The Republican journal., 1903-07-30

are five handsome fountains one for
every thousand inhabitants. Its cathe-
dral, which is said to be the most elevat-
ed building of the kind in the world, is
really magnificent structure, with a
particularly handsome front. Begun
in the wear | 759, it was built entirely by
the Indians, at the command of the
priesthood. without a cent of pay for
their labor OF material. 1t fronts the
main plaza, with its stately fountain:
on one side Of it is the quartet, where
ragged soldiers are always lounging;
and on the other side is the important
street down the middle of which runs
stream, crossed by many funny little
adobe bridges, which serves as a divid-
ing line between the Quichua quarter
and that of the Aymaras. Short, coarse
grass, of a peculiar pale green color,
covers the plaza and springs up quickly
among the stones of the cathedral steps
and it's wide platform. Just outside
the main door of the church is a tall
wooden Cross bearing about it all the
implements and adjuncts of the gloom
lest tragedy of history. Perched on top
is painted tin representative OF the
cock that crew to repentant Peter;
there is handful of nails and the ham
mer that drove them: the cruel Scourge,
the spear, sponge and pitcher sup
posed to contain WormWood Even tie
dice with which the Jews ratified for His
raiment is there, the latter neatly hung
at one side, showing by their position
that double skies won.
Cold as it is, the markets of Puno are
held in the open air, the Quichuas occu-
pying one plaza for the sale Of their
goods, the Aymaras another, The sales
are mostly conducted by women, who sit
on the ground in rows, each with her
small stock of chunos, frozen potatoeS),
charqui dried fish, peppers, peas beans,
&c., piled up in little heaps on blanket.
Each heap has a fixed price, which
never varies, whatever the fluctuations
of the market. For example, heap OF
dried peas " hich you might hold in two
hands costs ten cents. If the market
falls, the heap is enlarged and you get
few peas more: if it rises, you get a
smaller heap: but ten cents you must
pay, every time. None of these women
! have the remotest idea of wholesallng
their stock, or selling it in the lump.
Should you ask one Of them what she
will take for all the peas on hand, she is
struck with CONSERVATION, and cannot
| tell until the whole basket full has been
sorted out into little piles and their
value computed at ten cents per pile.
The other day | was much interes ted
in observing from my window, which
overlooks one of the plazas of Puno. a
group of Quichua women, who sat from
dawn till dark on the frosty ground,
their llamas tethered behind them,
while they waited for possible custom
ers, but with nothing in the world to
sell except some small punches of bar
| ley. Young women and old were
dressed exactly alike, in short dresses
of dark blue flannel, spun, woven and
dyed by themselves: the extremely
| full skirts shirred down over the hips,
! the short Jackets of the same material
meeting at the bosom, but showing the
white chemise beneath; the large sleeves
gathered slightly at the wrist and hang
ing loosely in aesthetic style, and large
hats OF the same blue flannel, elabor-
ately trimmed with coarse red wooden
serpintine braid The fashion of the
gowns as to shirring and sleeves was
startlingly like the very latest mode:
but has been i'll vogue here at least
four hundred years. All the women
| were barefooted, but looked perfectly
comfortable and--though they did not
talk much and seldom smiled-seemed
happy and contented. Hour after hour
they patiently squatted there, busily
spinning wool of the brightest hues on
hand-spindles which they twirled rapid
ly between the palms. During the day
| walked over to interview the ladies;
but alas, they knew not word of Eng
fish or Spanish, and your correspon-
dent as ignorant Of Quichua, so natural
ly conversation languished. But
learned from them one thing, viz; that
feminine instincts are about alike the
wide world over, whatever may be the
environment. Every one of those un-
smiling, strong featured and industri-
Gus women showed as much curiosity
and interest in the Ito them) peculiar
cut of my garments as l felt in theirs,
and the admiring attention Of each was
instantly attracted to a glittering brace