Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-30
THE CITY OF PEACE.
Quaint Sights and Sounds in q South
American Capital
WHERE WINTER AND SUMNER MIX
And Reckless Men and Pretty Women Idle
Away the Hours.

And Reckless Men and Pretty women ldie
Away the Hours.
WHITE KID SHOESON SMALL BARE FEET
CORRESPONDENTS OF THE pIsPArcH.l
LA PAz, BOLIVIA, July, 1SsO.-There
is Spanish proverb which says:
"Musica, mel y la ventana,
No es buena en- Ia manana.
meaning that music, honey and standing in
the window are lndulgences not good for the
early part of the day. Notwithstanding 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 Peacel:. Gazing at the
stupendous mountains which stretch away
to 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 we're glad to rest
here awhile from their journeyings. This
led to the establishment of military post,
which afterwards grew into q city, and in
154S Don Alouzo de Mendoza, who seems
to have had streak of poetry in his sordid
soul, solemnly chrlstened it Nuestro Sen
ora de la Paz, "Our Lady of the Peace. ="
The name was changed some 65 years ago,
lust after the decisive battle Of Ayacucho,
by means of which Bolivia gained her in
independence from Spain, the final treaty
of peace being celebrated here, to La Paz de
Ayacucho. And certainly the very spirit
of peace, or rather of idleness, seems brood
ing over the scene Because of the great
elevation, about Il, 900 feet above sea level,
everybody moves about slowly who moves
at all, for that distressing complaint known
as sirroche,, or difficulty of breathing, is
sure to follow active exercise.
NEITHER WINTER NOR SUMMER.
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 it the chill Of the near
BY snowfelds. 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 damp
and cold az so many tombs. except in rooms
which are thoroughly penetrated by the
midday sun. Imagine civilized commu-
nifty where water freezes at night and frosts
are frequent depending solely upon the sun
for heat, especially as in this altitude that
orb is more inconsistent than the moon,
sometimes refusing to show its face for days
togetherl Summer clothes" are never re-
quired in La Paz. Everybody wears his
overcoat at all seasons, and needs 1t much
more indoors than out.
But there are compensations everywhere
for most of the ills of life, and one with an
eye to the picturesque may find them even
in La Paz. Directly opposite our window
Illimani, the giant sentinel of
the Andes, looms up like q sheeted ghost,
white as unsullied 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 foothills, amethyst and brown be-
vond them and the distant heights misty
blue.
On q narrow street rises the Presidents
palacio-three-storied, the lower story of
hewn stone left in its natural color, the up
per part painted pale blue. Its windows
have neither outer nor inner shutters, but
each is guarded bv an iron-rail balcony.
Red-trousered soldiers are lolling all day
before its entrance, and above them floats
the flag of Bolivia, three equal stripes, red,
yellow and green, with the national escutch-
con stamped in the middle. There are
few hours in the "a when some military com.
pany is not parading, or band playing be-
fore the Presidents casa. The Plaza Mayor
of La Paz, like that of other Spanish-Amer-
ican cities, is its principal feature, from
which all things radiate. Its entire surface
is paved with small stones set in a regular
pattern of diagonal bars, as are the streets
Immediately surrounding it, the figures
rendered more pronounced by alternating
black and white stones, the former brought
from an island in Lake Titicaca. Rows of
little trees, most of them dead or dying, Ian
guish between the stones, and the whole is
surrounded by high adobe wall.
PICTURESQUE STREET SCENES.
The street of La Paz, winding up and
down the hills, are remarkably steep and
irregular, all paved with small. sharp
stones, many of them having sidewalks so
narrow that two pedestrians can hardly walk
abreast. Looking down at the one which
passes Immediately below us we see that it
descends q sharp hill, at the foot of which
are crowds of people. Should you brave
the danger of sirroche and venture down
there, you will find all manner of commod-
titles spread out for sale on both sides of the
walk for several squares. up and down the
four streets that diverge from the market
house. Sunday morning early is the best
time to 60, for in these countries everything
is seen at its best on that day of the week.
There are fish from Lake Titicaca, mutton
and beef from the Andean plateau, fruits
and vegetables from the Yungas and other
distant valleys. There is Indian work of
brilliant color, mittens that draw on
and n are fastened together at the
back, ponchos that rival the rainbow in
hues, and ready-made garments of every de.
scription, from ox-eyed sandals to the big
sleeved, splendidly embroidered velvet
jackets of the festive cholos. Searching
among the smaller booths one may pick up
veritable curios, in the way of tiny idols
from the Inca ruins, stuffed armadillos,
musical instruments made by the Indians,
which it would be no SIN 70 worship, they
being not in the likeness of anything in the
heavens above or the earth below, the strange
ornaments of macaw feathers which they
wear at the annual religious festas of Co
and tiny still-born vicunas for
use in some of their superstitious ceremonies.
There are handsome straw baskets, too,
most of them bearing in blood-red letters
the words: Viva mi amor-"Long live my
love-" trunks of black or white rawhide,.
the hair side turned outward and lined with
soft snowy kid; tiger and vicuna skins, and
the feeces Of alpaca and nsmas. The
vicuna furs are especially desirable for rugs
or carriage robes. They sell here for from
$40 to $40, according to size and quality,
but bring in New York and other places
from $50 to 500 each.
The river Chiquiapo runs through the
middle of La Paz-a noble stream fed from
the surrounding mountains and spanned by