A Brief History of the Alpaca

The alpaca has a very rich and colorful history most of which dates back to the early 1400’s and possibly before that. Today’s alpacas are found in South America. The largest numbers in the countries of Peru, Bolivia and Chile. In the beginning two native people groups, the Quechuas and Aymaras were credited with taming and domesticating these animals. They used them for food, spun their fiber into clothing, and burned their manure for fuel. The alpaca took on a significant role in everyday life. You could say they were as important to the Quechuas and Aymaras as the Bison was to the North American Indians.

In the early 1400’s the Incan Empire was formed. They were known for their many archeological feats such as Machu Picchu and advancements in the fiber arts. The Incas placed special religious significance on the alpaca, sacrificing an alpaca at sunrise, noon, and sunset to appease their pagan gods. Primarily because of this religious significance, the Incas separated their alpacas from other livestock and even separated them by color groups. After breeding several generations of alpacas it was the Incas who ascertained that the species was capable of producing some 22 separate and distinguishable colors. In Incan society, only specially designated couturiers were permitted to spin and weave alpaca fiber. Clothing was