
Four million alpacas, one soft economy: Peru's fiber ladder
Peru holds most of the world's alpacas, but most raw fiber leaves cheap and returns expensive. Inside the value chain herders, mills and luxury brands are fighting over.
Colombia, Chile, Peru and Ecuador — lithium, coffee, cities and culture.

Peru holds most of the world's alpacas, but most raw fiber leaves cheap and returns expensive. Inside the value chain herders, mills and luxury brands are fighting over.

About 1.5 million people a year squeeze onto a ridge built for an imperial estate. The circuits, the quotas and the booking tactics, explained for visitors.

Maido took the top spot in the World's 50 Best ranking in 2025, two years after Central did. Behind the awards: potatoes, migration, state promotion and a supply chain rewritten by chefs.

Bolivia's 10,000-square-kilometer salt flat is simultaneously a lithium vault and a tourism phenomenon. Both claim the same horizon, and only one is currently paying.

Colombia grows the world's most recognized arabica on tiny family plots organized by a century-old federation. How the system works — and where it strains.

The world's second-largest producer redesigned its lithium rules in 2023 around state control and Codelco-led partnerships. What the model is, and who wins under it.