "el paca," and later
evolved to "alpaca." After the Spanish conquest, alpacas
were nearly wiped out. By some accounts, 90% of the alpaca herds
were destroyed in an effort to subjugate the native peoples. The
Spanish conquerors viewed the alpaca as a competitor for grazing
lands allocated to their own merino sheep and, therefore, only
useful as a source of meat. |
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But the highland inhabitants managed
to move higher into the mountains to keep their alpaca herds,
ultimately saving the species from extinction. The animal survived
only because of its importance to the Incan people and its ability
to live in altitudes and under conditions which cannot sustain
the lives of other domestic animals.
Decimated
in numbers, the hardy animal adapted to the harsh climate and
terrain and developed the ability to live on only low-protein
vegetation. Only the strongest survived. It wasn't
until the 1800's that Sir Titus Salt, an English textile merchant,
rediscovered the numerous qualities of the alpaca's fiber. The
newly industrialized English textile business was then at its
zenith. |
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Sir Titus discovered that alpaca fiber was stronger than
sheep's wool and that its strength did not diminish with fineness
of staple.The cashmere-like fleece is softer and warmer than
wool and contains no lanolin, which makes it healthier and extremely
comfortable to wear. The fleece comes in more colors than any
other fiber-producing animal.
Until quite
recently alpacas were almost non-existent outside of their native
land, and few persons could do more than associate the word "alpaca"
with a luxurious type of sweater. Today, alpacas are in strong
demand around the world, and people pay high prices for them.
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