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Awana Kancha- Llama- Vicuña- Alpaca- Guanaco

October 8th, 2008 by

I received a tip from one of the local vendors at Pisac mercado to go and check out Awana Kancha.

Awana Kancha is a project of private initiative, associated to 14 communities (420 families) of native people, who made the ancestral weaving process their principal activity and way of life.

No wonder all these animals running around everywhere here in Perú look all so familiar. Did you know that the Llama is related to the camel? I still remember the night I rode on a camel with Mrs. Tolisano and Mrs. Menger up Mount Sinai in Egypt.

We learned that the natives use everything from the animal. The fur is used for wool to make clothing, the poop is used for making fire and for fertilizer, the bones are used for weaving tools, and the llama and alpaca meat is used for food.

Llama

  • Domesticated
  • Serves as food, leather, & wool for clothing, fat for candles

Alpaca

  • Domesticated
  • Size of a sheep
  • Long hair in black, white and brown, very soft and flexible

Vicuña

  • Light brown color
  • Smallest one of the four
  • Protected species
  • Lives wild in the Andes region
  • Long and very fine hair. One of the best wool in the world

Guanaco

  • Tallest one
  • Not domesticated
  • Almost size of a horse

Posted in Culture & History, Fauna & Flora, Jose, the Travel Bear, Pachamama, Peru, Videos | 7 Comments »

7 Responses to “Awana Kancha- Llama- Vicuña- Alpaca- Guanaco”

  1. on 08 Oct 2008 at 6:53 pm   lmenger

    The animals are beautiful. They look very friendly. Could you pet them? I am glad you were able to get on with your travels. Tell Jose that the camel ride up Mount Sinai is etched in my memory as well.

  2. on 08 Oct 2008 at 8:30 pm   pmcgee

    The animals look well cared for in this community. Did you learn why the Vicuña are a protected species?

  3. on 09 Oct 2008 at 8:44 am   nsmith

    Pre K thinks those animals are sooo cute and remind us of the camel and giraffes that we have seen.

  4. on 09 Oct 2008 at 9:08 am   cmcknight

    Mrs. McKnight’s class was wondering why there is no picture of the guanaco. Is it because it is wild? The favorite is the Vicuna. It looks so strange with that long neck!

  5. on 09 Oct 2008 at 9:57 am   aweaver

    Samantha thinks the llama is pachamama…we think it rhymes, so it must be true, right??

  6. on 09 Oct 2008 at 9:22 pm   admin

    @Mrs. Menger
    Yes, we were able to pet the llamas and alpacas. They are domesticated animals compared to the wild vicunas and guanacos.
    Pisac-Llamas 171

  7. on 09 Oct 2008 at 9:28 pm   admin

    @Mrs. McGee
    The vicuña is protected, because they have been hunted for many centuries, because of the quality of their wool. They are not many around anymore.

    @Mrs. Smith,
    We agree that they are cute. Great comparison to other animals that you are familiar with.

    @Mrs. McKnight,

    On the farm, we only saw one guanaco, and the picture did not turn out. But it is the biggest of all the four types of animals.

    @Mrs. Weaver,
    Great guess, but keeping following along with us to find out who and where Pachamama is.