Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-20
WALKS ABOUT LIMA.
Some Of the Lights Of the Ancient
Spanish Capital
IT'S HOUSES AND CHURCHES.
Many Beautiful Women and How They Are
Arrayed-The Sunday Sport of Bull Bait
ing-The Plazss, Public Buildings and
Observation-Disclosures "Reminiscences.
From the Stars Travelling Commissioner.

LMA, PERU, 1880.
TNHE SOJOURNER within these gates finds il
u difficult to believe himself living in the lat
ter part of the nineteenth century. SO strongly
do all the surroundings SAVIOR of vice-regal
days. Those vice kings Of Spain left their
nnger marks upon everything and there is
hardly q street, park, public garden, church or
government building that was not named,
planned or erected by one OF them.
Beginning with the great Plaza Mayor, or
principal square, which covers nearly nine
English acres, We find that the handsome
stone fountain in its center. surmounted by a
bronze statue representing Fame, was built in
1858 by order of n viceroy. One of the earliest
viceroys erected the enormous cathedral that
faces one ride Of this plaza. with its facade
painted red and yellow, its three green doors
and tower at each angle. For nearly three
centuries its affairs were burdened with gold
and silver and jeweled articles of church serv-
ice and ornament, until "a few years ago. when
most OF Its treasures were appropriated and
converted into money by a needy republican
government. In its dark crypt is the stone
coffin of Pizarro, the conquerer. and another
containing the remains of his rascally relative,
Gonzalo, Pizarro. The enterprising tourist
may go down and explore the grucsome place
by the dim flicker of tallow dip. and if he
is curiously enough inclined, by the payment
OF a moderate sum to the sacristan. the stone
cover will be removed from the more import
ant coffin and the crumbling bones OF the
great conquistador exposed to view.
PIzARRo's OLD PALACE.
Another side Of the same square is occupied
by u rather mean looking building, with small
shops beneath it, which is no less than the
old palace where Pizarro ruled with high
hand during his brief day here, and where he
was assassinated by ''the men of Chilli" who
appointed themselves the avengers of Almagro's
murder. Its upper part still serves as a gov
eminent .'palacio" and is occupied by various
officers of the new regime.
The long. straight streets that diverge from
this central square and run at right angles
have an appearance of age and solemnity not
borrowed from the frail structures that line
them on either side As earthquakes are
momentarily expected and the city stands in
the very heart Of the rainless region its pecu-
liarities OF architecture are largely the, out
growth of local causes. More substantial
structures of brick or stone could not so well
resist the commissions of nature. and the taller
and more top-heavy they were the greater
would be the danger to their inmates; there
fore the buildings are generally of one story
only, seldom more than two, and of the lightest
materials that can be made to hold toe ether.
One can hardly believe that the apparently
massive towers and buttresses of the extensive
churches are merely great wicker baskets. de-
ceptive combinations of canes and poles, tied
together with thongs. plastered over with mud
and painted. but such is the case. Some Of
them are deliberately succeed and look like
splendid structures of carved stone. but one
smart summer shower, such as our northern
cities are subject to, would reduce them all to
skeletons as bare and ghastly MS that of 1.-The
late Mr.. PizarrO" in his stone bed under the
cathedral.
NO SUCH THING AS A CHIMNEY.
As the absence Of rain renders pitched roofs
unnecessary, the coverings of the houses are
fat, often made Of poles, over which is spread
mating of shredded cane, supporting layer
OF ashes and dried grass. intended to absorb the
dampness Of the fogs. More commonly, how
ever, the roofing is Of boards OVERLAND with
adobe; and one is struck by the fact that in all
Lima. and indeed. in all South America, there
Is not such thing as northern chimney!
Notwithstanding their airy framework, the
builders-<hereof did not ignore the architectural
traditions of their Moorish and Castilian ances-
tors. The largest casas of the wcalthiest peo-
pie show little more than bare. blank walls out
side, with few windows on the ground floors,
and those all heavily barred with iron. each
house with one huge folding door, which opens
flush with the pavement of the street and leads
into the patio or inner court yard, with its foun-
tain and flowers and shrubs, into which all the
living rooms open. The barred windows are
reiics Of early days in old CASTLE. when pre-
cautions against bandits we're a constant neces-
sity; and they have served equally well in this
country. during the time of the viceroys,
against hordcs of pirates from the sea and bands
of robbers from the mountains, and in later
days against revoluticnis.s.
MORE MODERN HOUSES.
The more modern houses are two-s.oried and
these always have balconies, regular Romeo and
Juliet retreats, whose golden opportunities for
Irritation are by no means neglected. Wherever
there is an upper story, the lower one is seldom
nj il ltx- 1yiy
over to stabling the horses storing the car
riages, servants quarters DC. or is rented
room by room TO as many small shopkeepers.
1t is not az all uncommon to lind family of
nigh degree ana great social pretensions, be-
longing to that exclusive inner circle of upper
tendon. than 10 gain admittance whereto il
would be easier for camel to go through the
eve of a Leedlo, residing above a butchers
stall, with strips of raw beef. half-dissected
pigs. sausages and cntralls festooned in bold
relief. while near the main entrance a cobbler
sits mt his bench pegging the coarse shoes of
los p0bres, and woman squats in the front
door. with kettle OF odorous fat sizzling over
a charcoal brazier. frying a vile combination of
fish. flesh, fowl and garlic made up into little
pies, which she sells to passerS-by.
THE FAvoRITE PROMENADE
The two sides of the Plaza Mayor are occu-
pied by portales, with shops behind them or
to be more explicit, by buildings whose street
fronts are faced by pillared corridors rooted in
long series of arches. These portales are
the favOrite promenade of the ladies of the
city, and therefore, as q matter of course of
the gentlemen also At all times and seasons
one may meet here the beauty and fashion
and "nower" of Lima, well as the extremes
OF riches and poverty, pride and squaior, that
make up the variegated life of this old CITY.
The shops are small. bu. surprisingly crowded
with handsome goods, and in them one may
find nearly every article of fashion and luxury
which the largest stores of Europe and the
United States can show. They are nearly all
kept by foreigners, French predominating.
Germans coming next in line, then few
Italians and Englishmen. Some of the finest
fancy goods stores are owned and managed
by Chinese merchants. who enjoy the monopoly
of trade in embroidered mantas and silk
dresses. There are three or four large estab-
lishments conducted by merchants from the
United States, and the house Of the Grace
brothers (of which Banker VIM. r. Grace of
New York city is the head), practically monop-
olizes North American trade in Peru.
PAwNsHoPs ARE NUMEROUS
Pawnshops are incredibly numerous and
packed with treasures of every description,
diamonds, pearls, emeralds, splendid laces, ar
ticles of virtu, table service and toilet sets of
solid gold and silver Gncluding pieces for all
the common uses Of the bed ROOM betokening
the extravaganza Of an ago when the Andes
poured out streams of precious metal that were