Inca animal husbandry

Inca animal husbandry refers to how in the pre-Hispanic andes, camelids played a truly important role in the economy. In particular, the llama and alpaca—the only camelids domesticated by Andean people— which were raised in large-scale houses and used for different purposes within the production system of the Incas. Likewise, two other species of undomesticated camelids were used: the vicuña and the guanaco. The guanacos were hunted by means of chacos (collective hunts).
The Inca people used tools such as: stones, knives or tumis, axes that, according to chroniclers, were made of stone and bronze, and ropes that were made by them in their leisure time. Many of these tools were used to shear the camelids, which were then set free; in this way, they ensured that their numbers were maintained. Guanacos, on the other hand, were hunted for their meat, which was highly prized.
The South American camelids were a valuable resource. Their meat was consumed fresh or in charqui and chalona; their wool was used to make threads and fabrics; their bones, hide, fat and excrement had diverse applications such as musical instruments, footwear, medicines and fertilizer respectively. They were also preferred animals for religious sacrifices. The communal camelid herds were under the care of young people, whose ages ranged from twelve to sixteen years old.
In areas where the communal herds were large, such as the altiplano region, where pastures were far away, it is likely that their care was in the hands of a full-time specialist. The chroniclers mention two Quechua names for the shepherds: llama michi—which Garcilaso associates with low social status—and llama camayos, which designated the llamas caretaker or employee responsible for the herds. The state herdsmen were responsible for the animals under their charge, whose accounting and supervision were done by officials appointed by the state.
The jesuit José de Acosta mentions that in Ancient Peru, the division of camelid herds was made according to the colors of the animals. There were white, black, brown and moromoros, as they called those of various colors. In addition, the chronicler said that the colors were taken into account for the various sacrifices, according to their traditions and beliefs. Garcilaso de la Vega adds that in the herds, when a calf was of a different color, once it had grown up, it was sent to its corresponding herd. This division by shades facilitated their counting in the quipus, which were made with wool of the same color as that of the animals they wanted to count.
The llama and alpaca were especially important in the Andean economy.
The vicuña and the guanaco had not been domesticated in Inca times.
The visit of Garci Diez de San Miguel to the province of Chucuito is a document that provides interesting information regarding the livestock wealth of that region. From it we know that a common Inca, for example, could own up to a thousand heads of camelids, while a principal lord could own up to fifty thousand. Cattle raising certainly constituted an important source of wealth in pre-Hispanic times.
The chroniclers point out that the meat of all camelids was eaten, but due to the restrictions that existed for its slaughter, its consumption must have been a luxury. The population probably had access to fresh meat only in the army or on ceremonial occasions, when the slaughtered animals were widely distributed.
In colonial times, the pastures were disappearing or becoming poorer due exclusively to the massive presence of the animals introduced by the Spaniards and their eating habits. The Andean environment underwent a considerable change with the domestic animals that arrived with the Spanish conquest.
The animals domesticated in the Inca Empire were mainly camelids. They also domesticated the cuy or guinea pig. Although no significant samples of guinea pigs have been found in the Andes, it is believed that their domestication was minor or in small proportions. Currently, the guinea pig is part of the diet of the Andean peoples. Likewise, ducks and payments to Mother Nature in the Inca Empire were raised at home because their meat was highly valued.
According to chronicles of the Spanish colonization, the inhabitants of the high jungle raised tame and domestic animals such as the cuyes and turkeys.