What Animals Were Revered By Ancient Peruvians

Proud owners of the most expensive wool on earth, vicuñas have suffered through a tumultuous history in Southward America and are not yet out of the woods – read on to discover why this is one of the earth's most coveted and beautiful animals

The S American vicuña is one of the nearly iconic wild fauna you'll see on the cardinal Andes Mountain regions of the continent. They are nowadays revered for their fine and insulating fleece: vicuña wool is the most expensive fabric on world, fetching between 1000 and 3000 USD per yard.

The Vicuña, a relation of the llama and suspected wild ancestor of the now-domesticated alpaca, is the smallest camelid on earth and was every bit revered in ancient Inca times as information technology is today, although all the attention – in between – almost sent information technology into extinction. The fascinating history of the Andean Vicuña is a tale of ancient reverence and modern greed, seeing the beast both immensely valued by the Incas and almost hunted into oblivion by invading Europeans.

Vicunas in the Andes between Chile and Argentina. Credit: Shutterstock

Today, the vicuña is the national fauna of Peru and the authorities has placed strict regulations on the harvesting and export of its wool. A render to more than humane shearing practices has meant the vicuña is, once more, soaring and thriving in the highest peaks of the Andes, much as it did during the time of the Inca Empire'due south rule over these lands. An increment in illegal trade, however, means the vicuña's tribulations are no thing of the past.

Vicuñas and the Ancient Incas

Many people assume that vicuña wool's prized worth is a relatively recent occurrence all the same that's not the case. To the ancient Incas of the Andes, the animal's wool was akin to golden, worn just past royalty and treated with the utmost respect. At the pinnacle of Inca prominence in South America, there were an estimated two million vicuñas roaming nigh the high Andean peaks, keeping themselves (and those lucky Inca royals) toasty warm in the harshest of winter climates.

Vicuña VS Europeans – a near Ballsy fail

When Castilian conquistadores invaded the continent, they shrewdly realized just how valuable the 'Inca wool' was, although in their efforts to secure large loads for export back dwelling nearly sent the creature extinct.

Unlike alpacas and llamas, the vicuña was never domesticated and, considering the fact that the fauna is not actually a very proficient wool producer (vicuñas avowal sloth-like rate of wool regrowth of between two and four years) it was almost hunted to oblivion.

From the time the Spanish landed on S American soil, up until the mid-1970s, when the Peruvian Government finally realised protection-status of the vicuña was imperative, there were merely a few 1000 left in the wild.

The vicuña was alleged endangered in 1974 and, today, their numbers are believed to hover around 150,000.

Credit: Shutterstock

Exclusivity & Quality – The Vicuña'south Winning Combination

If you lot've ever held an particular made of vicuña wool ($one thousand pair of socks, perhaps?) you'll know how divine this fabric is to the touch. It is also very insulating and can keep humans warm like nix else on earth (quite literally). The exclusivity of the fabric comes from its exceptional quality and rarity – there only isn't that much vicuña wool produced every twelvemonth – which has fabricated vicuña-gear quite the status symbol the world over. Add to this the fact that ane animal yields very trivial wool: it takes upwards of 35 to garner plenty wool to make a single sweater.

Imagine a sweater that'due south priced at $20,000 because of its textile…not its fashionable brand-name?

Vicuna coat valued at $20,000. Credit: Robb Report

Some Interesting Facts Almost Vicuñas

• Vicuñas live exclusively in Due south America (primarily in Peru) at altitudes of between 3500 and 5700m. They are as well found in regions of Bolivia, Chile and Argentine republic
• Their thick soft wool boasts scales which help trap air betwixt fibres, keeping them warm in the sub-zilch temps of the high Andes
• Shy yet hands alerted, the vicuña boasts incredible hearing and can be elusive to spot in the wild
• Family unit groups – which the vicuña thrives in – are made up of one male and its female person harem, along with babies upward to 12 months of age. Once grown, bachelors will look for harems to create and females for other female-groups to join. This has helped the vicuña prevent involuntary interbreeding
• Mating season is in Bound (in March and April) and the gestation catamenia is a rather impressive 11 months
• Vicuñas are cunning escape artists and incredibly fast and that'south why they have never been successfully domesticated
• They are still held sacred past the people living in the high central Andes
• The vicuña is still considered an endangered animal and, although local South American governments accept strict merchandise regulations in place, illegal trading in wool is said to be substantial. To this end, a few foreign governments have banned the import of vicuña wool products altogether

How Modernistic Greed is, Once Once again, Threatening the Andean Vicuña

Later being brought back form the brink of extinction, vicuñas have now caught the attention of illegal poachers and wild fauna traffickers, placing the stunning fauna under threat once again. Local authorities are facing an upward trend on the illegal export of vicuña wool and, considering the high fashion need for this most prestigious of fibres, traffickers are prolific and believed to take been responsible for the slaughter of over 5000 animals in the early 2000s.

In order to adjourn illegal need, local governments introduced community-based programmes a few years ago, which are aimed at facilitating the sustainable humane shearing of wild vicuñas, the way information technology was one time.

Chaccu – Ancient Ritual Could exist The Vicuña'southward Saviour

Back in the days of the mighty Incas, wild vicuñas were herded into stone enclosures one time every four years for the sole purpose of shearing, in an aboriginal ritual known every bit chaccu . Present, responsible farmers living in the Andean regions of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina are being enticed by the government to return to this ancient pre-Columbian practice, collaborating in groups for a yearly event that's celebrated with gusto. Visitors caput to Ayacucho in Peru to witness the incredible spectacle; seeing vicuñas herded, sheared and returned to the wild, en masse.

The 3-twenty-four hour period Chaccu festival in Ayacucho, held towards the end of June each year, comes with accompanying aboriginal dancing and singing and is one of the most interesting cultural experiences y'all can take in the country.

Vicuna Chaccu in Ayacucho. Credit: Shutterstock

Ayacucho is located in the high-altitude Pampas Galeras National Reserve, home to the largest vicuña population in all of South America. This is, past far, the best place to see the magnificent beast. The park covers 65 square kms and was originally created for the sole purpose of protecting the endangered vicuña. This incredible sanctuary is a remote destination many visitors never get to visit, mostly considering tourist infrastructure and services are minimal, if not actually non-real. On a individual tour through Peru, however, including a visit from nearby Nazca (domicile of those mysterious lines) or Arequipa is a breeze.

Desire to come and meet vicuñas? See all our tour ideas for Peru and give us a call if y'all'd beloved us to create a bespoke itinerary to this truly mesmerizing state.

More blogs you may be interested in:

• Summit 10 Wildlife of Peru
• Wildlife of Peru
• Wildlife Guide to the Pantanal
• Sustainable Travel Archives

Writer: Laura Pattara

"Laura Pattara is a modern nomad who's been vagabonding around the world, non-terminate, for the by 15 years. She'southward tour-guided overland trips through Due south America and Africa, travelled independently through the Middle East and has completed a half-dozen-year motorbike trip from Europe to Australia. What ticks her fancy most? Animal encounters in remote wilderness, accurate experiences off the beaten trail and spectacular Autumn colours in Patagonia."

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Source: https://www.chimuadventures.com/blog/2018/12/meet-andean-vicuna-ancient-gods-near-extinction/

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