The old and the new Peru

by Marie Robinson Wright

SHEEP ON THE PASTURES OF ANCASH.

The Department of Puno is particularly noted for its alpacas, which have remarkably heavy fleeces of great length. The alpaca is sheared every two years and gives from six to nine pounds of wool, the best quality being that of the fleece taken from the animal when three or four years old. The wool of the llama is much coarser, and that of the vicuña a great deal finer, than the alpaca’s wool. The llama, sometimes called the “camel of the Andes,” is chiefly valued as a beast of burden, while neither the alpaca nor the vicuña is employed in this way. The alpaca, a smaller animal than the llama, and more stockily built, is usually brown or black in color, has shorter legs and carries itself with less stately dignity than the prouder llama, which seldom curves its long neck, holding its head high and turning it from side to side with a leisurely movement, as it strides along with slow, measured tread. The llama, alpaca, and vicuña are best understood and most easily managed by native Indian shepherds, who seldom have any trouble in leading them wherever they will. The Indian never treats his pastoral charge with cruelty, and his methods are distinguished by that nonchalance and abundant leisure which seem to be his most marked characteristics. The vicuña produces less wool than either the llama or the alpaca, but its fleece is of a much finer quality, which brings better prices in the European market. Peru exports annually about four million pounds of wool.

LLAMAS GRAZING ON THE PUNA.

The culture of vicuña wool deserves especial attention as it is one of the most lucrative industries of the country, and, with intelligent and persevering devotion to its interests, may be developed far beyond its present condition. The existence of the vicuña in Peru dates back to pre-Columbian times, when it was a favorite offering of the Incas in sacrifice to the God of the Sun at the great feast of Raymi. The Spaniards gave it the name of “carneiro de tierra,” or land sheep; and naturalists who travelled in Peru during the time of the viceroyalty classified it as belonging to the camel family.

The vicuña stands from three to four feet in height and has a long slender neck on which is set a small, rather delicately-shaped head with narrow pointed ears that stand upright; the body is about three or four feet in length, and the legs are long and very slender, the hind legs being longer than those in front, which is an advantage to the animal in its mountain climbing. The fleece is a delicate light tan color, darker on the back than elsewhere, the coat showing light under the body and on the inside of the legs, where it is almost white. The vicuña has no horns and its chief defense is the same as that of the llama, which shows displeasure by spitting at the offending object. Almost as soon as born, at least within a few hours after making its entrance into the world, this remarkable little animal is ready to follow its mother on a long and tiring run, and by the second day it will show wonderful strength and velocity in keeping up with the older one, especially if they are fleeing from pursuers.

ARCHED GATEWAY OF PUNO.

Only in a very limited region of the Andes is the vicuña to be found, chiefly in Peru and Bolivia, where it seeks the highest parts of the sierra at an altitude of from ten thousand to fifteen thousand feet above sea level, in a region where the temperature is below freezing point. An interesting description of the vicuña’s habits is given by a Peruvian writer, Señor G. Gutierrez Madueno, who has made a careful study of this animal. He says that as soon as a family of young vicuñas are full grown,—that is, when ten months or a year old,—the females make such an onslaught on their brothers, kicking and biting them, that the latter are forced to leave the maternal shelter and go elsewhere, either to form their own ménage in an Adam’s paradise, or to seek mates in other homes and establish new relations. In any case, not more than one male is permitted in a herd, which used to number as many as fifty females, though few are now seen to have more than twenty. The chosen male always leads the herd, keeping a certain distance ahead so as to warn them of any approaching danger; this he does by making a curious sound, at which his followers retreat to a safe distance, usually up the cliffs, from which they can look down on the intruder and satisfy their curiosity. If a hunter kills the male, the entire herd surrounds the dead body in an effort to resuscitate it, manifesting every sign of grief; if, on the contrary, one of the females is killed, it is left to its fate, while the survivors make all speed to a place of safety.

On the high plains and sierras of Puno the hunting of the alpaca and the vicuña for their wool has been active ever since colonial days, though it is only within recent years that the necessity for protecting this important source of wealth has occupied the attention of the authorities. The government is now thoroughly awakened to the danger threatened by a constant and reckless destruction of these valuable wool-bearing animals, and laws have been adopted looking to their preservation. The city of Puno, founded by the Viceroy the Count of Lemos in the seventeenth century, is the central market and shipping point for the alpaca and vicuña wool of a large territory, and in the museum of the city are to be seen some rare specimens of beautiful textiles woven from these products.