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Alpaca fleece is the natural fiber harvested from an alpaca. There are two different types of alpaca fleece. The most common fleece type comes from a Huacaya. Huacaya fiber grows and looks similar to sheep wool in that the animal looks "fluffy". The second type of alpaca is Suri and makes up less than 10% of the South American alpaca population.
Cotton and wool from alpaca, llamas, and vicuñas have been woven into elaborate textiles for thousands of years in the Andes and are still important parts of Quechua and Aymara culture today. Coroma in Antonio Quijarro Province , Bolivia is a major center for ceremonial textile production. [ 6 ]
The llama and alpaca were especially important in the Andean economy. Llama: the resources provided by the llama were used to the maximum. Thus, its wool was spun to transform it into clothing for the people of the sierra, as the inhabitants of the coast used the cotton to make their clothing.
In late June, about 50 volunteers visited the Tenacious Unicorn Ranch, a safe haven for LGBTQ people in southern Colorado, to help shear its alpacas.
Alpaca fiber is sourced from alpacas. It is warmer than sheep's wool and lighter in weight. It is soft, fine, glossy, and luxurious. The thickness of the quality fiber is between 12-29 micrometers. Most alpaca fiber is white, but it also comes in various shades of brown and black. The most common type of alpaca fiber comes from a Huacaya.
Alpacas were domesticated thousands of years ago. The Moche people of Northern Peru often used alpaca images in their art. [6] Traditionally, alpaca were bred and raised in herds, grazing on the level meadows and escarpments of the Andes, from Ecuador and Peru to Western Bolivia and Northern Chile, typically at an altitude of 3,500 to 5,000 metres (11,000 to 16,000 feet) above sea level. [7]
Llamas and alpacas were usually pastured high up in the Andes above cultivatable land, at 4,000 meters (13,000 ft) elevation and even higher. [20] Llamas and alpacas were very important providing "wool, meat, leather, moveable wealth," and "transportation." [9] The Inca also bred and domesticated ducks and guinea pigs as a source of meat. [21]
The Huacaya alpaca is a breed of alpaca (Vicugna pacos) that has a unique appearance and fiber quality. [1] This breed is the most popular alpaca breed with population numbers reaching 2.8 million in Peru alone. [2] They share biological components with other species in the Camelidae family. Their digestive tract, nutrition requirements, and ...