Alpaca Fiber

From the highlands of Puno to the homes of Lima, Inca Heritage works with communities of women artisans who pour their talent and heart into every hand-knit creation, using the finest alpaca fiber.

The alpaca, with the scientific name Lama Pacos, is the most numerous of the four South American camelids. According to some researchers, the alpaca comes from the domestication of the vicuna, and lives in the high Andes of Peru and Bolivia. Peru has the 85% of population of alpacas around the world, that means 6 million alpacas living in the mountains.

The alpaca is an animal of fine appearance, harmonious in their walk, slender body covered with fiber which together are called fleece. Presents footpads feature that gives the condition of ecological animal to avoid damage the pasture, nor cause erosion. The alpaca as domestic species is brought up in herds, their main production is the fiber having any number of colors, from white to brown to black, also the color gray and roan.

The alpaca starts to play between 2 and 3 years old, has a gestation period of 11.5 months and produces one offspring a year.