Alpacas, artisans flourish side by side in New Mexico

Alpacas, members of the camel family and native to the Andes, do well in the 7,000-foot-plus elevation of northern New Mexico with their enlarged hearts and lungs.

“Their fiber can be finer than cashmere,’’ said Darcy Weisner, ranch manager. “It’s very lightweight as it is a hollow hair, which gives it unique insulating qualities. We analyze every alpaca’s fiber every year when we shear. This helps us with our breeding program as well as with deciding whose fiber should be sent to a mill and whose will be handspun or sold as raw fiber in our store.’’

At the Mora Valley Spinning Mill, a mile down the road, director Carla Gomez walked me through the process of transforming hefty bags of tangled fur into skeins of vibrantly-colored, silky wool. A staff of eight operates the machines that produce about 50 pounds of wool a day. Gomez hopes to double that by year’s end.

Early Spanish settlers introduced sheep to this region in the late 16th century. Gomez sees the mill as both an economic engine and preserver of “heritage’’ breeds.

“For a small farmer, the animals that are raised are a part of the family,’’ she said. “When an animal is raised for its wool, fiber is a harvested crop, just like picking a peach that is ripe and sweet off a tree.’’

Leaving the mill, I drove through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, then along the Kit Carson National Forest to the tiny town of Youngsville, about 100 miles west of Mora. Here, from its perch at 6,800 feet, the property of fiber artist Katy Blanchard has a stunning 360-degree view: Ghost Ranch, where Georgia O’Keeffe painted for 50 years, is to the northeast; the artist’s beloved Cerro Pedernal mountain to the east; lovely mesas to the west; and the Santa Fe National Forest to the south.