El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-04-11
Ancient Lima Takes On Modern Ways and
May Become Great Center For Tourists


, contains the museum, the goYefhnl en- I
/ palace near the cathedral, the gfedt
! university, the Oldest in the new worm,
{ and the vast numbers OF low yello"
/ houses which are the stores ana the
] homes.
There is no city in Europe that com
I pa.'es with Lima in quaintness, ana Dul
few in historic interest. The streets
/ are narrow, and they cross one an
other at right angles. There are many
| great plaZaS or squares which nave
( fountains and gardens and, eNLehuIL6
{ out from these, run narrow thorough
! fares walled with low buildings. The
| buildings are all close to the street
and in the residence section tne
ground floor windows are covered win
great iron bars. Where the houses
are balconies that extend out above
the street. and some of these are SO
wonderfully carved that they make
you think of the harem quarters OF
Cairo, OF those Of old Spain In the
business parts Of the city, most OF
the people live over the stores anu
stretching from one end OF the street
to the other are long lines OF these
balcoAies, each house having its own
peculiar architecture. The main busl-
ness streets are not more than 80 rect
wide. They are 50 narrow that the
single street car line is close to the
sidewalk, and one must be careful lest
he lose leg as he walks through the
streets.
No windows IN the Stores.
The stores are far different from
ours. Only the newest of them have
plate glass windows, and there are
no fancy fronts with gorgeous win
dow displays, which may be looked
at Sundays and evenings The most
OF the stores have no windows at al.
They are shut off from the street by
great doors that are taken away dur
ing business hours. The shops are
separated by thin walls, and going
along them is like walking through
museum or an oriental bazaar. The
sidewalks are narrow and the goods
are displayed close TO the streets
Many of the dry goods stores hang
fancy patterns Of cloth from the cell
ing, and the larger establishments viii
nave piles of goods put on the floors
and stacked up near the street No
lions of all kinds are hung from
strings stretched across from wall 20
wall high up, and all sorts OF queer
ways of display are cOntrlYed The
light of the stores comes III through
the doors or from the roofs. Many
Of the business establishments are
large, with stocks of fine goods. The
prices are high. The best from all
over the world is brought here for
sale, and the city. while not a rich
one, has thousands Of well to do people.
The chief shopping hours are from
4 to o'clock in the afternoon. At
that time the streets are crowded with
women and men, and the crowd is IS
thick as that between the treasury
and the patent office on Z street in
Washington at about the same time.
Moreover, 1t looks much the same. NO
one is in a hurry. The people Saunter
along or stop and chat with their
friends. Nearly every one is well
dressed, and nearly every man, old
and young, carries a cane. The Lin
enOs are very polite. The men bow
and lift their hats when they meet,
and they tip their hats and bow again
as they pass
There are many well dressed wou1-
en-, wearing the fashionable outIand-
ish styles of today, and there are also
many who are clad in the dead black
that the woman Of Lima Of the past
walk. Such women do not wear bon
nets. but they wrap fine snawls of
black goods about the head, pinning
them back so that the face alone
shows. This background adds to their
beauty, and the costume is far better
wear. It saves the puying of new
hats and bonnets and it is easy to put
on or take off
Has a Religious Aspect.
Lima is cody city, although we
have a Methodist bishop here in my
hotel who says it is the most bigOted
on earth. It is altogether Catholic,
and that not of the modern Catholi-
cism of America and Europe, but some
what the same as It was in the days
of PizarrO. There are priests and nuns
everywhere and great mOnasteTies and
converts galore. The most of the peo-
pie are rigid church gOerS and Sunday
morning the streets are filled with
families on their way to the masses
which are celebrated at the cathedral
and churches. Every one is dressed
for the occasion and almost all of the