also be born of the union that will, in turn, produce Suri or Huacaya. One could postulate that the Suri gene is therefore actually dominant, but even that is not true; it is far more likely that the Suri gene is simply suppressed in Huacaya.
Liquid gold
Suri were revered by the Incan Empire, and yes, Huacaya were extremely important within their society but they were not revered. The scarcity of the Suri and their unique fibre made them coveted by Incan royalty and, as such, only Incan royalty were allowed to wear garments made from Suri. The lustre, shimmering in the sun, and the way the cloth literally flowed around the body made the garments appear as though the wearer were covered in liquid gold. As sun worshippers the Incan civilisation viewed gold as an incredibly important symbol of wealth and power and the Incan kings were considered Gods on earth. Suri were paraded at festivals as an embodiment of their Gods. Even now parades continue; such is the high regard for Suri. Within Peruvian herds, some are kept as Wasi, an unshorn Suri believed to be possessed of magical powers that brings good luck to the people. As Suri cloth was worn only by Gods, Suri were considered to be the favoured of the Gods and therefore there can be little doubt that Suri is the true ‘Fibre of the Gods’. Limited use of Suri fibre, and its protected royal status in the Incan civilization, meant Suri herds were kept pure; they were corralled separately and selectively mated Suri to Suri, reinforcing and concentrating the genetics. Numbers were artificially constrained due to the small demand for their fibre. This limited the gene pool which in turn further concentrated the Suri gene. With the Spanish conquest of Peru in 1532, millions of alpacas were slaughtered and many driven up into the highlands to make way for the grazing of cattle and sheep on the lowland plains. There are no records of the numbers of alpacas that existed then, let alone Suri or Huacaya separately, and we can only estimate the numbers. But, as a lowland animal, it was more Continued on the next page >>
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Alpaca Yearbook 2021
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