Currently, the
upbringing of alpacas and llamas is an important economic activity in
the Andes region, and in many cases, it is one of the only means of
subsistence for indigenous families dedicated to this activity.
Alpaca wool
fibers are manually classified according to their finesse in the
following categories: Royal Alpaca (less than 19 microns), Baby
Alpaca
(22.5 microns), Super Fine Alpaca (25,5 microns), Huarizo (29 microns),
Gruesa (32 microns), and Mixed Pieces (short fibers usually over 32
microns). The Royal Alpaca is the finest of all alpaca qualities
. However,
the quality does not relate to the age of the animal, also a grown up
Alpaca can produce fibers of Baby Alpaca quality.
