VINEYARDS AND ORCHARDS OF THE SOUTHERN COAST REGION
[Illustration: SUBMARINE BLASTING OFF MOLLENDO.]
From Lima southward, the coast valleys resemble those of Southern
California, though no idea of their beauty and fertility is to be gained
from a view of the coast line, which here stretches along in the same
monotonous series of sandhills and barren cliffs that mark its length
all the way from Guayaquil to Valparaiso, with only a few green spots,
as at Callao and Arica, to brighten its sombre aspect. Travellers find
it hard to believe that abundance and fertility belong to a region
apparently so little favored, but, to be convinced, it is necessary only
to disembark at one of the ports in the vicinity of these valleys and to
make a half-hour’s trip into the interior by railway. At some of the
ports, the green vineyards and gardens run so close to the shore that
only a narrow strip of sand lies between. This desert strip once
crossed, the scene is changed completely, and nature appears radiant and
smiling in the midst of winding streams and verdant fields.
The vineyards of Peru are still in the early stages of development,
though wine-growing has been an industry of the country for centuries,
the first cuttings having been introduced as early as 1557 by
Carabantes, when experiments were made in viticulture in several
districts of the coast. The valleys and hillsides of Ica and Moquegua
were found to be especially adapted for this industry, though the
vineyards of Lima, Arequipa and Tacna also yield good harvests.
Wine-growing has received more attention within recent years than
formerly, and the results are apparent in the increased quantity and
improved quality of the production. In the Department of Ica, the most
promising vineyards are located in the vicinity of the capital and in
the _campiña_ around Chincha Alta, near the port of Tambo de Mora, about
a hundred miles south of Callao.
[Illustration: MOQUEGUA, A WINE-GROWING CENTRE OF THE SOUTHERN COAST
REGION.]
Ica was formerly a province of the Department of Lima, and was made
independent in 1855, being raised to the dignity of a department in
1868. It comprises the three provinces of Ica, Pisco, and Chincha, all
of which border on the Pacific Ocean and are almost entirely within the
coast zone, with the exception of the province of Ica, that extends to
the region of the sierra on the border of Ayacucho and Huancavelica.
This department, like all the others of the coast, has a large area of
uncultivated land which is irrigable and should be immensely productive.
Four rivers cross the department,—the Chincha, Pisco, Ica and
Grande,—each receiving a number of tributaries, with a water supply
sufficient to fertilize all their valleys, if scientifically controlled
and utilized. The ancient inhabitants knew how to irrigate these lands,
and the ruins of their aqueducts may still be seen in various districts.
On the Pisco River, about thirty miles from its mouth, a waterfall
occurs, which could easily supply a hundred thousand horse-power for
engineering purposes. A few miles from the city of Ica, the capital of
the department, are situated the lakes of Huacachina and Cachiche,
famous for their therapeutic properties. Huacachina is a favorite resort
for invalids, the mild climate and picturesque locality contributing to
make it popular, while the curative effects of its waters, strongly
impregnated with iodine, are remarkable. The city of Ica, having a
population of about ten thousand, lies in the centre of a large and
fertile valley and in the midst of flourishing vineyards and cotton
plantations.
The cultivated area of the Ica valley is estimated at forty thousand
acres, of which one-fifth is covered with vineyards. The wine-growing
district extends along the valley from Huamani, about twenty miles north
of the capital, to Ocucaje, thirty miles to the south. Ica is the
paradise of the farmer of small means, there being few large haciendas
in the valley, with the exception of those of Ocucaje, comprising six
thousand acres, and Macacona, with about four thousand acres. Many
vineyards cover no more than about ten or fifteen acres, and, as a rule,
the haciendas comprise only from one hundred to two hundred acres. Each
hacienda has its vineyard, though, at the same time, a part of the land
is devoted to the cultivation of cotton, maize, and tropical fruits,
such as chirimoyas (custard apples), mangoes, plantains, melons, paltas
(alligator pears), and figs; on these plantations are also cultivated
vegetables of various kinds,—squash, camotes (a kind of potato), yucca,
cucumbers, etc.,—and on the uplands grow alfalfa, aji (a kind of
pepper), and wheat.
[Illustration: THE LANDING PIER OF THE PORT OF PISCO.]
The principal varieties of grapes cultivated in the vineyards of Ica are
the Quebranta, Moscatel, Negra, and Moyar, for red wines; and the
Albilla and Italia, white varieties; though there is also a pink Italia
grape, of rich flavor, a delicious table fruit. The Italia produces a
liqueur of fine quality; and Peruvian “Pisco” is well known throughout
the west coast of South America, its name being derived from the port at
which the earliest shipments were made. The Moscatel is used in the
manufacture of a very palatable Sauterne, and the Negra produces a good
claret. The most prolific vines are those of the Quebranta variety, the
grapes of which are rich in sugar; this vine is grown in nearly all the
vineyards of Peru. Ica is connected with the seaport of Pisco by
railway, the line extending for forty miles, in a northwesterly
direction, across the Pampa of Chuncanga. As the train enters this sandy
plain an hour after leaving the capital, there is little to charm the
traveller in the monotonous view; but the country to the north of Pisco,
between that port and Chincha Alta, fifteen miles distant, presents a
different aspect, showing fields of sugar-cane and flourishing
vineyards.
[Illustration: AVENUE OF WILLOW TREES ON A SOUTHERN COAST HACIENDA.]
[Illustration: HARVESTING ALFALFA ON THE FRISCO HACIENDA, NEAR
MOLLENDO.]
The principal estates of the Chincha valley are situated within a few
miles of the port of Tambo de Mora, which is connected with Chincha Alta
by a railway seven miles in length. This region, enclosing one of the
most prosperous industrial centres of Peru, is drained by the Chincha
River, a short, broad stream that has its source in the sierra of
Huancavelica, receiving only a few tributaries as it crosses the
province to the sea, where it divides and forms a delta; in this
low-lying district are the towns of Chincha Alta, Chincha Baja, Suñampe,
and Tambo de Mora, as well as the extensive haciendas of Larán (nine
thousand acres), San José, San Regis, El Carmen, Hoja Redonda, and Lurin
Chincha. Irrigating ditches, or acequias, have been constructed to
convey water from the river through all these estates, the distribution
being made under the direction of a water inspector employed by the
government. In addition to the acequias, every plantation has its wells,
which furnish plenty of water, even in the dryest seasons. Chincha Alta
has the most extensive and best equipped wine-growing establishments in
Peru. Modern methods are employed in cultivating the grapes as well as
in the pressing, fermentation, and other details connected with the
wine-making process. The cuttings are planted in September, in holes
about three feet deep and eight feet apart, one shoot being placed in
each; during the first two or three years, the young vine is supported
on stakes of wild cane, then square columns of adobe, about four feet
high, are put up at intervals, to serve as supports for trellises built
of Guayaquil bamboo and willow, over which the vines spread in rich
profusion. Within ten or twelve years the whole space is covered,
forming a dense bower. The average harvest of grapes in this country
gives nine hundred gallons of wine to the acre, but in prosperous years
the yield is much heavier.
[Illustration: SCENE ON A POULTRY FARM IN SOUTHERN AREQUIPA.]
It was not until about thirty years ago that the manufacture of wine was
undertaken in Peru according to European methods. Up to that time every
wine-grower had his own little establishment, with a primitive wine
press, etc., and kept his jugs of wine in small cellars built for the
purpose. A few of these bodegas remain at the present time, but their
number grows less and less as the larger establishments buy up the
product of the small vineyards at a better price than the owner can get
by making the wine himself. The largest wine bodega in Peru is located
in Chincha; it produces about four hundred thousand gallons annually.
The total output of the province far exceeds that of any other wine
district in the republic, Pisco coming second and Moquegua third. The
entire yield of Peruvian vineyards is estimated at seven million gallons
of wine and three hundred thousand gallons of spirits.
Pisco, the chief seaport of the Department of Ica and one of the most
important of the southern coast, exports not only the wine and other
products of its own department, but is the outlet for the neighboring
states of Huancavelica and Ayacucho. It is one of the oldest ports of
Peru, having been founded in the seventeenth century. The annual exports
from Pisco amount in value to a million dollars gold, and its imports to
half that amount, though the wines of Ica do not represent the largest
share of the revenue of the port, appearing as the minor articles of
commerce.
Although the vineyards of Moquegua have not been cultivated so
extensively as those of Chincha and Ica, its olive groves rival the best
of other sections, and all kinds of fruits grow in its orchards and
fields. The olives of Moquegua are particularly remarkable for their
size, richness, and quality, equalling the best varieties produced in
Seville and California. This fruit was first imported into Peru from
Seville, Spain, during the time of the viceroyalty, and became perfectly
acclimatized, producing a better olive in its new home than in the
parent orchard, though the cultivation was neglected in consequence of
the repeated gold, silver, and copper “finds” that absorbed the
attention of the people in those days; and it is only within recent
years that the industry has assumed importance. In the coast province of
Camaná, Department of Arequipa, and in Ilo and Moquegua, the olive
groves extend over many acres; and, although the industry is still in
its infancy and only the most primitive methods are used in the
elaboration of the fruit, the yield is thirty per cent of pure oil. At
present, the production of olives does not amount to sufficient for the
home market, and very little is exported.
A favorite diversion of passengers on the steamers making the voyage
along the west coast of South America is to watch the loading of the
ships in the various ports. At some of these ports baskets of dried figs
and dates are brought on board by the local venders; but, though this is
a promising trade, it is still in a primitive stage of development. The
province of Ica has a few establishments where dried fruits and jams are
prepared, and every year shows an improvement in the industry.
[Illustration: A MILK VENDER ON HER WAY TO MARKET.]
[Illustration: THE SAMA VALLEY, TACNA.]