The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-10

all over the city rise the domes and spires of the great churches and convents built
 by the Spaniards. when they had grown rich by enslaving the Indians and taking
 the vast hoards of silver and gold they
 found in their capital. Cuzco has a church for every 1900 inhabitants and
 some of them are so magnificent that they would attract attention in any country or Europe. Right in the center of the town is beautiful plaza cut out of what was once the chief central square Of the 1ncas. It's area is now not more than Tour or five acres; but five churches lace upon 1t, including the Cathedral of cuzco. which itself covers several acres
 That building has church on one sde ana Just across the way is the great structure of La Compania which was oulit by the Jesnits as their chief house of worship. Adjoining this building is the oid Jesuit convent, magnificent struc- tdfe, Where the monks worked and taught. This was taken by the govern ment when it drove the Jesuits out and II has been turned into q university The great patio about which the holy fathers driving the ball over the net, when I stroled is now used as q tennis court. and 1 saw the students there playing
 passed through. Another great church
 Is La Merced, whose interior is one mass of carving, including fluted stone
 columns. and a ceiling of cedar in pan
 els, exquisitely done. Here my guide
 was a young priest, whom I photo-
 graphed in the cloisters. And then there are the Church of Santo Domingo, that
 stands on the foundation of the old Tenn pie of the Sun of the Incas, and that of
 San Francisco, whose choir is mass
 of rich carving. The little Chapel of San
 Bias has the finest wood pulpit known in [ the world It Is mass of carving done bY Q 1pcpapdantS of bn and is so beautiful that s25,O00 was re- gently offered for it.
 The cathedral of Cuzco Is perhaps the richest of all the Catholic churches on the South American continent. It is a vast museum of carvings, some of which were made by the old masters and of ehapels whose altars are solid silver and whose woodwork is plated with gold. Some of the paintings are 40 feet high and 20 feet wide and there is a painting of the Last Supper that measures about 90 by 40 feet in size. Several are by Murillo, is by Vandyck and several are by Domenichino. One of the altars were presented by Charles V of Spain and some of the paintings were given by Philip IT.
 went into the sacristy. This is a mu- scum of antique carving and painting. and in one of the walls is a vault filled "itit tttdSuiSS, i1ciuulUB EOlQ, silver and precious stones. The total value is said 10 be more than slOOO.OO0 and a large part of this is made up by what is Known as the custodia, box that con ta1ns the sacrament at the times of pro- sessions. This box is of solid gold. It weighs 36 pounds and it was made of gold plates that were taken from the Inca temple of the sun. The diamonds and emeralds upon it are worth more than the gold itself. These treasures are stored away in a closet with a door UT wrought iron. so rude that It could be opened by any safe-braker or common United States burglar. It is perhaps the reverence of the people and the fear of damnation that preesrve it from theft
 As stood in the cathedral. mass was being celebrated. Two hundred women. dressed all in black, which tblack shawls over their heads. knelt on the stone floor. There were perhaps 20 men scat tered over the church, and through them all were patches of color made by the Indians who wore ponchos of red, blue. or yellow and whose bare feet were turn ed up to the roof as they muttored their prayers There were also Indian women In short skirts and red shawls some of whom had packs on their backs and not a few of whom had babies
 Leaving the cathedral. I took stroll through the city. I first visited the DOT tales of stores selling Indian goods These run through the opposite side of the plaza facing the cathedral. They take up the ground floors of a block of two-story houses. the upper stories of which extend out over the street and are upheld by stone columns, forming an arcade, where the gayly clad customers walk or stand as they shop. The stores are like caves or holes in the wall The doorways look as though they were cut out with cross cut saw. They are of rectangular shape and are flush with the street. The night l arrived In Cuzco was one of the saints days, and the stores were shut by thick slabs of wood that come together like the folding doors of a barn. Indeed they look more like stable doors than those of store. Some of them are four inches thick. All are closed and kept so so with great padlocks of wrought iron centuries old. Single locks weigh 10 or 20 pounds. and they are so constructed that one must use half dozen keys to open them.
 The next day as I again strolled through these arcades I saw that all of the storekeepers are women. They are fat Cholos who wear very full skirts and who keep their shawls and hats on while attending to business. Many of them have some manufacturing in addition to their selling. They have little hand sewing machines which they rest upon boxes or chairs, and kneeling or sitting on the