The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-31
The CITY OF PEACE
A Bird's-Eye View of La Paz de
AyacuchO.
A SOUTH AMERICAN CAPITAL
Gossip From a Balcony Superstitiens Con-
corning Heat-How Coal Oil Stove
Brought ON La Grippe.

LA PAz, Bolivia, July 90, 1S9O.-FSpecial
correspondence of The HERALr. There is
a Spanish proverb which says:
';Musica, niei y la ventan1,
No eS buena en- la manana;''
meaning that music, honey and standing in
the window are indulgences not good for
the early part of the day. Notwithstand-
ing the Injunction, let us step out on our
hotel balcony, which overlooks the central
plaza of this queer old town, to enjoy the
street scenes and morning sunshine
The 'City of Peacer' Gazing at the
stupendous mountains which stretch away
10 the horizon on every side, one ceases to
wonder at its strange title, remembering
that when those early Spaniards explored
these barren heights in search of gold and
unconquered Indians and found this green
and cup-like hollow, they were glad to rest
here awhile from their journeyings This
ed to the establishment of military post,
which afterwards grew into a city; and in
1913 Don Alonzo de Mendoza, who seems to
have had a streak of poetry in his sordid
soul, solemnly christenedit Nuestro Sonora
de la Paz, ''Our Lady of the Peace" The
name was changed some sixty-tive wears
ago, just after the decisive battle of
Ayacucho, by means of which Bolivia
gained her independence from Spain, the
final treaty of peace being celebrated here,
to La Paz de ATacucho. And certainly
THE VERY SPIRIT OF PEACE,
or rather of idleness, seems breeding over
the scene. Because of the great elevation,
about ID, 600 feet above the sea level, every
body moves about slowly who moves at all.
for that distressing complaint known as
sirroche, or difficulty of breathing. is sure
TO follow active exercise. Away up here
winter and summer are much alike, for
though completely sheltered by mountain
walls from all the winds that blow, the air
has in il the chill OF the near by snowdelds.
Out of doors in the middle of the day it is
tolerably comfortable. but the houses, not
one of which has any sort of apparatus for
warming purposes. are as damp and cold as
so many tombs, except in rooms which are
thoroughly penetrated by the mid day sun.
Imagine d civilized community where water
freezes at night and frosts are frequent de-
pending solely upon the sun for heat
especially as in this altitude that orb is
more inconsistent than the moon, some
times refusing TO show its face for days to
gether, Summer clothes'i ale never re-
Il.
overcoat at all seasons, and needs it much
more indoors than out. Strange to say, the
uncomfortable people, shiyering around the
house in wraps and furs, have an uncon-
querable prejudice against artificial heat.
and believe that TO keep fire in q stove or
CRATE would mean total destruction to
health. An American gentleman residing
here loaned me contriyance for burning
kerosene TO mitigate the deadly chill in my
rooms CT of inn ~,
the hotel when il was discovered Not
only was | repeatedly warned that my life
was seriously endangered thereby but that
of the entire household as well. and when
la grippe came along a little later and
reaped its harvest under this roof as else
where. we were excessively annoyed by
dark hints thrown out to the effect that all
the sickness and death was directly trace
able to that same oil stove.
BUT THERE ARE CONVERSATIONS EVERY
WHERE
for most of the ills Of life. and one with an
eye to the picturesque may find them even
In La Paz. Let US s'look unto the hills
with the Psalnst, just now wonderful
with patches of light and shadow, varying
from darkest purple to the palest gray
Directly opposite our window sky piercing
lllimani, the giant sentinel of the Andes
looms up like sheeted ghost, white as UNI
sullied snow can make it; while on every
hand, stretching far as the eye can reach
are lines of mountains rising tier above tier
TO the horizon-golden- green on the sunny
foot hills, amethyst and brown beyond
them and the distant heights misty blue
In front of lllimani and looking close be
side its snowy background (but in reality
forty miles or more this side of it, rises the
dark, fve-peaked and many-belled tower of
city sanctuary; and nearer yet, fronting
us on the other side Of the plaza. is the sky.
blue building with dark red doors and pill
lars and tall white tower with clock in it,
which was formerly church, but now
stuck all over with circus and lottery plac-
Rrds-is used by Congress for its sessions.
On one side of it long lavender hued
structure stretches to the corner with a
broad strip of pea-Sreen painted ACROSS the
'front.' in which appears in black letters the
legend, ''Cafe de Paris, " while on the other