Andes Mountains
There are two varieties of Alpacas: Huacaya and Suri. Both have their own special attributes but Suris are the rarer. The Incan Empire depended on them for food, fuel, fiber for clothing, and transportation of goods. They remain the single most reliable source of wealth for the indigenous peoples of the Andes. So much so that from 1843 until the mid 1980′s exportation of these animals from the Andean countries was illegal. In the 1980′s a small number of animals were imported into North America. Subsequently importation into the USA was stopped, so most alpacas in the North American herd are “home grown.”