The textile tradition was very old in prehispanic Peru and goes back more than eight thousand years B.C. The raw materials used in the textiles were "cabuya", cotton and camelid fiber.  A fiber of great importance was camelid fiber, the coarse hair came from llamas and the fine from alpacas and vicuñas. In the years around 500 B.C. weaving achieved full development and garments from that time can be appreciated in museums.

 

Modern Day

 

Llamas have a fine undercoat which can be used for handicrafts and garments. The coarser outer guard hair is used for rugs, wall-hangings and lead ropes. In recent years, interest in alpaca fiber clothing, hats, scarves, footwarmers, blankets and the like has surged, perhaps partly because alpaca ranching has a reasonably low impact on the environment.

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