Domesticated Animals – Llama

Llamas (Lama glama) and the alpaca are two species of four species (guanaco, vicuna being the others) of New World camelids located in the South American Andes. Originally located in the North Amercian plains the ancestor of the camelids migrated south due the Ice Age and inhabited the Andes. Domestication of the guanaco, from which the llama descents, began in Peru about 2000 B.C. and became a “silent partner” to the Incas. The llama was used as a food source, a beast of burden; its wool was used for textiles, for building bridges to roofs to clothing, and worshipped (and a nice golf bag carrier).

The alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is descendant of the vicuna and was domestication may have occurred as early as 4000 B.C. The alpaca was associated with the goddess Pachmana, Mother Earth, in Andean mythology. “It was believed that alpacas were loaned to humans, to be left on earth for only as long as they were properly cared for and respected. According to this legend, alpacas were given as a gift at the mountain Ausangate in Peru.” The animals are similar to the llama but the wool was also used as currency in the Andean regions of South America.

The Spanish conquest brought a systematic attempted to destroy these animals. The result was that only those llamas and alpaca located in the highest reaches of the Andes survived, some estimates is that 90% of the alpaca were destroyed.

Today these animals are used as pack animals and their wool continues to be used for textiles in South American.

http://www.llamapack.com/text/history.html

http://www.llama.org/history.htm

http://www.gatewayalpacas.com/alpacas/history-of-alpacas/alpacas-history.htm