ABSTRACT
South American archaeology has attracted growing interest from both local archaeologists and those from Europe and the United States. The most important recent work on the domestication of South American mammals is that of Elizabeth Wing, which covers the Central Andean area from Ecuador to southern Peru. The llama in South America has apparently always been used primarily as a beast of burden, carrying loads of up to 100 lbs. and travelling in large caravans of several hundred animals among the Andean highlands. In archaeological terms, evidence may be found in the form of enclosures, trading activities and social life of the community, and in the study of faunal remains. The U. S. National Museum in Washington DC obtained 4 cavy skulls from pre-Columbian archaeological sites in Peru, and also 5 specimens of wild cavies from Arequipa and lea. The specimens came from various museums in Europe, mainly from London, including those collected by Darwin.
