Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-28
From The Stars Travelling Commissioner.
SAN MARCOS DE AFRICA, ca

SAN MARCOS DE AFRICA. CHILL.
'NO Ny MIND THERE Is NO MORE IN
Il teresting region on the western side of the
continent than this, which by right belongs to
Peru. but was seized by Chill during the recent
war. Besides the neiyhboring nitrate and guano
fislds, Iguique, Tarapaca, Atacama and other
places familiar to the world, il includes the city
of Tacna, forty miles inland. and africa, its sea-
port. Approached by steamer the most con-
spicuous feature of the shore is an enormous
promontory jus. south Of africa, called the
Moro. which rises almost perpendic1larly out
Of the Pacific to height of twelve hundred
feet, and then slopes OFF at a steep grade to the
sandy plain behind it. The face of the great
rock is scanned, wrinkled and corroded, and it
Is full of dark caverns and inaccessible grottos,
where thousands of sea birds and nobody knows
what strange forms of marine life find refuge.
The long swells of the Pacific. dashing forever
against this ObstTuctiOn-now roaring. now
signing the tides cbb and fow-seem chant
ing requiem for the hundreds who persisted
here few years ago; for the headIand has be-
come historic from what will always be remem-
bered as 'the massacre Of africa"
TIE MASSACRE OF AFRICA.
II was fair sample of the engagements be-
tween Perm and Chill and occurred in this way:
Upon the topmost peak of the MORO the Peru
vians had placed heavy battery for the pro-
lection Of africa. manned by / 200 soldiers. and
then the citizens felt perfectly safe from any
attack by their belligerent neighbors- But
early one morning some Gillian men-of-var
came sailing into the harbor and engaged this
fort in an artillery duel ct long range. which
continued until nightfall without much damage
having been done 70 either side. believing
their position to be impregnable, the Peruyians
slept peacefully, hut during the night the willy
Il Id -.
above the town and marched them BY a wide
detour TO the foot Of the hill. where they ST.
lently rested till daybreak- Then with a veil
they dashed mp the slope on a fearful charge.
The Peruvian cannon were useless being all
turned seward, and the men, surprised in
their sleep, became so demoralized that hardly
a shot was fired Being shut of from escape.
many jumped over the precipice into the sea,
preferring to drown rather than have their
Threats cat with the terrible curyos, or crooked
knives. that the Gillian soldiers carry. 1t is
estimated that 900 Peruvians were slaughtered
by the curvOs that bright morning on the
MORO and the rest of the force persisted at its
base In the roaring surf.
The cHoLos NOT BRAVE
Though sprung from the same stock and liv-
ing side by side the Gillian soldiers are en-
tirely different from those Of Peru. Before the
war the latter were quiet ard servile Cholos.
kept under all their lives by a system of
DcOudRc dllOuntlDS 10 Slavery BENG con-
scripted into the army and having no idea what
they were fighting for they had none of the en-
thusiasm which gives strength in the defense of
one country. Whenever they met the fierce
Chillanos in battle. even though they outnum-
Dered the enemy, they invariably fed, for the
Chillanos-reckless. daring ana combative by
nature. melted by the promise of free license
to plumber and their innate deadly cruelty
aroused-never remained in line of battle like
civilized soldiers. but fought with a whoop and
hafN -.
no prisoners. but cutting the throat Of every
man they could reach.
To the north of the Moro is q low line of
verdure. cluster of modern-built houses a
rather handsome church and a long mole
the latter piled high with bags, bales and boxes
and crowded with merchants, cargadores.
soldiers and civilians. This is Africa the famous
port; but in spite of its mole steamers must
east anchor away out in the bay and passengers
be rowed ashore in canoes. However. thew no
longer have TO be carried through the surf on
the backs OF cargadores, of yore. but they
now Chamber up the stairs of the pier. africa
has quite changed her complexion since the
war, which made her Gillian instead of a Pc
ruvian city.
ONE VAST CEMETERY.
But that which attracted us to the place has
nothing to do with the fitful governments of
these burlesque republics and has remained
unchanged through many centuries Behind
u
great windrow Of yellow sand which forms a
kind OF amphitheater. unrelieved by tree or
shrub or blade of grass. All this ridge and
the desert for miles around it is one vast Gene
terry OF the ancient inhabitants. crowded with
the dried-up bodies of those who once fished
from their balsas in the bay. or cultivated the
narrow valley on whose borders they were
buried When workmen were digging up the
sand to NIL Aricas pier and were opening
track FOR the railway that leads to Tacna thew
found mummles orlx h,,, n
fishermen wrapped In their nets and lowly
tlners of the soil in shrouds Of braided PUSHES,
but now and then the body of a chief or other
parsonage OF eXtraOrdinary consequence, cnvel-
oped IN thin layer of beaten gold. These
Jared worse than the humber cadavers, for
while the latter We're left comparatively undis-
turbed. los ricOs-now grim aud ghastly as the
POorest-werc stripped BY rude hands of
everything valuable and their crumblius bones
tossed, uncovered. by the waysde.
DELIBERATE GRAvE-RoBBISG EXPEDITION.
1t seems a strange thing to deliberately set
out on a grave-robbing expedition, but in this
part Of the world il Is fashionable to gomummy
hunting and to search the aboriginal ceme-
teries tor tine curious articles they may contain
besides dead Indians. The africa burning
ground must once have been of enormous ex-
tent for though a large portion of II has been
washed away BY the sea during the last century
or two, miles OF il yet remain The spades of
inquisitiye people have dug up considerable
areas in places here and there vet the great
bulk Of il is entirely undisturbed, and will
doubtless remain so until. in the lapse of ages
the slowly encroaching Pacific shah swallow it
all
We went ont on horseback about five miles
from africa, having sent some poems ahead with
shoyels- IL is not quite safe for one or two per-
sons 10 go by themselves. for highwsymen are
abroad in the Land. and even the wo-kmen
might be tempted to mischief if anything yalu-
able were uneartned- However. pocpla bent
On such grue-one errands as disturbing the
dead are not likely 90 hunt alone but prefer
plenty OF company to keep their spirits up.
HOW BODIES WERE rnEsrRvED.
Arrived at the desert. you may dig anywhere
and cannot go ar,iss of grave. In this rain
less region. protected by the magnetic sand.
nothing can decay, and tho contents Of the
:ombs look as n they were put there Yesterday.
instead OF many centuries ago. There is no
consuming insect and moisture to produce
decay Flesh dries without accommodation.
wood and vegetable matter petrifies while fab
ries aud articles of stone or clay will keen
forever. The early Peruy;ans preserved their
dead something after the manner of the Egyp-
tlans, except that these are always in a sit
ing posture, knees drawn up a. the chin.
and hands clasped about the knees; head
and all envelOped first in dyed cotton cloth.
bound around with braided ropes of
lama wool-much like the ropes made by
AnaNz Nw.Nna -. l.