Primary Schools--Colleges--The University--Monks--Saints--Santo
Toribio and Santa Rosa--Religious Processions--Raising the
Host--The Noche Buena--The Carnival--Paseos, or Public
Promenades--Ice--Riding and Driving--Horses--Their Equipments and
Training--Mules--Lottery in Lima--Cookery--Breakfasts, Dinners,
&c.--Coffee-houses and Restaurants--Markets--The _Plazo Firme del
Acho_--Bull Fights.
Schools for primary instruction are numerous in Lima, and upon the
whole they are tolerably well conducted. There are thirty-six of these
primary schools, public and private; twenty for boys, and sixteen for
girls; and altogether about 2000 pupils[31] receive in these
establishments the first elements of juvenile instruction. The
principal public institutions of this class are the Normal School of
Santo Tomas (in which the Lancasterian system is adopted), and the
Central School of San Lazaro. Each contains from 320 to 350 pupils. Of
the private schools, some are very well conducted by Europeans. The
College of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe was founded a few years ago by
two Spanish merchants. In this establishment the sons of the wealthier
class of people may receive a better education than they can obtain in
the public schools. There are three Latin schools, and the number of
pupils attending them amounts to about two hundred.
The College of Santo Toribio is exclusively appropriated to students of
theology, who are likewise received into the College of San Carlos,
though the latter is chiefly destined for the study of jurisprudence.
San Carlos was founded in the year 1770 by the Viceroy Amat, who
incorporated with it the previously existing Colleges of San Martin and
San Felipe. In the year 1822 the Colegio de Esquilache was likewise
united to San Carlos, which now contains about a hundred students. The
building is large and commodious, containing spacious halls, a fine
refectory, and a well-stored library. There are five professors of law
and two of theology. French, English, geography, natural philosophy,
mathematics, drawing, and music are likewise taught in this college. The
annual revenue of the establishment, exclusively of the fees paid by the
students, amounts to 19,000 dollars. During the war of emancipation,
this establishment for a time bore the name of Colegio de San Martin, in
honor of General San Martin, the liberator of Chile; but its original
title was soon restored.
The Colegio de San Fernando was founded in 1810 by the Marques de la
Concordia, for students of medicine. In the year 1826 this Institution
received the name of _Colegio de la Medecina de la Independencia_, a
title which it justly merits, for certainly medicine is taught there
with a singular independence of all rules and systems. The Professors,
who themselves have never received any regular instruction, communicate
their scanty share of knowledge in a very imperfect manner to the
students. The number of the students is between twelve and fifteen, and
there are two Professors. The clinical lectures are delivered in the
Hospital of San Andres, to which an anatomical amphitheatre was
attached in 1792. The heat of the climate renders it necessary that
burials should take place within twenty-four hours after death, a
circumstance which naturally operates as an impediment to the
fundamental study of anatomy. It cannot therefore be matter of surprise
that the native surgeons should have but a superficial knowledge of
that important branch of science.
In the University of San Marcos no lectures are delivered, and the
twenty-five Professors' chairs are merely nominal. Honors and degrees
are however conferred in San Marcos, and the same rules and ceremonies
are observed as in the Spanish Universities. In the departments of
medicine and jurisprudence there are three degrees; those of Bachelor,
Licentiate, and Doctor. In former times the dignity of Doctor was
conferred with great pomp and solemnity, and the public were admitted in
large numbers to witness the ceremony. The acquisition of the degree of
Doctor was then attended by an expense of about two thousand dollars,
chiefly expended in presents. The new Doctor was required to send to
every member of the University, from the Bachelors to the Rector, a new
dollar, a goblet full of ice, and a dish of pastry.
Lima is overrun with monks, lay and conventual. The monastic regulations
are not very strict, for the monks are permitted to leave the convents
at all hours, according to their own pleasure. They avail themselves of
this liberty to the utmost extent. Friars of various orders are seen in
the streets in numbers. Most of them are fat Dominicans, who sit in the
Portales playing at draughts, or lounge in shops staring at the
_Tapadas_ as they pass by. Many of these ecclesiastics are remarkable
for their disregard of personal cleanliness; indeed it would be
difficult to meet with a more slovenly, ignorant, and common-place class
of men. They frequent all places of public entertainment, the
coffee-houses, the chichereas, the bull-fights, and the theatres: these
two last-mentioned places of amusement they visit in disguise. The
Franciscans and the Mercenarias are little better than the Dominicans;
but the Descalzados (barefooted friars) lead a somewhat more strict and
regular life. To the monks of the _Buena Muerte_ belongs the duty of
administering the last consolation to the dying. Whenever they hear of
any person who is dangerously ill, they hasten to the house without
waiting till they are sent for, and they never leave the invalid until
he either recovers or dies. Day and night they sit by the sick-bed, and
scarcely allow themselves time for necessary rest and refreshment. I
have known many of these monks who, from long experience and
observation, but without any medical knowledge, had acquired wonderful
shrewdness in determining the degree of danger in cases of illness, and
who could foretel with almost unfailing certainty the moment of
dissolution. As soon as the patient has breathed his last, the monk
utters a short prayer, then giving the corpse a knock on the nose, he
silently takes his departure. I have frequently witnessed this singular
custom, but I never could discover its origin or motive. The habit worn
by the monks of _Buena Muerte_ is black, with a large red cross on the
breast, and hats with high conical crowns.
Many pious natives, or inhabitants of Lima, have been admitted among the
number of the saints. Of these the most distinguished was the Spaniard
Toribio, who, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, filled the
archiepiscopal chair in Lima. His kindness and charity have become
proverbial, and his many acts of benevolence are still alive in the
recollection of the people. Of many anecdotes that are related of him, I
may here quote one. Late one night, the patrol who was on duty in the
vicinity of the archbishop's palace, met a man in the street carrying a
heavy load on his back. The challenge, "Who goes there?" was answered by
the name "Toribio." The watch, uttering an oath, impatiently called out
"Que Toribio?" (What Toribio?) "El de la esquina!" (He who dwells at the
corner!) was the simple reply. The soldier angrily stepped up to his
interlocutor, and, to his astonishment, recognized the archbishop, who
was carrying a sick person to the hospital.
The saint to whom the Limenos render the highest honor, is Santa Rosa,
the saint of the city. She was a native of Lima, and is the only
Peruvian female who has attained the honor of being ranked among the
saints. On the 30th of August, the festival of Santa Rosa is
celebrated with great pomp in the cathedral, and her image, richly
bedecked with gold and jewels, is carried in solemn procession from
Santo Domingo to the Sagrario.
Religious processions are among the most favorite amusements of the
inhabitants of Lima. They are always very numerously attended; and it
may fairly be said that no merry-making would afford the Limenos so much
diversion as they derive from these pious solemnities. Vast numbers of
ladies join the processions as Tapadas, indulging in all sorts of
coquettish airs, and with thoughts evidently bent on any subject but
religion. The gentlemen station themselves in groups at the corners of
the streets, to admire the graceful figures of the Tapadas, whose faces
are concealed; and when the procession has passed one corner they rush
to another, to see it defile a second time; and in this manner continue
moving from place to place, as if they could never see enough of the
interesting spectacle. The most brilliant processions are those which
take place on the festivals of Corpus Christi, San Francisco, and Santo
Domingo. A very solemn procession takes place on the 28th of October,
the anniversary of the great earthquake of 1746.
Every morning, at a quarter to nine, the great bell of the cathedral
announces the raising of the host, during the performance of high mass.
Immediately every sound is hushed in the streets and squares. Coachmen
stop the carriages, riders check their horses, and foot-passengers stand
motionless. Every one suspends his occupation or his conversation, and
kneeling down, with head uncovered, mutters a prayer. But scarcely has
the third solemn stroke of the bell ceased to vibrate, when the noise
and movement are resumed; the brief but solemn stillness of the few
preceding moments being thus rendered the more impressive by contrast.
The same incident is renewed in the evening, between six and seven
o'clock, when the bell sounds for the Angelus (Oraciones). The cathedral
bell gives the signal, by three slow, measured sounds, which are
immediately repeated from the belfries of all the churches in Lima. Life
and action are then, as if by an invisible hand, suddenly suspended;
nothing moves but the lips of the pious, whispering their prayers. The
_Oracion_ being ended, every one makes the sign of the cross, and says
to the person nearest him, _Buenas noches_ (Good night). It is regarded
as an act of courtesy to allow another to take precedence in saying
"Good night," and if several persons are together, it is expected that
the eldest or the most distinguished of the group should be the first to
utter the greeting. It is considered polite to request the person next
one to say _Buenas noches_; he with equal civility declines; and the
alternate repetition of "_diga Vm._" (you say it), "_No, Senor, diga
Vm._" (No, Sir, you say it), threatens sometimes to be endless.
The effect produced by the three strokes of the cathedral bell is truly
astonishing. The half-uttered oath dies on the lips of the uncouth
negro; the arm of the cruel Zambo, unmercifully beating his ass, drops
as if paralyzed; the chattering mulatto seems as if suddenly struck
dumb; the smart repartee of the lively Tapada is cut short in its
delivery; the shopkeeper lays down his measure; the artizan drops his
tool; and the monk suspends his move on the draught-board: all, with one
accord, join in the inaudible prayer. Here and there the sight of a
foreigner walking along indifferently, and without raising his hat,
makes a painful impression on the minds of the people.
Christmas-night (_Noche buena_) is a great festival in Lima. The streets
and squares, especially the _Plaza Mayor_, are crowded with people,
amusing themselves in all sorts of ways. Hundreds of persons take their
seats on the benches of the Plaza; there they regale themselves with
sherbet, ices, and pastry, and look at the dancing of the negroes, &c.
On this occasion the midnight mass is performed with extraordinary
solemnity. On Christmas-day some of the families of Lima get up what are
called _Nacimientos_, consisting of symbolical representations of the
birth of the Saviour. On some of these shows considerable expense and
ingenuity are bestowed.
In Carnival time Lima is so unpleasant a place of residence that many
families retire to the country during that season of misrule. One of the
favorite sports consists in sprinkling people with water; and from all
the balconies various kinds of liquids are thrown on the passers-by.
Groups of Negroes post themselves at the corners of the streets, where
they seize people, and detain them prisoners, until they ransom
themselves by the payment of a certain sum of money. Those who do not
pay the money are rolled in the street gutters, and treated in the most
merciless way; whilst those who purchase grace escape with having a few
handfulls of dirty water thrown in their faces. Even in private houses,
relations and intimate acquaintances are guilty of the most
unwarrantable annoyances. Parties of young men enter the houses of
families with whom they are acquainted, and begin sprinkling the ladies
with scented water. That being exhausted, spring water, or even dirty
water, is resorted to, so that what began in sport ends in reckless
rudeness. The ladies, with their clothes dripping wet, are chased from
room to room, and thereby become heated. The consequence is, in many
instances, severe and dangerous illness. Inflammation of the lungs,
ague, rheumatism, &c., are the usual results of these carnival sports,
to which many fall victims. A year never passes in which several murders
are not committed, in revenge for offences perpetrated during the
saturnalia of the carnival.
A very favorite trick adopted in carnival time, for frightening people
as they pass along the streets, is the following:--a sack, filled with
fragments of broken glass and porcelain, is fastened to the balcony by a
strong rope, of such a length that, when suspended from the window, the
sack is about seven feet above the street. The apparatus being all
ready, a mischievous negress and her _amita_ (young mistress) watch the
passers-by until they select one for their victim. The sack is then
thrown over the front of the balcony, and a deafening crash ensues,
though the rope prevents its contents from hurting any one. It is well
known that in almost every street in Lima there is at least one balcony
ready prepared for the performance of this trick; yet the suddenness of
the crash always proves a shock, even to the strongest nerves. People
start and run to one side of the street, and are sometimes so terrified
that they drop down; then loud laughter and jeering remarks are heard in
the balcony. Every year this trick is prohibited by the police, but the
prohibition is treated with contempt.
One of the most popular recreations of the Limenos, especially of the
people of color, is the _Paseo de Amancaes_, which takes place on St.
John's Day. The Amancaes is a gently sloping plain, about half a mile
north-west of Lima, and it is bounded by a semicircular range of hills,
which rise from twelve to fifteen thousand feet above the level of the
sea. During the hot months of the year this plain is a parched and
barren waste; but when the misty and rainy season sets in, the Amancaes
is covered with numerous flowers, among which a beautiful yellow lily is
conspicuous. About the end of June this lily is in full bloom. On St.
John's Day booths and stalls are fitted up for the sale of various kinds
of refreshments, and throngs of people of all classes and colors are
seen riding or walking in the direction of the Amancaes. There they
amuse themselves with dancing, playing, eating, drinking, and gathering
flowers; and in the evening they return to Lima. It is amusing to see
the Mulattas and Zambas with bouquets of yellow lilies stuck in their
heads and bosoms. These women crowd into heavily-laden vehicles, beside
which their black cavaliers ride on horseback--all laughing, jesting,
and giving vent to unrestrained mirth. From the 24th of June to the end
of October, pleasure parties repair on Sundays and festival days, either
to the Amancaes or to the Lomas. The latter is a range of hills a little
further from Lima.
There is no want of promenades in the vicinity of the city. Leading from
the Callao gate is the fine long avenue of trees I have already
mentioned. In the suburb of San Lazaro there is a fine broad promenade
planted with trees, called the _alameda vieja_, at the end of which is
situated the Convent of the Descalzos. Along the bank of the Rimac there
is a new promenade planted with four rows of trees, called the _alameda
nueva_. Behind it the _Paseo militar_, with two rows of trees, extending
as far as _Piedra lisa_, on the road to the pleasant village of
Lurigancho. On the right of these promenades is the river, on the left
the pyramidal hill, of the Cerro de San Cristoval. At the extremity of
the Alameda nueva are the Puquio.[32] These baths are within a long
low-roofed building, covered on the top with straw mats.
On summer evenings the bridge and the Plaza Mayor are visited by
throngs of promenaders who there enjoy the refreshing breeze, which,
after sunset, is wafted from the Cordilleras, along the surface of the
Rimac. After the hour of the _Oraciones_ (evening prayers), the bridge
is crowded with gentlemen, who walk up and down whilst the ladies sit
in the rotundas built above each of the piers. Long rows of
promenaders are seen moving to and fro, either going to the Alamedas,
or returning from thence to the Plaza, to obtain refreshments. Before
the Portal de los Escribanos, on the Plaza Mayor, tables are laid out
with lemonade, almond milk and ices. The promenaders sit down on
benches, which are placed round these tables, and partake of
refreshments, none of which, however, are so delicious as the cool
breeze after the sultry heat of the day.
To the inhabitants of Lima, ice is one of the necessaries of life: it is
considered so indispensable, that a scarcity of it, during several days,
would be sufficient to excite popular ferment. In all revolutions,
therefore, the leaders carefully avoid calling into requisition the
service of the mules employed in the transport of ice. It is obtained in
the Cordilleras, at the distance of about twenty-eight leagues from
Lima. The Indians who ascend the glaciers break the ice into blocks of
about six arobas in weight, which are lowered by ropes down the
declivity of the mountain. The women and children then cover the blocks
of ice with Ichu grass (_Joara ichu_, R. P.), after which they are drawn
by another party of Indians to a depot, about two leagues distant, where
they are packed on the backs of mules. Each mule carries two blocks.
Thirty mules form what is called a _Recua_, which daily proceeds from
the ice depot to Lima. At intervals of two or three miles there are
stations where relays of mules are in readiness. The operations of
unloading and reloading are performed with the utmost possible speed,
and the mules are driven at a brisk trot, wherever the roads will admit
of it. In the space of eighteen or twenty hours, the ice reaches Lima,
and as may be expected, considerably reduced in weight by melting. The
average loss on two blocks of ice is about one hundred pounds.[33] The
daily consumption of ice in Lima is between fifty and fifty-five cwt.
About two-thirds of that quantity is used for preparing ices, most of
which are made of milk or pine-apple juice. Ice is hawked about the
streets of Lima for sale, and all day long Indians, carrying pails on
their heads, perambulate the streets, crying _helado_.
The ladies of Lima, when they make visits, seldom go on foot. They
generally ride in the _caleza_, a very ugly kind of vehicle, being
nothing more than a square box raised on two high wheels, and drawn
by a mule, on whose back a negro in livery is mounted. Many of the
older calezas, instead of being painted on the outside, are covered
with variegated paper. The calezin is a prettier kind of carriage,
and is drawn by two horses or mules. Taste in the article of carriages
is, however, improving in Lima, and several very elegant ones have
been recently introduced.
Within the last few years a regular line of omnibuses has been
established between Callao and Lima. From each of those cities an
omnibus starts daily, at eight in the morning and at four in the
afternoon, and the journey occupies an hour and a half. To Miraflores,
Chorillos, Lurin, and other places on the coast, the conveyance is by
a _balanzin_, a sort of caleza, drawn by three horses harnessed
abreast. This balanzin is one of the most awkward vehicles ever
invented, and the slightest shock it sustains is felt with double
force by the persons riding in it. At greater distances from the
capital, the want of proper roads renders the employment of vehicles a
matter of difficulty. Even along the coast to the south of Lima, a
journey of about forty leagues cannot be accomplished without vast
difficulty and expense. On such a journey it is usual for a train of
sixty or eighty horses to accompany the carriage; and it is found
necessary to change the horses every half-hour, owing to the
difficulty of drawing the carriage through the fine quicksand, which
is often more than a foot deep. A Peruvian planter, who was accustomed
to take his wife every year on a visit to his plantation, situated
about thirty-two leagues from Lima, assured me that the journey to and
fro always cost him 1400 dollars.
During the brilliant period of the Spanish domination, incredible sums
were frequently expended on carriages and mules. Not unfrequently the
tires of the caleza wheels and the shoes of the mules were of silver
instead of iron.
In Peru, riding is a universal custom, and almost every person keeps
one or more horses. The ladies of Lima are distinguished as graceful
horsewomen. Their equestrian costume consists of a white riding-habit,
trowsers richly trimmed with lace, a fine white poncho, and a
broad-brimmed straw hat. Some of the females of the colored races make
use of men's saddles, and display great skill in the management of the
most unruly horses.
The horse-trappings used in Peru are often very costly. On the coast and
in the interior, I have sometimes seen head-gear, bridle, and crupper,
composed of finely-wrought silver rings, linked one into another. The
saddle is frequently ornamented with rich gold embroidery, and the
holster inlaid with gold. The stirrups are usually the richest portion
of the trappings. They are made of carved wood, and are of pyramidal
shape; about a foot high and a foot broad at the base. In front and at
the sides they are close, and are open only at the back in the part
where the foot rests. The edges are rimmed with silver, and the top of
the stirrup is surmounted by a bell of the same metal, with a ring
through which the straps are passed. A priest with whom I was acquainted
in the Sierra, got a saddle and a pair of stirrups made for me. The
silver ornaments on the stirrups alone weighed forty pounds. The
decorations of the saddle were of corresponding richness. The value of
the silver on both saddle and stirrups was about 1500 dollars. The spurs
used in Peru are of colossal magnitude. Old custom ordains that they
must contain three marks (a pound and a half) of silver. The stirrup-bow
is broad and richly wrought; the ornaments being either of the pattern
called _hueso de tollo_,[34] or of that styled _hoja de laurel con
semilla_.[35] The rowel is one and a half or two inches in diameter, and
the points are about twenty-five or thirty inches long.
In the bridle, the bit and the snaffle are in one piece, and the reins
are brought together by being passed through a ring, to which the long
riding-whip is also fastened. The head-band and reins are commonly
composed of narrow slips of untanned calf or sheep-skin, plaited
together, and ornamented with silver buckles. The saddle is short and
narrow, and exceedingly awkward to riders unaccustomed to it. The front
bolster is four or five inches high, and inclines backward; the hind one
is lower, and is curved forward in the form of a half-moon; the
intervening space just affording sufficient room for the thighs of the
rider, who, in a saddle of this construction, is so firmly fixed that he
cannot possibly fall. These saddles have, however, one great
disadvantage, viz., that if the horse starts off at a gallop, and the
rider has not time to throw himself back in his seat, he is forced
against the front saddle-bolster with such violence that some fatal
injury is usually the consequence. Under the saddle is laid a
horse-cloth, called the _pellon_, about a yard long, and a yard and a
half wide. The common sort of pellones are composed of two rough
sheep-skins, sewed together. In the finer kind, the raw wool is combed
out, and divided into numberless little twists, of about the length of
one's finger; so that the pellon resembles the skin of some
long-haired animal. The finest Peruvian pellones are made of a mixture
of sheep's wool and goat's hair. Between the saddle and the pellon are
fastened the saddle-bags (_alforjas_), which, on long journeys, are
filled with provisions and other necessaries. These bags are made
either of leather or strong woollen cloth; finally, the trappings of a
Peruvian horse are not complete without the halter (_haquima_), which
is ornamented in the same manner as the bridle. The halter-strap
(_cabresto_) is wound round the front bolster of the saddle, and by it
the horse may be fastened whenever the rider alights, without the use
of the reins for that purpose. At first a foreigner is apt to regard
the equipments of a Peruvian horse as superfluous and burthensome; but
he is soon convinced of their utility, and, when the eye becomes
familiar to them, they have a pleasing effect.
The pure-bred Peruvian horse is more elegantly formed than his
Andalusian progenitor. He is of middling size, seldom exceeding
fourteen hands high. He has a strong expanded chest, slender legs,
thin pasterns, a short muscular neck, a rather large head, small
pointed ears, and a fiery eye. He is spirited, docile, and enduring.
It is only in a few plantations that the purity of the race is
preserved, and the animals fostered with due care. The common horse is
higher, leaner, less broad on the chest, and with the crupper thinner
and more depressed. He is, however, not less fiery and capable of
endurance than the horse of pure breed. The most inferior horses are
ill-looking, small, and rough-skinned.
On the coast of Peru the horses are for the most part natural amblers,
and, if they do not amble naturally, they are taught to do so. There are
several varieties of amble peculiar to the Peruvian horse; the most
approved is that called the _paso llano_. It is very rapid, but not
attended by any jolting motion to the rider. A well-trained horse may
safely be ridden by a young child at the _paso llano_; the motion being
so gentle and regular, that the rider may carry a cup of water in his
hand without spilling a drop, at the same time going at the rate of two
leagues an hour. Another variety of ambling is called the _paso
portante_. It consists in the fore and hind foot of one side being
raised simultaneously, and thrust forward. In this movement, the greater
or less speed depends on the degree in which the hind foot is advanced
in comparison with the fore one. It is a rapid, rocking sort of motion,
and for long continuance is much more wearying to the rider than the
common trot, as the body cannot be held upright, but must be kept in a
constant stooping position. The speed of a good ambler in the _paso
portante_ is so great, that he will outstrip another horse at full
gallop. The giraffe, as well as the Peruvian horse, has this peculiar
movement naturally. The _paso companero_ is merely a nominal
modification of the _paso portante_. Many horses have no _paso llano_,
but in its stead a short trot. These have naturally the _paso portante_,
but they are little esteemed for travelling, though they are good
working animals. They are called _cavallos aguelillos_. Trotting horses
cannot be taught the _paso llano_, though they easily acquire the _paso
portante_. These are called _cavallos trabados_.
In Peru a horse is valued less for beauty of form than for the
perfection of his amble. The finest trotters are sold at very low
prices, and are used exclusively as carriage horses. If a horse when
spurred has the habit of flapping his tail, it is considered a serious
fault, and greatly depreciates the value of the animal. This vice is
called _mosquear_ (literally brushing off the mosquitoes), and the
Peruvians cure it by an incision in the muscle of the tail, by which
means the horse is disabled from making the movement.
The Peruvians take very little care of their horses. The remark, that
the more the horse is tended, the worse he is, would seem to be a
generally admitted truth in Peru. The stable (_coral_) is either totally
roofless, or very indifferently sheltered. In the mountainous parts of
the country, and during the rainy season, horses are frequently, for the
space of six months, up to their knees in mud, and yet they never seem
to be the worse for it. The fodder consists of lucern (_alfalfa_), or
maisillo, which is usually thrown down on the ground, though sometimes
placed in a stone trough, and the drink of the animals consists of
impure water collected from the ditches at the road sides. Occasionally
the horses are fed with maize, which they are very fond of. As no oats
are grown in Peru, barley is given together with maize, especially in
the interior of the country. Mares and geldings have sometimes the hair
between the ears cut off quite closely, and the mane arranged in short
curls, which gives them a resemblance to the horses in ancient
sculpture. Mares are but little valued, so little indeed, that no
respectable person will ride one.
The horse-breakers (_chalanes_) are generally free men of color. They
possess great bodily vigor, and understand their business thoroughly;
but they use the horses very cruelly, and thereby render them shy. For
the first three years foals are suffered to roam about with perfect
freedom; after that time they are saddled, an operation not performed
without great difficulty, and sometimes found to be impracticable,
until the animal is thrown on the ground and his limbs tied. The young
horse under the management of the _chalan_ is trained in all sorts of
equestrian feats, especially the art of pirouetting (_voltear_). This
consists in turning either wholly or half round on the hind legs with
great rapidity and when at full gallop. Another important object of
the _chalan_ is to teach the horse to stop short suddenly, and to
stand perfectly motionless (_sentarse_) at the signal of his rider;
and to go backward (_cejar_) for a considerable space in a straight
line. When all this is accomplished, the horse is regarded as
completely broken (_quebrantado_).
As an instance of the certainty with which a Peruvian horse will make a
pirouette (_voltata_) at the signal of his rider, I may mention the
following fact, which occurred under my own observation. A friend of
mine, in Lima, rode at full gallop up to the city wall (which is
scarcely nine feet broad), leaped upon it, and then made his horse
perform a complete _voltata_, so that the fore-feet of the animal
described the segment of a circle beyond the edge of the wall. The feat
he performed several times in succession, and he assured me he could do
the same with all his horses.
Peruvian taste requires that the neck of the horse should present a
finely-curved outline, and that the mouth should be drawn inward, so as
to approach the breast. The horses called _Cavallos_ de Brazo are much
esteemed. At every step they describe a large circle with their
fore-feet, in such a manner that the horse-shoe strikes the lower part
of the stirrup. This motion is exceedingly beautiful when combined with
what is termed the "Spanish pace," in which the noble form of the animal
and his proud bearing are advantageously displayed.
The mule is a very important animal in Peru. The badness of the roads
would render commercial communication impracticable, were it not for
mules. The Peruvian mules are fine, strong animals. The best are reared
in Piura, and sent to Lima for sale. The amblers are selected for the
saddle, the trotters for harness, and the rest are used as beasts of
burthen. The price of a mule of middling quality is one hundred dollars;
a better one double or treble that price; and the very best may even
cost ten times as much. The endurance of these animals under fatigue and
indifferent nurture is extraordinary, and without them the vast sand
plains of Peru would present insuperable obstacles to intercourse
between one place and another. In the power of continuous ambling they
exceed the horses, and are often equal to them in speed.
In Lima there is a public lottery, which the Government farms to a
private individual, for a considerable sum. The tickets are drawn
weekly. The price of a ticket is one real. The largest prize is 1000
dollars; the smaller prizes 500, 250, or 100 dollars. A lottery on a
larger scale is drawn every three months. The highest prize in this
lottery is 4000 dollars, and the price of the ticket is four reals. To
every ticket is affixed a motto, usually consisting of an invocation to
a saint, and a prayer for good luck, and at the drawing of the lottery
this motto is read aloud when the number of the ticket is announced. Few
of the inhabitants of Lima fail to buy at least one ticket in the weekly
lottery. The negroes are particularly fond of trying their luck in this
way, and in many instances fortune has been singularly kind to them.
"Eating and drinking keep soul and body together." So says the German
proverb; and it may not be uninteresting to take a glance at the Limenos
during their performance of these two important operations. The hour of
breakfast is generally nine in the morning. The meal consists of boiled
mutton (_Sancochado_), soup (_Caldo_), with yuccas, a very
pleasant-tasted root, and _Chupe_. This last-mentioned dish consists, in
its simplest form, merely of potatoes boiled in very salt water, with
cheese and Spanish pepper. When the chupe is made in better style, eggs,
crabs, and fried fish are added to the ingredients already named; and it
is then a very savory dish. Chocolate and milk are afterwards served. A
negress brings the _Chocolatera_ into the breakfast-room, and pours out
a cup full for each person. The natives prefer the froth to the actual
beverage; and many of the negresses are such adepts in the art of
pouring out, that they will make the cup so overflow with foam, that it
contains scarcely a spoonful of liquid. Chocolate is the favorite
beverage of the Peruvians. In the southern parts of the country it is
customary to offer it to visitors at all hours of the day. The visitor
is no sooner seated than he is presented with a cup of coffee, which is
often so thick that the spoon will stand upright in it. It would be a
breach of politeness to decline this refreshment, and whether agreeable
or not it must be swallowed!
The best cocoa is obtained from the Montanas of Urubamba, and from the
Bolivian Yungas. The long land transport, however, renders it very
dear, and therefore the nuts brought from Guayaquil are those commonly
used in Lima.
Dinner, which takes place about two or three in the afternoon, commences
with a very insipid kind of soup. This is followed by the _Puchero_,
which is the principal dish. Puchero, made in its best style, contains
beef, pork, bacon, ham, sausage, poultry, cabbage, yuccas, camotes (a
sort of sweet potato), potatoes, rice, peas, _choclitas_ (grains of
maize), quince and banana. When served up, the different kinds of meat
are placed in one dish, and the vegetable ingredients in another. I was
at first astonished at the poorness of the soups in Lima, considering
the quantity of meat used in preparing them; but I soon discovered that
the soup served up to table was little more than water, and that the
strong gravy of the meat was either thrown away or given to the negroes.
There prevails an almost universal belief that the liquor in which the
meat is first stewed is injurious to health. Only a very few families
are sufficiently free from this prejudice to allow the strong gravy to
be used in the preparation of _caldo_, &c. The Puchero is an excellent
and nutritious dish, and would in itself suffice for a dinner, to which,
however, in Lima, it is merely the introduction. Roast meat, fish,
vegetables, preserves and salad are afterwards served. Another dish not
less indispensable to a Lima dinner than _puchero_, is _picante_. Under
this denomination are included a variety of preparations, in which a
vast quantity of cayenne pepper is introduced. The most favorite
_picantes_ are the _calapulcra_, the _lagua_, the _zango_, the
_charquican_, the _adobas_, the _picante de ullucos_, &c. The
_calapulcra_ is composed of meat and potatoes dried and finely pounded;
the _lagua_ is made of maize flour and pork; the _zango_, of the same
ingredients, but differently prepared; the _adobas_ consists of pork
alone; and the _picante de ullucos_ is made of a root resembling the
potato, cut into small square bits. These dishes, though much too highly
seasoned for European palates, are considered great dainties by the
Limenos. All the _picantes_ have a very red color, owing to the quantity
of cayenne used in preparing them; the _achote_ grains, which are also
used, produce a beautiful vermilion tint. Another dish, common on the
dinner-table in Lima, is called _ensalada de frutas_. It is a most
heterogeneous compound, consisting of all sorts of fruits stewed in
water. To none but a Limanian stomach could such a mixture be agreeable.
The dessert consists of fruits and sweets (_dulces_). The Limeno must
always drink a glass of water after dinner, otherwise he imagines the
repast can do him no good; but to warrant the drinking of the water, or,
as the phrase is, _para tomar agua_, it is necessary first to partake of
_dulces_. The one without the other would be quite contrary to rule. The
dulces consist of little cakes made of honey or of the pulp of the
sugar-cane; or they are preserved fruits, viz., pine-apple, quince,
citron, and sometimes preserved beans or cocoa-nut. There is also a
favorite kind of dulce made from maize, called _masamora_.
The Peruvians have some very singular prejudices on the subject of
eating and drinking. Every article of food is, according to their
notions, either heating (_caliente_), or cooling (_frio_); and they
believe that certain things are in opposition one to another, or, as the
Limenos phrase it, _se oponen_. The presence in the stomach of two of
these opposing articles of food, for example, chocolate and rice, is
believed to be highly dangerous, and sometimes fatal. It is amusing to
observe the Limenos when at dinner, seriously reflecting, before they
taste a particular dish, whether it is in opposition to something they
have already eaten. If they eat rice at dinner, they refrain from
drinking water, because the two things _se oponen_. To such an extreme
is this notion carried, that they will not taste rice on days when they
have to wash, and laundresses never eat it. Frequently have I been asked
by invalids whether it would be safe for them to take a foot-bath on
going to bed, as they had eaten rice at dinner!
The white Creoles, as well as all the superior class of people in Lima,
are exceedingly temperate in drinking. Water and a kind of sweet wine
are their favorite beverage; but the lower classes and the people of
color are by no means so abstemious. They make free use of fermented
drinks, especially brandy, chicha, and guarapo. The brandy of Peru is
very pure, and is prepared exclusively from the grape. On the warm sea
coast, the use of this liquor is not very injurious; there, its evil
effects are counteracted by profuse perspiration. But one half the
quantity that may be drunk with impunity on the coast, will be very
pernicious in the cool mountainous regions. An old and very just maxim
of the Jesuits is, "_En pais caliente, aguardiente; en pais frio, agua
fria_" (in the warm country, brandy; in the cold country, water).
Guarapo is a fermented liquor, made of sugar-cane pulp and water. It
is a very favorite beverage of the negroes. There are several kinds of
guarapo. The best sorts are tolerably agreeable. _Chicha_ is a sort of
beer prepared from maize. The seeds of the maize are watered and left
until they begin to sprout, after which they are dried in the sun.
When sufficiently dry they are crushed, boiled in water, and then
allowed to stand till fermentation takes place. The liquid is of a
dark yellow color, and has a slightly bitter and sharp taste. Chicha
is likewise made from rice, peas, barley, yuccas, pine-apples, and
even bread. The kind most generally used is that made from maize. Even
before the Spanish conquest of Peru, this maize beer was the common
beverage of the Indians. In Lima there are some very dirty and
ill-arranged _restaurations_, styled _picanterias_. These places are
divided by partitions into several small compartments, each of which
contains a table and two benches. The _restaurateur_, usually a zambo
or a mulatto, prides himself in the superiority of his _picantes_ and
his _clicha_. The most motley assemblages frequent these places in the
evening. The Congo negro, the grave Spaniard, the white Creole, the
Chino, together with monks and soldiers, may be seen, all grouped
together, and devouring with evident relish refreshments, served out
in a way not remarkable for cleanliness. Brandy and guarapo are
likewise sold in shops which are to be met with at the corner of
almost every street. The coffee-houses are very inferior; most of
them are very dirty, and the attendance is wretched.
Every street in Lima contains one or more cigar shops, in which
mestizos and mulattos are busily employed in making cigars. Smoking is
a universal custom, and is practised everywhere except in the
churches. The cigars used in Lima are short, and the tobacco is rolled
in paper, or in dried maize leaves. The tobacco is brought from the
northern province, Jaen de Bracamoras, in very hard rolls called
_masos_, about a yard long and two inches thick. Another kind of
cigars is made of Peruvian or Columbian tobacco. They are scarcely
inferior to the Havannah cigars, and would be quite equal to them, if
they were kept long enough and well dried: but in Lima they are smoked
within a few hours after being made. When any one wants to light his
cigar in the street, he accosts the first smoker he happens to meet,
whatever be his color, rank, or condition; and asks him for a light.
The slave smokes in the presence of his master, and when his cigar
dies out, he unceremoniously asks leave to relight it at his master's.
It has been calculated that the daily cost of the cigars smoked in
Lima and the immediate vicinity amounts to 2,300 dollars.
Formerly the market was held on the Plaza Mayor, and was always
abundantly supplied with vegetables, fruit, and flowers. Now it is
held in the Plazuela de la Inquisicion, and it is very inferior to
what it used to be. Along the sides of the Plaza are stalls kept by
women, who sell sausages and fish. The central part of the market is
appropriated to the sale of vegetables, of which there is always an
excellent supply. Facing the Palace of the Inquisition are the
butchers' shops. The meat is good, though not very plentifully
displayed. The most abundant kinds of meat are mutton and beef. The
slaughtering of young animals being strictly prohibited by law, veal,
lamb, and sucking pigs are never seen in the market. The daily
consumption of butcher's meat in Lima is about twenty-eight or thirty
heads of horned cattle, and between one hundred and sixty and two
hundred sheep. Pork, neither fresh nor cured, is seen in the market;
though great numbers of swine are slaughtered. The fleshy parts of the
animal are cut into small square pieces, and boiled; the fat or lard
is used in cookery, and the pieces of pork, which are spread over with
lard, are called _chicharones_, and are held in high esteem by
Limanian epicures. There is an abundant show of poultry in the market,
especially fowls and turkeys, which are brought from Huacho. Game is
never sold, and but very little is obtained in the neighborhood of
Lima. The flower market, which is held on the Plaza Mayor, is but
sparingly supplied with the gifts of Flora. The ladies of Lima recal
pleasing recollections of the former glory of their flower market, and
speak with regret of its present degenerate condition. The
much-vaunted _pucheros de flores_ are still occasionally displayed for
sale. They are composed of a union of fragrant fruits and flowers.
Several small fruits are laid on a banana leaf, and above them are
placed odoriferous flowers, tastefully arranged according to their
colors: the whole is surmounted with a strawberry, and is profusely
sprinkled with _agua rica_, or lavender water. These _pucheros_ are
very pleasing to the eye, on account of the tasteful arrangement of
the flowers; but their powerful fragrance affects the nerves. They
vary in price, according to the rarity of the fruits and flowers of
which they are composed. Some cost as much as six or eight dollars.
A _puchero de flores_ is one of the most acceptable presents that
can be offered to a Lima lady.
A mingled feeling of disgust and surprise takes possession of the
European who witnesses the joy which pervades all classes of the
inhabitants of Lima on the announcement of a bull-fight. For several
days the event is the exclusive topic of conversation, and, strange to
say, the female portion of the population takes greater interest in it
than the men. Bills notifying the approaching entertainment are stuck up
at the corners of the streets; and every one is anxious to obtain a
_lista de los toros_. When the season of the toros[36] commences, a
bull-fight takes place every Monday, and then the whole city of Lima is
thrown into a state of indescribable excitement. The ladies prepare
their finest dresses for the occasion, and they consider it the greatest
possible misfortune if anything occurs to prevent them going to the
bull-fight: indeed, a Monday passed at home in the season of the toros
would be regarded as a lost day in the life of a Limena. Those who
cannot go to the _corrida_, resort to the bridge, or to the Alameda,
where they sit and amuse themselves by looking at the throngs of people
passing and repassing.
In the time of the Viceroys, bull-fights frequently took place on the
Plaza Mayor. Now there is a place expressly built for these
entertainments, called the _Plaza firme del Acho_. It is a spacious
amphitheatre without a roof, and is erected at the end of the new avenue
of the Alameda. The preparations for the sport commence at an early hour
in the morning. Along the Alameda are placed rows of tables covered with
refreshments, consisting of lemonade, brandy, chicha, picantes, fish,
dulces, &c. About twelve o'clock, those who have engaged places in the
amphitheatre begin to move towards the Plaza del Acho.
Most European ladies would turn with horror, even from a description
of these cruel sports, which the ladies of Lima gaze on with delight.
They are barbarous diversions, and though they form a part of national
customs, they are nevertheless a national disgrace. At the same time
it would be unjust to make this love of bull-fighting a ground for
unqualified censure on the Limenos, or a reason for accusing them of
an utter want of humanity. Being accustomed to these diversions from
early childhood, they regard them with perfect indifference; and
custom, no doubt, blinds them to the cruelties they witness in the
bull-ring. The same extenuation may be urged in behalf of the women:
and though to most of the Limenas a bull-fight affords the highest
possible gratification, yet there are some who form honorable
exceptions to this remark, and who, with true feminine feeling, shrink
with horror from such scenes.
Peru is the only one of the South American states in which bull-fights
are included in the category of public amusements. As Peru was the last
to answer the cry of independence, and to shake off the yoke of Spanish
domination, so she adheres with most tenacity to the customs of the
mother country; for she has not the energy requisite for developing a
nationality of her own. Even here is apparent that want of independence
of character for which the Peruvians are remarkable. The faults of the
Spaniards in them become vices, because, in imitating without
reflecting, they push everything to an extreme. Thus, if bull-fights are
cruel in Spain, they are barbarous in Lima. The government, too, finds
it expedient to court popularity by favoring public entertainments,
among which bull-fights take the lead. By allowing the people to indulge
unrestrainedly in all their favorite amusements, the government gains a
two-fold object, viz., that of securing the support, if not the love of
the people, and of averting public attention from political affairs.
These, it must be confessed, are important objects in a country which,
like Peru, is continually disturbed by revolutions caused by the
outbreaks of a turbulent populace, or an undisciplined army.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 31: A very small number in a population of 55,000.]
[Footnote 32: _Puquio_ in the Quichua language signifies springs.]
[Footnote 33: These fine blocks of ice clearly refute the assertion
made by some travellers, that the first real glaciers are found in
19 deg. S. lat. The extensive fields of ice from which the blocks in
question are brought are situated in 11 deg. 14' S. lat.]
[Footnote 34: A sort of arabesque resembling the backbone of a fish
called the _Tollo_.]
[Footnote 35: Laurel leaves and seed.]
[Footnote 36: _Toros_ (Bulls) is used by way of contraction for
_Corrida de Toros_ (Bull Course).]