"The wind turns around when it reaches the high Andean alpaca herds"
Quechua Indian legend

Alpacas are members of the camelid family, which includes camels, vicuna, alpacas, llamas and guanacos. It was well over three million years ago, that the camelids migrated from North to South America.  The Aymara and Quechua people of Peru have been breeding alpacas for over 5000 years. Based primarily in the stark, uncompromising environment of the treeless altiplano, (the inhospitable highlands of the Andes at 14,000 feet.),  Andean pastoralism flourished long before the rise of the Roman Empire.  The alpaca figured prominently in the culture and  heritage of the Andean herders.

Historical evidence found in the Andean caves suggest that the Inca Empire (1438-1532)  was obsessed with the religious, social and economic significance of the alpaca. Its luxurious fiber was reserved exclusively for high ranking officials and nobility. As an example of the extreme reverence given to the alpaca, no less than the death penalty was prescribed for commoners found to be in possession of this precious fiber. The lesser quality llama was considered adequate for the average citizen

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The Inca civilization was committed to maintaining the highest possible quality of the alpaca fiber by separating  the alpaca and llama herds. The llama was bred primarily for its strength as a "beast of burden" recognizing the value of its carrying capacity.  With different dietary preferences, the alpacas were clustered in the northern part of the altiplano in southeastern Peru, while the llama concentration existed primarily in the southern regions of the northern Bolivian highlands.

The Inca's emphasis on quality fiber development is found in the garments and alpaca mummies of the  Inca burial grounds.
Ever since Simon Bolivar (The South American Liberator), in 1927, decided to protect the alpaca, proclaiming it a "unique and essential resource", Peru has maintained its role as the world leader in alpaca development.