National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-05-26
MATUCANA IN PERU.
An Almost Abandoned Town Nestled High Up
in the Andes.
Extensive and Picturesque Ruins Of a
Once Favorite Resort.
People Who Go 24O Miles TO Market and Will Not
Use the Railroad.
Primitive Costumes and Habits OF the
Nativcs-BeautifuI Scenery.

CALLAo, PERU, April 2l.-Matucana is one
Of the small pueblos on the railroad to Oroya,
but being especially we'll situated as to alti-
tude IL was q favorite resort for people from
Lima and Callao "befo' do wah" SO much 80
that, although tho country is far from quiet,
a Scotohman, remembering its former popu-
larity, went there about three months ago
and built q small hotel and 10 now roaping q
golden harvest. Hore Is where we spent o
week. The altitude Is nearly 5000 feet above
the sea, which is just low enough for
persons not TO BIO seriously incommoded by
s0roohe, and yet high enough to run no risk
of the much dreaded verrugas, which pre-
walls at from 5000 to 6,000 feot.
The pueblo or town was quito largo one,
and when tho Chlians destroyed 10 they
simply burned the matched roofs and wooden
doors of tho little dwellings, leaving the
adobe walls standing; SO you got an idea Of
just how it all looked. The houses very
rarely consisted of more than one room, aud
light and air came in at tho door. There
were no chimneys, ns all the cooking Is done
on double earthenwaro pots or on tho fire
built out Of doors, and they use small bits Of
wood and a little charcoal for fuel. The
streets are narrow, and down tho center Of
each runs q little stream of water confined
on either side by cobble stones. This water
comes from the river and is utilized for
food, their household utensils and clothes In
IL, but by some strange fatality, not them
selves. When q woman wishes to wash
clothes she dams up tho stream with q few
stones thus making puddle in tho street,
aud beside this she 5quats and cleanges ~
her soiled garments.
Some of the people have wandered back to
their former homes aud rooted them in with
pieces OF corrugated iron, held in place by
large stones. On the plaza is tho old cathe-
dral, with most ruinous and picturesque
belfry at one corner. Tho bell Is sounded by
the clapper being moved by one of tho ma
tives and it was strange picture on Sun
day morning to sec the groups of Indians
standing about the plaza clad in their gayly-
:olored garments, the old cathedral behind
them, and at one side the belfry with the
ponchoed Indian in it, slowly striking the
old bell. The interior is not interesting, o.
nothing remains but a crucifx and parts of
the side affairs, this building having been used
as barracks by the soldiers, and they carried
OFF everything portable. A fat old padre, who
certainly is not an ornament to his church, if
you consider his behavior out of the sacred
edifce. presides at the mass on Sundays and
buries the dead or baptizos or marres the
living If they have enough money to pay
him for his pains.
The valley widens little where the town
Is, but it is none too wide then, and the
towering mountains come steeply down on
every side, until you wonder sometimes how
you got there and how you are going 10 get
out. Bride paths lead all about over the
mountains, but they are rough and uncared
for, and so steep that declined to trust my
self on mule, although those little brutes
crawl over difficulties here, as they do in SO
many other mountainous districts, and seem
to have no center of gravity, or ut least one
they can shift at will. Besides these little
beasts of burden, the peasants have llamas
and small horses and you often meet droves
of them making their way down to town
with sacks OF delicious mountain potatoes
firmly dashed upon their backs by raw hide
ropes, and followed by several natives-men,
women, and children. 1t seems strange that
you SEQ very few half grown boys or girls
among them; they are generally infants, car
ried Oh their mothers backs, or of full stature.
These Indians are pureblooded, and their
most marked feature is what learned men call
the American nose They are peaceable and
have good features, dark, copper coored
skins, and straight, glossy black hair. Their
figures would be better if they were not so
thick set but this gives you an impression
of great strength, and their carriage is good.
The men have, at most, thin, struggling
beard, and often none at all Their ancestors
always pulled out their boards with tweezers,
and finally those hirsute ornaments seem to
have become discouraged and refuse to grow.
They live in little novels or holes In the
hillside, and TOR living cultivate the small
terraces about them, each one owning one or
more of these places. High upon the noun
tain they raise potatoes, and in the Valleys
more correctly. ravines-corn. They live on
potatoes and parched corn, only rarely eating
meat and then it is generally goat or kid.
The surplus Of their crops they sell to buy
chicha and pisco to got drunk on. When
they are on the road to town they will stop
and talk with you, aud are as sober and
solemn as judges, but on the way home they
are, almost without exception, gloriousy
drunk, and go smiling by. Tho women are
as bad as the mon, and you wonder how they
ever reach their homes. over the paths they
have to follow. One thing which struck me
rs peculiar is that. drunk or sober, they never
sing.
Their garments are made from tho wool of
vicuna, llama, alpaca, ordinary goat of COM
merce. or cotton-generally Of alpaca. The
women spin tho wool and weave the cloth on
their rough hand looms You see them spin
ming AS they walk along the paths, their
distaf being forked twig with the bunch of
wool stuck on 1t, and their spindle straight
piece of wood, with small potato or piece of
corn cob on the lower end to keep the thread
on. The cloth is about eighteen inches wide
and Is always soft, warm, and pliable The
alpaca, like tho ViCuna, has q long nap on
both sides, which makes it very pretty and
in nowise resembles tho harsh, wry stuff
that il turned out from our looms at home
Ahu ihpOiou uApuOh'
The women wear dress which comes
about midway between the knee and ankle,
cut quite low about the neck, and having
shortish sleeves, This is generally dyed
dark blue, and over it 10 worn the mourning
apron, twisted to one side. A Panama hat
generally covers their head, but if they are
too poor TO buy one of these they 20 bare
headed. Their feet and logs are bare, save
piece of hide with the hair left on, which
barely covers the sole and top of the toes,
and is held in place by piece of raw hide,
which Is run through holes cut in the edge
and then drawn up tight and tied, like
gathering string Although not strictly part
of their toilet these women always have q
bundle on their backs, which generally in
cludes a baby. This is held In place by
broad band of cloth that covers everything,
except the childs head, aud IL brought over
the shoulders and tied across the chest.
The men wear shirts, short trousers al
most knee broeches), poncho and Panama
hat; they have bare logs and wear tho same
shoes. Sometimes, when on q journey, have
seen them wearing footlGss stockings and
long armlets. They wear their garments un-
I'll they are worn out, and then put on new
ones; they never take them otfto sleep, but
live, die, and arc buried in them. 1t IL only
in the towns, | am assured, that washing Is
done. Their hair must BIO inhabited, for you
often see them looking over one another's
heads. On Sunday the women add mauta
TO their other clothes, and this is generally
pinned in front, with large, handsome sill