Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-11
IN A PERUVIAN TOWN.
A Visit to Puno, Far Above the
Level of the Sea.
AMONG A STRANGE PEOPLE.
"High Living'' In the Line % Altitude
Oniy-HOw Supplies Are secured
Effects OF the Dry Air-The LoGtiest
Cathedral in the World.
From THE Stars Travelling Commissioners.

PUSo, PERU, September 4.
EhU s easternmost town of Puno 10 not
AY'n attractive place, lying, as it does,
\ kxTmore than IL, 800 feet above the level of
49, the sea, with no vegetation in its vioin-
"'7W' ity. line OF barren mountains on one
side and storm-swept Lake Titicaca on the
other. Yet there is a fascination about it which
lncllnes the traveller to linger. however IN
comfortable he NAV be, and impresses every
detail OF the surroundings indeiibly upon his
memory, though many more beautiful of the
constantly shifting scenes OF his long Journey
arc forgotten 1t Is essentially an Indian town,
tuliy nine-tenths OF its population (about 5000
all told) being Aymaras and Quichuas. The
| former tribe Is most numerous, but both are
well-to-do. after a comfortless fashion of their
own. generally owning their own houses and
having enough to eat, such it is. At any
rate there are no beGgars in Puno, though
many Peruvian cities that are apparently
| richer are swarming with them.
SUPPLIES.
Though so little can be raised here--wheat
not at all. corn never ripening, and bitter
potatoes growing no bigger than the end of
your thumb-the great lake is an exhaustless
store house. furnishing plenty of fish and al
ways covered with wild fowl of many species
Blscatches trabbits) abound in the neighboring
nils ana Vicunas are sometimes found. good
many sheep are raised in the vicinity, but the
Indians eat mutton only after it has been frozen
ana dried Peas, beans peppers and other
staples of Peruvian life are all brought I'D from
| the coast, as they cannot be cultivated at this
emily altitude. They cannot even be cooked
tender at such an elevation until they have
| first been dried like the potatoes and reduced
TO powder Such thing as an egg hard
boiled cannot possibly be had here. Flour
has fallen good deal IN price since the rail-
way now brings 1t over the mountains but it
Is still much too dear to be used by the lower
classes.
CLIMATE AND HOUSES.
Though the nights are always cold the
thermometer descending from fifteen to twenty
degrees after sunset and sometimes, even at
the height OF the season they miscau sum-
mer, touching tn freezing point. there is not
house III the town which contains any ar
rangement for making fire, beyond the adobe
ranges for cooking purposes. South Ameri-
can range Is merely a mound or shelf of sun.
dried mud extending across one side of
Kitchen. with small places followed out at in
tervals. in which the Puno housewife burns
llama dung or the twigs of mountain shrub
called tola.
The houses, with their enormously thick
walls and few windows have an inner atmos-
pherc damp ana cold as that of vault in the
cemetery. When the sun shines the people
wisely stay out OF doors; then, in order to keen
warm. they go to bed very early and arise Late
IN the morning. Among the Weather one
tenth OF the community there are MANY pleas
ant people, mainly the families of English and
German merchants and American employees of
the railway and steamship lines Most of their
nomes however unprepossessing outside are
large and cOmmodious, and contain unexpected
luxurles. For instance, pianos are universal
III the better houses. though these instruments
cost ten times as much here in the United
states, having to be imported from the other
side OF the world, and until recently having to
be brought up from the seacoast on muleback
have been astonished more than once on en-
terlng what appeared to be poor howell des-
tltute OF the commonest comforts, with earth
floor straw roof and wooden shutters in lieu of
glass windows, to lind inside both piano and
"a sewing machine!
EFFECTS OF THE DRY AIR.
AT this altitude the dry thin air is as hard ON
furniture on human beings, causing wood
to crack and curl up quickly as it shriyels
the skin and wrinkles it like dried fig mat.
ing girl OF twenty look as old as her grand
mother ought to. Bureaus tables. &c. are
bound to split very soon; chairs lose their
| rungs and fall apart in no time: drawers cease
TO mt and floors and ceiled walls shrink wide
apart, leaving unsightly crevices Billiard
balls have to be kept in oil when not in use
| and bar OF polished iron may lie out of doors
indefinitely without danger Of rusting. The
washerwoman does not bother herself with
Clothes lines, nor even does she spread the wet
linen out on the grass; she merely wripgs the
things and losses them down in q bean WHARF
| they speedily dry.
The patios and court yards of the better
casas are paved in elaborate patterns with
small black and white stones brought from
T1tlcaca Islands; as, for example, a wide circle
OF jet black stones surrounds a large. manv
ray ed central star made of snowy white ones
the outer edge Of the black circle bordered nv
running vine, with leaves and flowers made
OF white pebbles set into the black ones The
erect IS as striking as it is uncommon and the
work is durable enough to outast century
BUILDINGS
Before the late war with Chilli there Was
famous college In Puno, where many eminent
Peruvians and Bolivians were educated. It in
defunct, now that the country has become 40
poor. and no public institutions are maintained
here by the government beyond q connie of
schools, the big hospital of San Juan de Dios.
and border garrison. Considering its small
ness, the town ID exceptionally rich in spacious
plaZas, and there are no fewer than five hand
some fountalns-one for every thousand in
habltants. Its Cathedral, which il said to be
the most elevated building of the kind in the
world, is really magnificent structure. with a
particularly handsome front; Begun in the
year 1853, 1t was built entirely by the Indiana
at the command OF the priesthood. without a
cent OF pay for their labor or materials IL
fronts the main plaza with its stately foun-
tain; on one side of 1t is the Quartet WHARF
ragged soldiers are always loungin2, and on
the other is the street down which runs a
stream crossed by many funny little adobe
bridges, which serves a dividing line be-
tween the Quichua quarter and that of the
Aymaras.> Short, coarse grass of a peculiar
pale green color covers the plaza and Syringe
up thickly among the stones of the cathedral
steps and its wide platform. Just outside OF
the main door Of the church Is a tall wooden
cross, bearing about it ell the Implement and
adjuncts Of that gloomiest tragedy of history
Perched on the top is the cock that crew To
repentant Peter; there is handful of nails and
the hammer that drove them; the sconrge. the
spear, a sponge and pitcher of NORWOOD
Even the dice with which the Jews rallied off
His raiment is there Cthe latter neatly hung St
one side), showing that double axes" won!
ROMANCE OF TIE SILVER MINE.
Puno owes its origin to some fabulousiy rich
silver mines in the vicinity, which were dis
covered and first operated little more than
two centuries ago. A romantic tale is told Of
the first-worked lode, the giss Of which is about
AZ follows: A young Spanisrd Of good family
named Don Jose de Salced0 fell in love with
beautiful Aymara girl and was loved by her in
return. The existence OF treasure in these
mountains was known to the girls father and
to oil the Indians for miles around but the
secret had been 20 zealoualy guarded by them