The History of Alpacas

For over 6,000 years, a small mystical creature with a fleece of pure luxury, has journeyed through time, in partnership with man.

Alpacas grazing the hillsides of Teesdale.
Over the centuries their fleeces were prized, and wealth was measured by alpaca ownership. Throughout the Inca period they began selective breeding and alpacas evolved with the finest of fleeces ever known to man, the like of which, has not yet been matched today.
The arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 17th century, brought the destruction of the Incan population and decimation of the great alpaca herds. A few surviving Incans escaped with some of their highly prized alpacas to the great heights of the Andes, the alpacas were spread far and wide and bred with mediocre stock resulting in the loss of the purest bloodlines. Due to the harsh environment of the Altiplano, a survival of the fittest ensued, creating a sturdier and healthier alpaca.
Into the 21st century and after years of selective breeding, great steps have now been made, towards regaining the ‘Prized Incan Alpaca’, with the added bonus that today's animal is a hardier example of it’s ancestors.
Of the South American camelids, Alpacas are the domestic descendants of the protected wild Vicuna, and Llamas are the domestic descendants of the protected wild Guanaco.

            Guanacos grazing the Andes in South America

Types of Alpaca

       There are two recognised types of alpaca.

The HUACAYA is by far the most common, a sturdy alpaca,
fully fleeced they present a woolly round appearance, their
fleece is dense and crimped.
 

Huacaya Alpaca

  
     The SURI is a much finer animal, appearing to have
     a longer neck and legs, the fleece is less dense, but much
     valued, it hangs down their sides like ‘dreadlocks’
     in appearance, but, because it parts down the alpacas
     back, it affords less protection than the Huacaya fleece.
     Only a fraction of all alpacas worldwide are Suri.
  

 

Suri Alpaca

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