The ancient fine fiber story

Building on the importance of camelids for mountain communities, let’s explore a fascinating discovery about their historical fiber quality:

Archaeological findings have revealed a remarkable decline in alpaca fiber quality over the centuries. When researchers examined 900-1000 year old naturally mummified alpacas found at El Yaral, an archaeological site in southern Peru, they discovered that these ancient breeds produced incredibly fine fiber measuring just 17.9 to 23.6 micrometers in diameter – comparable to premium cashmere! In contrast, today’s alpacas typically produce much coarser fiber averaging around 31.2 micrometers.

This dramatic change tells a story of lost breeding expertise. During the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, up to 80-90% of all llamas and alpacas disappeared along with 80% of the native human population. As herding communities were displaced from coastal and valley regions to extreme high-altitude areas, many specialized breeds vanished and centuries of careful breeding knowledge was lost. Later, extensive hybridization between alpacas and llamas further compromised fiber quality.

Today, while 90% of alpaca fiber produced in Peru has a diameter greater than 25 micrometers and fetches relatively low prices, those ancient animals prove that much finer fiber is possible. This discovery has important implications for modern breeding programs aiming to recover the extraordinary fiber quality achieved by pre-Hispanic herders.

Talking about alpaca fleece, here’s how an alpaca is sheared to gain the precious fiber:

Source: Wheeler, J. C. (2012). South American camelids – past, present and future. Journal of Camelid Science, 5:1-24.