Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-13
CITY OF THE INCAS.
An Interesting Description Of the
Capital Of Peru.
ANCIENT AND MODERN TRAITS
ZONE Peculiarities Of the Place Founded by
Piz.zro Its Imposing Christaning-Earth-
Quakes Have Often visited-what the Pres-
emit City Looks Like-Its Inhsbitants.
From the Stars Travelling Commissioner.

From the Stars Travelling Commissioner
LIMA, PERU, Sept. 90
DIZARRO, THE EX-swINEHERD, must
Il have been rather hard up for names when
he dubbed his Peruvian capital La Cuidnd de
los Tres Reyes, 'The City of the Three Kings."
1t came about in this way. After he had sub
dued one Of the royal brothers who claimed the
Inca throne and treacherously strangled the
other, he found little difficulty in conquering
Cuzco, the splendid ''City Of Gold, which was
at that time the capital of Peru. As soon as he
and his few European followers, band OF
drunken adventurers whom Spain WAS glad to
be rid of, had glutted themselves with the vast
treasures Of that place they marched west
ward, not SO much in search of new worlds to
conquer as to find . more convenient spot
In which to enjoy their ill-gotten gain.
They did not relish being surrounded on all
sides by tho Indians, who, although conquered,
outnumbered them hundred to one. but pre-
ferred to be within sight of the sea, the broad
highway that led toward home. This emer-
aid valley Of Rimae, with river running
through it, the ocean on one side and the tow
ering Andes on the other, combined all the adj
vantaSes they sought. So here they estab-
lished the second Spanish city in South Amer
lea. which soon grew to be one OF the proudest
and most luxurious capitals of those prOhigate
vice-regI court for three centuries.
.... ITS IMPOSING CHRISTENING.
1t happened that Pizarro designated its site
on January 6, 1855 (old style), the day Of the
festival Of the Epiphany or the manifestation
OF our Saviour to the Magi, who in King James
version of the New Testament are called "The
Wise Men" from the east, but are known in all
the old Spanish traditions as THE Three
Kings" Hence he made q tremendous celebra-
nf fhoff Ev,,,, hov and
ened his capital accordingly. Then Carlos of
Spain sent over not only his benediction and
congratulations, but added some complimentary
words to its already ponderous title, making it
The Most Noble and Most Royal City Of the
Three Kings'-so it appears in the original
charter-and formally ceded its appropriate
coat of arms. three golden crowns for the three
kings and a rayed star azure field in
memory Of the star which led them to the spot
where the young Child lay.
TRANsPOsITIoN OF ITS ORIGINAL NAME.
But that was altogether too long a title for
everyday use and SO the easy-going spaniards
fell into habit of calling it The City of Rimae,
the latter being the name of the valley in which
1t stands. Rimae il Quichua word, the past
partieipie of the verb rimay, to speak; and in
this application 1t referred to a famous oracle
OF Inca times, whose shrine was in the valley,
probably among those extensive ruins that may
yet be seen near the present village of La Mag
surrounding country were named. The Qui-
chua sound of the letter is much like the Span
lsh l. and 30 1t Is not strange that in the mouths
of another race it soon became transformed to
Limae and then to Lima. For many years the
river was called Lima, too, but somehow it got
back to its ancient cognomen. 1t is small and
quiet stream through most Of the year except
during the summer months, the season of melt
ing SHOWS and rains among the mountains
where 1t rises, when it sweils into deep, swift
ur.I HhtrI4 ,~t<
sembles the Missouri in spring time 1t is as
essential to the valley as is the Nile to lower
Egypt and, indeed, without it Lima would long
ago have dried up and disappeared from this
rainless region. To the Kimae, which fur
nishes ample irrigation. the city owes its own
water supply and the fertility OF it's surround
ing fields and gardens.
HIST ORICAL REMINIscENcE.
One walks about the streets of Lima as in q
dream, oppressed by multitude Of historical
"reminiscences that crowd upon the memory
Here long line Of viceroys ruled with almost
independent. power, not only over the territory
that now constitutes the republic Of Peru, but
also the vast provinces Of Chill, La Plata and
New Grapada, including the modern divisions
Patrona de todas las Americas, 'the Patroness
OF all the Americas" was born and died, the
only American woman Of the northern or south
ern continent who ever had the honor
OF canonizatiOn. Here stOut-hearted
Pizarro was assassinated by. 'the men
OF Chile, the avengers Of Almagro's
murder. and here his bones repose in the
crypt Of the great cathedral. For 800 years
Lima was the most important ecclesiastical
dependency Of the church OF Rome on the
inQlisition with all its horrors remained active
and powerful long after its decadence in
Madrid. The churches and converts of Lima
were as magnificent as any in Europe and en-
dowed with incalculable wealth. The Colejio
de San Marcos, the Oldest college in America,
was founded here in 1851, just sixty-nine years
before the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth,
and hfty-eight years before Hendrick Hudson
sailed into the harbor of New York
TALES OF FABULOUS WEALTH.
Here, toe. were conferred the products of the
mines of Potosi and Cerro del Pasco-of Puno.
Castro and Veireina-thOse Ell Dorados about
which fables were told that set all the world
agog. In 1851, think it was, La Palata, then
viceroy OF Lima, rode through these streets on
horse whose name was strung with pearls
and whose shoes were Of pure gold, over d
broad pavement made Of solid ingots OF silver.
To its sea gate, Callao, came the galleons of the
east bringing silks and spices from far Cathay
and the Philippine Islands. and following fast
In their wake came the buccaneers, Rogers
Arson, Hawkins, Drake and othets all eager to
snatch from the treasure ships the rich
booty which even the virgin queen did not dis
dam TO share With her royal freebOOters of the
south seas and the Spanish Main.
RAvAGEs OF EARrHQUAKEs.
These things all belong to the distant past;
but no less interesting are the events Of the
last half century, even of the present decade.
Earthquakes have repeatedly shaken the city
from center to circumference and innumerable
wars and revolutions have drenched it's streets
with blood. In the plaza where the auto de fe
OF the Inquisition used to burn its victims in
the name Of Jesus, scores Of political martyrs
have been publicly executed. by and by the
silver veins of SalcedO ran dry, and the sands
Of Carabaya were no longer washed for gold.
and the world had discovered that aWay mn
north were two new states, California and
Nevada, which could supply more silver every
year than Pasco and Potosi and all the other
mines of "New Spain" put together. The con-
quered Indians could no longer be parceled
out to the favorites Of power under the abom-
Unable law Of La Mita, nor the negroes be
compelled to pay to the rich the tribute Of
unrequited labor. Yet the profigate s.Citv
of the Three Kings hourished moro pailv
and luxuriously, If possible, than ever; for a
richer fountain of wealth had been opened
than any Of the older sources in the Ruano
islands all along the arid coast-those rocky
and forbidden haunts Of seals and sea birds
which were the terrors of the early mariners
For half . century they poured into the Lap Of
Lima more than Danaean shower of gold
Then came darker days of cruel warfare and
bitter poysrty, after sister republic had
stripped Tie country Of everything available:
and though starvation stared them in the face
the descendants Of the naughty s'grandees''
had no idea Of the dignity Of labor till the