The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-09-01
IN HILLY LA PAZ
STREET SCENES IN BOLIVIA'S
 CAPITAL.

The acity of Peaes'' Has its ArIstoora-
 oy of Wealth and Many Educational
 FscfIities-The Bolivian Army.
 Especial Correspondence of the Journal
 s,. and courier.)
 La Paz, Bolivia, July 23, 1903.
 The streets of La Paz, winding up and down the hills, are remarkably steep and irregular, all paved with small sharp stones, many having sidewalks so mar row that two persons cannot walk abreast. Looking down the one that passes our hotel, we see that it descends a sharp hill, at the foot of which are crowds of people. Should you brave the danger of sirroche and venture down there, you will find all manner of com modities spread out for sale on both sides of the walk for several squares, up and down the four streets that .di- verge from the market-house. Sunday morning early is the best time to go, be- cause in these countries everything is seen at it's best on that day of the week. There are fish from Lake Titicaca, nut ton and beef from the Andean Plateau, fruits and vegetables from the Yungas and other distant valleys. There is In- dian work of many kinds, notably knit kal kfa4a1 1aa4 draw on over hands and arms to the shoulders and are fastened together at the back, ponchos that rival the rain bow in hues. and ready-made garments of every description, from ox-hide sarl-8 dals to the big-sleeved, splendidly enl- broidered velvet jackets of the festive Cholos. Searching among the smaller booths, one may pick up veritable curi-f os in the way of tiny idols from the Inca ruins, stuffed ar1nadillas, musical Instruments made by the Indians which it would be no sin to worship, they being not in the likeness of any. thing in the heavens above or the earth. beneath, or the waters under the earth; strange ornaments of nacaw feathers which they wear at the annual reli I F and tiny still-born vicunas and llamas, for use in some of their superstitiousl ceremonials There are handsome straw baskets, too. most of them bear. ing in letters of blood-red straw the. words: Viva mi amor"-Long live my love; trunks Of black and white cow-3 hide, the hair side turned outward and , lined with soft, snowy calf-skin; tiger. vicuna and guanaca furs are especially desirable for rugs or carriage robes They sell here for from ten to twenty. dollars apiece, according to size and quality, but in New York and other dis tant places would readily bring from. fifty to one hundred dollars.
 A little way from the market, on the other side of the presidents casa, is the National Museum of Bolivia, contained in one rather large apartment on the. first floor. There are some fine idols in. ii f -ffs->zd -other relics and curiosities of note jumbfad together without much att tempt at classification. Evidently the taxidernist is not abroad in Bolivia. Among a fair collection of birds, from condors of the upper heights to pica-. flores Cumming -birds), of the valleys it is funny to see many sick-looking specimens with dropping wings and be- draggled tails, each hung up by string tied around the neck The river Chi quiapo runs through the middle of La Paz-a noble stream fed from the sur rounding mountains and spanned by a number of fine old bridges. Most of the houses are built of stone, instead of the usual adobe, the facades of many being ornamented with carving or stuc- co work. There are fifteen churches, all of considerable size, and some of them picturesque in the extreme, be- sides number of old nonasteries and convents, most of the latter being now used for schools, military barracks and sililar purposes. There is a free school system here and rather celebrated un- iversity sustained by the government. The big cathedral, built entirely of stone. has beautifully carved front and Yin a Snitche over it's main entrance stands a colossal figure of the Virgin, which was presented to the city by Carlos VI of Spain, and was brought to La Paz from the seaboard over the mountains at enormous cost. It is said that more than forty years were re- quired to build the church, several hum tdred men being constantly employed. We do not wonder at that if the account of a recent historian is true. He says: ssNo derricks or other machinery were used in it's construction, but the walls were erected in a curious way. As fast as tier of stone was laid, earth was banked up against it, inside and out, and from this inclined plane. the stones tor the next tier were rolled into their places. Then more earth was thrown on and the process repeated, until, when the walls were finished, the whole build- ing was immersed in a mountain of dirt. ~@t
 This was allowed to remain until the roof was laid, when the earth was car- ried away on the backs of llamas and man. It is said to have taken thirteen years to clear out the inside of the building, as the earth could only be car- ried out through the narrow doors."
 Although one sees so many ragged and wretched specimens of the genus homo upon the streets, and business, ed- ncation and every thing else are at so low an ebb, there is considerable wealth