| In 2000 BC the first common Guinea Pig was | | | | English traders. As soon as they were introduced |
| domesticated for food by the Inca, in the Andean | | | | Guinea Pigs became popular as exotic pets. No one |
| region of South America, in what is now Peru and | | | | knows exactly why they came to be thought of as |
| Bolivia. In these countries the Guinea Pigs continue to | | | | "pigs". Maybe it's because the sounds they make are |
| be a food source. In Peru Guinea Pigs are called cuy | | | | similar to the sounds of the pigs, also they are built |
| and are considered as a culinary delicacy. Guinea Pigs | | | | something like a pig with a large head relative to the |
| also play the role of evil-spirit collector in these country | | | | body, a stout neck, and a rounded rump with no tail of |
| traditional healing rituals. | | | | any consequence. |
| Guinea Pigs were brought to Europe by Dutch and | | | | |