History and origin
Alpacas belong to the camelid family. There are no wild alpacas; scientists still disagree on whether these domesticated camels were bred from guanaco or vicuña. Alpacas originate from Chile, Peru, and Bolivia.
Like their close relatives, the llamas, alpacas were treasured by the ancient Incas as far back as 5,000 years ago for the clothing, food and, no doubt, companionship they provided. The alpaca population was hugely decimated during the Spanish conquest of the Incas, and their survival was due to their importance to the Indian people with whom they lived for centuries in the high-altitude regions of the Andes. They adapted to the local vegetation, which is poor in nutrients, and the extraordinarily harsh climatic conditions saw natural selection prevail among the ancestors of today’s alpacas. Alpacas are still kept on the plateaus of the Andes, but are now also bred on farms in Europe.