Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-15
TO ANCIENT CUZCO.
A Mule Ride TO the Birthplace OF
By-GOne Civilization.
THE NECESSITIES OF THE TRIP
South American Butter an Odd Compound
Packed in BIadders.
STORY OF A MIGHTY CHAIN OF GOLD

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPATcH.1
-AREQUIPA, PERU, Jan. 10.-It would be
a pity for the sojourner in this part of Peru
to miss seeing Cuzco, the ancient capital of
the Incas, though the journey thereto is ex-
ceedingly wearisome and rarely undertaken
by travellers "of the feminine persuasion"
Indeed, 1 doubt if any Anelo-Saxon females
but ourselves have ever visited the place
unless perhaps Mrs. Agassiz may have done
so when she assisted her husband so bravely
in his South American researches.
There are no hotels along the route, and
one must depend upon private hospitality,
which Is freely accorded to those who bring
letters of recommendation. In p providing the
outfit for this Journey, one should not forget
that to offer money in payment for Iood AND
lodging outside of a public house would be
resented as an insult by these ~hospitable
people; and, therefore, one must go stocked
with gifts in order to get even with ones en-
tertainers. Bottles of wine are always ac-
ceptable, also butter, tea, canned goods and
other similar luxuries which are rare in the
interior.
Eggs are cheap and plenty, but though
there are cows on all the wayside farms, milk
is unobtainable. In any case, enough bread
to last the entire trip should be taken from
| ATeQulpd, UeCduSe, buOuSn udIu anu uAI do
the surrounding rocks, tbs infinitely prefer
able to the black, u~nleaVened Jumps Of
dough in use among the country people.
Timed beef, ham, fish and frui. sTe indis-
pensable. with condensed milk an1 boxes of
| English biscuits, or "crackers," as Ameri-
cans call them.
Butter of the South Lands.
What little butter is to be found in this
region is odd enough to deserve a para
graph. Ii one is not a sufficiently good
traveller to forego butter entirely he must
pay almost its weight in silver for a pale,
lardy sort of lubricator. wrapped up in
bladders, in square packages weighing
about two pounds each. Being thus her.
metically sealed, it will keep Indefinitely
if the air is not let IN; out when once
| opened, it proceeds to become nasty with
marvellous rapidity, and in a days time will
fill the air with an odor beside which Linz
burger cheese IS as altar of roses.
One should leave Santa Rosa by the first
| glImmer of dawn, for there are at least "A
miles of indescribably bad roads to be trav-
ersed on horse or mule back. and La Raya
to cross-the highest ridge in all the jour
ney, where winds are strongest and storms
are incessant. This first day is by far the
hardest of the entire trip. as much because
one is not yet used to it, as because the road
is ~incomparably worse; and at all hazards
one must reach Aguas Calientes before
nightfaIl. To the right of a lofty, snow-clad
mountain named Vilacanota one follows for
some miles, and finally fords a small water
course which seems to rise in one of the hot
springs so numerous in the locality, and
which Peruvians regard as the mother
spring of the great Amazonas river svstem-
The second night out one is booked to
sleep at the village of Licuain, a ride of
only IS miles. through charming scenery.
There is a possible drawback, however, in
the LicuaIn river which must be fOrded sew
eral times and is likely to be rather nigh.
The Dangers of the Way.
There is a road on the left o. it, but travel
ers are warned to take to the water instead,
for there are vast swamps on that side. with
auicksands treacherous enough 10 ingult an
army; and besides one must pass through the
unfenced hacienda of AItacucca, which -
celebrated far and wide for its wild cattle.
Nobody goes over that dangerous road If he
can avoid it, there being no place of refuge
should he he attacked by the torros. Fancya
party of United States tourists, including
two women, riding peaceably along on mule
back, when a herd of wild bulls come charg-
ing full tilt upon them, and not a wall or
tree or bush to hide behindi In the vicinity
of the hot springs (Aguas Calientes), there
are acres of plump mushrooms, and no pass
er-bv whose palate has been properly edu-
Gated, will fail to secure a supply for his
evening meal.
The third night one sleeps at 'Tinta"-a
hacienda owned by an educated Italian,
Senior Don Francisco Masciotto, who is sure
TO give the pilgrim a hearty welcome. The
road thereto lies through an ancient Indian
village called Raccha, built within the
crater of an extinct volcano. Among other
curiosities, it contains 4 remarkable wall,
which is said to be the remains of the palace
Il -s1N h. NJ. IL rTn al Enn nE Irn
Yupangui. who revOlted against Daternal rule
and here maintained his independence. Near
it is one of the many small round towers so ire
quently found in this part OF Peru. which are
believed to have been astronomical obserya-
tories wherein the Incas determined the
meridian passage of the sun.
A Famous Golden Chain.
On the fourth day one may take a leisurely
iaunt of only 10 miles. to Checacupe. where he
will be made to feel quite at home by Colonel
Martin Alvarez. who. is a regular king in his
title world largo landed proprietor, a mem
her of Congress and q wealthy wool merchant
There are vet 10 miles to CuzcO, and a rapid
rider could accomplish that distance in ono
day. We went out OF the way a few miles to
view the little lake called UrcOs, famous in Pc
vivian tradition for being the burial place of
;ha great gold chain Of the Inca Huascar. We
read that the celebrate d chain was long enough
to encircle the grand Plaza Mayor OF Cuzco,
and that every link OF 1t was as heavy asa
strong man could carry-all of pure gold OF
course the stcIy is nonsense; nevertheless we
spuTred our beasts to the perilous brink and
faithfully tried to believe that we saw gold
shining through the dark waters. NO secureT
hiding place for heavy treasure could be found
because the lake has q bottom of unfathom-
able oozp. which speedily swallows anything
thrown into il, and affords no footing for
divers.
Twelve miles beyond is Zucre hacienda,
where the traveller. is advised to stop over
night. This very irVe estate, a mile or two
from the village of Oropesa, belongs to the
Garmendia family and includesa cloth manu-
factory. Only IL miles beyond Oropesa Is Cuzco,
in the midst of a tropical valley. After leaving
the highlands the weather grows warm and
warmer: parouuetS and monkeys. palms ana ng
trees are seen: and one sultry afternoon (mid-
winter at home), we came canter1ng into the
l .tan- .rEaats or tho old old CITY Thai had seen