BOLIVIA
THE CENTRAL HIGHWAY OF SOUTH AMERICA, A LAND OF
RICH RESOURCES AND VARIED INTEREST
[Illustration: _Copyright 1907, by G. Barrie & Sons_]
[Illustration: HIS EXCELLENCY
SEÑOR DON ISMAEL MONTES
PRESIDENT OF BOLIVIA]
_MARIE ROBINSON WRIGHT_
BOLIVIA
THE CENTRAL HIGHWAY OF SOUTH AMERICA, A LAND OF
RICH RESOURCES AND VARIED INTEREST
[Illustration]
PHILADELPHIA: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY
GEORGE BARRIE & SONS
LONDON: C. D. CAZENOVE & SON, 26 HENRIETTA STREET,
COVENT GARDEN, W. C.
PARIS: 19 RUE SCRIBE
COPYRIGHT, 1907, BY GEORGE BARRIE & SONS
TO HIS EXCELLENCY
Señor Don Ismael Montes
PRESIDENT OF BOLIVIA
WHOSE NOBILITY OF CHARACTER HAS MADE HIM BELOVED BY HIS
PEOPLE AND ESTEEMED AND HONORED BY ALL
This Book is Respectfully Dedicated
CONTENTS
PAGE
DEDICATION 5
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 9
INTRODUCTION 13
CHAPTER I
PRE-COLUMBIAN PERIOD--SPANISH INVASION AND CONQUEST 17
CHAPTER II
ALTO PERU UNDER THE VICEROYALTY 35
CHAPTER III
HISTORY OF THE INDEPENDENCE 51
CHAPTER IV
PROGRESS UNDER THE REPUBLIC 71
CHAPTER V
THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION 91
CHAPTER VI
THE PRESIDENT’S CABINET--DEPENDENCIES OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT 103
CHAPTER VII
THE LADIES OF THE CABINET--SOCIAL LIFE--CHARITIES 119
CHAPTER VIII
LA PAZ--THE PRESENT SEAT OF GOVERNMENT 135
CHAPTER IX
INTELLECTUAL PROGRESS--LITERATURE, ORATORY, ART, AND MUSIC 153
CHAPTER X
SUCRE, THE CAPITAL OF BOLIVIA 175
CHAPTER XI
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS--SYSTEMS OF INSTRUCTION 189
CHAPTER XII
A NEW ERA FOR BOLIVIA--IMPORTANT PUBLIC
WORKS--RAILWAYS--TELEGRAPH LINES 203
CHAPTER XIII
A THOUSAND-MILE TRIP ON MULEBACK--INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL
IN BOLIVIA 221
CHAPTER XIV
LAKE TITICACA AND ITS LEGENDS--THE SHRINE OF COPACABANA 241
CHAPTER XV
TIAHUANACO--COLOSSAL REMAINS OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATION 255
CHAPTER XVI
THE FERTILE REGION OF THE YUNGAS 267
CHAPTER XVII
COCHABAMBA, THE GARDEN CITY 279
CHAPTER XVIII
BOLIVIA A FIELD FOR LARGE ENTERPRISES--NATURAL
CONDITIONS--IMMIGRATION--CLIMATE 291
CHAPTER XIX
THE OLD MINT OF POTOSI--BOLIVIAN COINAGE AND BANKING
LAWS--COMMERCE 305
CHAPTER XX
CELEBRATED MINES OF BOLIVIA--THE CERRO DE
POTOSI--HUANCHACA SILVER MINES 321
CHAPTER XXI
POTOSI, THE FAMOUS VILLA IMPERIAL OF COLONIAL SPAIN--ONE
OF BOLIVIA’S MOST PICTURESQUE CITIES 337
CHAPTER XXII
RICH SILVER, TIN, AND COPPER MINES OF WESTERN
BOLIVIA--MINING LAWS 351
CHAPTER XXIII
ORURO AND ITS PROSPEROUS MINES 365
CHAPTER XXIV
GOLD MINING IN BOLIVIA--TUPIZA AND ITS MINES--BISMUTH 377
CHAPTER XXV
SANTA CRUZ, THE CENTRE OF A RICH AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT 389
CHAPTER XXVI
TARIJA--EXPLORATIONS IN THE CHACO 403
CHAPTER XXVII
EL BENI, THE BOLIVIAN EL DORADO 415
CHAPTER XXVIII
THE TERRITORIO DE COLONIAS--THE BOUNDARY LINE WITH
BRAZIL--CHIEF WATERWAYS 427
CHAPTER XXIX
THE PRIMITIVE INHABITANTS OF BOLIVIA--THEIR CUSTOMS AND
RELIGION--THE CHOLO--PICTURESQUE TYPES 439
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
HIS EXCELLENCY SENOR DON ISMAEL MONTES, PRESIDENT
OF BOLIVIA _Fronts._
ARMS OF BOLIVIA _Title page_
GENERAL SIMON BOLIVAR 17
GOVERNMENT PALACE, LA PAZ 19
THE NEW GOVERNMENT PALACE, SUCRE 21
THE ALAMEDA, THE FAVORITE PROMENADE OF LA PAZ 25
FOUNTAIN IN MURILLO PLAZA, LA PAZ 26
PRESIDENT’S COACH 27
MONUMENT TO GENERAL BALLIVIAN, LA PAZ 28
PICTURESQUE SCENE NEAR LA PAZ 29
ALAMEDA GATEWAY, LA PAZ 30
ILLIMANI 32
DOORWAY AND PATIO, COLONIAL PERIOD, LA PAZ 34
DOORWAY OF SAN LORENZO CHURCH, POTOSI 35
FACADE OF SAN FRANCISCO CHURCH, LA PAZ 37
JESUIT CONVENT TOWER IN POTOSI 38
COLONIAL SUN-DIAL, SUCRE 39
CHURCH OF SANTO DOMINGO, LA PAZ 41
TYPICAL DOORWAY, COLONIAL PERIOD, LA PAZ 43
CONVENT OF SANTA TERESA, COCHABAMBA 44
PORTAL OF HOUSE IN POTOSI 45
PANTHEON OF SAN BERNARDO, POTOSI 47
ENTRANCE TO CATHEDRAL, SUCRE 48
THE BATTALION CAMPERO ON PARADE IN SUCRE 50
DON ANTONIO SUCRE 51
CROWDS ON THE WAY TO A PATRIOTIC CELEBRATION 53
GENERAL PEDRO DOMINGO MURILLO 55
REVIEWING TROOPS IN THE AVENUE ARCE, LA PAZ 58
MONUMENT TO GENERAL SUCRE IN LA PAZ 61
FACSIMILE OF THE ORIGINAL TREATY OF AYACUCHO 63, 64, 65
GROUP OF CAVALRY ON THE ALTOS OF LA PAZ 68
CAVALRY ON PARADE IN SUCRE 70
GENERAL JOSE MANUEL PANDO 71
GENERAL ANDRES SANTA CRUZ 73
GENERAL JOSE BALLIVIAN 74
GENERAL MANUEL ISIDORO BELZU 75
DR JOSE MARIA LINARES 76
COLONEL ADOLFO BALLIVIAN 77
SENOR DON TOMAS FRIAS 78
GENERAL NARCISO CAMPERO 79
SENOR DON GREGORIO PACHECO 81
SENOR DON ANICETO ARCE 83
SENOR DON MARIANO BAPTISTA 84
GENERAL CLODOMIRO MONTES 88
THE NATIONAL CONGRESS OF 1905 90
SENOR DON ELIODORO VILLAZON 91
HIS GRACE ARCHBISHOP PIFFERI OF LA PLATA, SUCRE 92
LEGISLATIVE PALACE, SUCRE 94
SENOR DR VALENTIN ABECIA 96
CALLE DE RECREO, LA PAZ 97
SENOR DR MIGUEL DE LOS SANTOS TABORGA 98
STREET SCENE, LA PAZ 100
THE FOREIGN MINISTER AND DIPLOMATIC CORPS 102
SENOR DON CLAUDIO PINILLA 103
RECEPTION ROOM OF THE FOREIGN OFFICE, LA PAZ 105
SENOR DON ANIBAL CAPRILES 106
SENOR DON JUAN M SARACHO 107
OFFICES OF JUSTICE AND INSTRUCTION 109
SENOR DON DANIEL DEL CASTILLO 110
THE QUARTEL, LA PAZ 111
SENOR DR JOSE QUINTEROS 112
SENOR DON MANUEL VICENTE BALLIVIAN 114
PLAZA MURILLO, LA PAZ 116
MUNICIPAL THEATRE, LA PAZ 118
A BEAUTIFUL BOLIVIAN 119
SENORA DONA BETHSABE DE MONTES 121
SENORA DONA HORTENSIA DE PINILLA 122
CARNIVAL DAYS IN COCHABAMBA 123
SENORA DONA ISABEL DE CAPRILES 124
SENORA DONA V. DEL CASTILLO 125
AUTOMOBILE PARTY IN COCHABAMBA 125
SENORA DE MANUEL VICENTE BALLIVIAN 126
PREPARING FOR A TOURNAMENT, LA PAZ 127
SENORA DE JOSE MANUEL PANDO 128
A CHALET IN THE ALAMEDA, LA PAZ 129
SENORA DE AGUIRRE ACHA 130
RESIDENCE OF SENOR ALEXANDER, LA PAZ 131
A BOLIVIAN DEBUTANTE 132
A GENERAL VIEW OF LA PAZ 134
COAT OF ARMS OF LA PAZ 135
POST OFFICE, LA PAZ 136
STREET SCENE, LA PAZ 137
HOSPITAL AND MUSEUM, LA PAZ 138
PRINCIPAL ALTAR IN THE JESUIT TEMPLE, LA PAZ 139
AVENIDA ARCE, LA PAZ 140
CONVENT OF THE CONCEPTION, LA PAZ 141
PLAZA AND GRAN HOTEL GUIBERT, LA PAZ 142
CALLE AMERICA, LA PAZ 143
PUBLIC LIBRARY, LA PAZ 144
A BUSINESS STREET IN LA PAZ 145
CHURCH OF LA MERCED, LA PAZ 146
CALLE DEL COMERCIO, LA PAZ 147
SUBURBS OF LA PAZ, ILLIMANI IN THE DISTANCE 148
INSTITUTE OF HYGIENE, LA PAZ 150
CHURCH OF SAN FRANCISCO, LA PAZ 152
SENOR DON JOSE ROSENDO GUTIERREZ 153
SENOR DR. NICOLAS ARMENTIA 154
OLD PAINTING ON COPPER, CATHEDRAL OF SUCRE 155
SENOR DON EVARISTO VALLE 156
SENOR DON NATANIEL AGUIRRE 157
OLD PAINTING IN THE MINT OF POTOSI 158
SENOR DR. JOSE MARIA SANTIVANEZ 159
GENERAL DON ELIODORO CAMACHO 160
AN OLD PAINTING IN THE CATHEDRAL OF SUCRE 162
SENOR DON JUAN CARILLO 163
SENOR DON AVELINO ARAMAYO 165
PAINTING IN THE MINT OF POTOSI 166
SENOR DR. JULIO RODRIGUEZ 168
SENOR DR. ANDRES MUNOZ 169
INDIANS OF POTOSI. A PAINTING BY VALDEZ 170
SENORITA ADELA ZAMUDIO, “SOLEDAD” 172
VIEW OF SUCRE FROM THE SUBURBS 174
COAT OF ARMS OF CHARCAS, NOW SUCRE 175
COLONEL DON JULIO LA FAYE 176
THE PRINCIPALITY OF GLORIETA, SUBURBS OF SUCRE 177
THE CATHEDRAL TOWER, SUCRE 178
MUNICIPAL PALACE, SUCRE 179
VIEW OF ONE OF SUCRE’S BEAUTIFUL PLAZAS 180
GROUP IN THE ASYLUM FOR THE AGED, SUCRE 181
GATEWAY OF THE ALAMEDA, SUCRE 182
MARKET SCENE IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF SUCRE 183
THE HACIENDA GUEREO, SUBURBS OF SUCRE 184
THE MISSES RODRIGUEZ, SUCRE 186
MILITARY COLLEGE, LA PAZ 188
ENTRANCE TO DON BOSCO COLLEGE, LA PAZ 189
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, LA PAZ 191
SENOR DR IGNACIO TERAN 194
BOOKBINDING IN DON BOSCO COLLEGE, LA PAZ 195
PATIO OF PICHINCHA COLLEGE, POTOSI 196
SENOR DR RODOLFO SORIA GALVARRO 198
PATIO OF JUNIN COLLEGE, SUCRE 200
PUENTE SUCRE 202
PUENTE SUCRE, LOOKING TO THE POTOSI TERMINUS 203
RAILWAY STATION OF PULACAYO, HUANCHACA MINES 205
CASCADE ON THE PROPOSED ROUTE OF THE ARICA AND LA PAZ
RAILWAY 207
RAILWAY CUT BETWEEN GUAQUI AND LA PAZ 208
SCENE ON THE GUAQUI AND LA PAZ RAILWAY 209
DAM AT ACHACHALLA 211
TRAIN ARRIVING IN GUAQUI FROM LA PAZ 212
CARAVAN ON THE ROAD FROM LA PAZ TO ORURO 213
MOTORING IN THE SUBURBS OF LA PAZ 215
ROAD LEADING TO MINES NEAR ORURO 217
STONE BRIDGES BETWEEN POTOSI AND CHALLAPATA 218
LAKE OF SAN PEDRO, DEPARTMENT OF LA PAZ 220
POSTILION OF THE ANDES 221
ANCIENT SEPULCHRES BETWEEN LA PAZ AND ORURO 223
PILLARS OF SANDSTONE, NEAR PORCO 225
RIVER ROCHA, NEAR COCHABAMBA 227
WEAVING THE PONCHO ON A PRIMITIVE LOOM 228
INDIANS IN FEAST COSTUMES 229
THE DEVIL’S BRIDGE ACROSS THE PILCOMAYO RIVER 230
PUENTE SAN BARTOLOME BETWEEN POTOSI AND YOCALLA 231
A FREQUENT MORNING ENCOUNTER ON THE JOURNEY 232
THE LLAMA, THE PROUDEST OF BURDEN BEARERS 233
COSTUMES WORN BY THE INDIANS ON THE PILGRIMAGE TO THE
SHRINE OF COPACABANA 234
A COUNTRY ROAD NEAR LA PAZ 235
CHALLAPATA 236
QUICHUA INDIAN GIRL OF POTOSI 238
PROCESSION OF THE VIRGIN AT COPACABANA 240
THE VIRGIN OF COPACABANA 241
SHRINE OF THE VIRGIN OF COPACABANA 242
LANDING PLACE AT COPACABANA, LAKE TITICACA 243
CROSSES CARVED OUT OF SOLID ROCK 244
PENINSULA AND CITY OF COPACABANA 245
RUINS OF INCA TEMPLE ON THE ISLAND OF THE SUN 246
VIEW OF MOUNT SORATA FROM LAKE TITICACA 248
ABOVE THE SNOW LINE, MOUNT ILLIMANI 249
INCA PALACE, ISLAND OF THE SUN 250
INDIAN PADDLING HIS “BALSA” ON LAKE TITICACA 252
EXCAVATION, SHOWING CARVINGS, TIAHUANACO 254
A VASE FOUND AT TIAHUANACO 255
MONOLITH SHOWING HIEROGLYPHICS 258
RUINS OF THE DOORWAY OF THE TEMPLE 259
ARCHED GATEWAYS OF TIAHUANACO 260
PORTAL OF A CHURCH, TIAHUANACO 261
CYCLOPEAN STONES OF TUNCA PUNCO 261
ANCIENT DOORWAY, CARVED OUT OF SOLID ROCK 262
STONE HEADS EXCAVATED AMONG THE RUINS 263
IDOL OF UNKNOWN ANTIQUITY 264
RUINS OF AN UNFINISHED STAIRWAY 264
HARVESTING COCA IN THE YUNGAS 266
STREET SCENE IN THE YUNGAS 267
COROICO, CAPITAL OF NORTH YUNGAS 268
PRINCIPAL PLAZA OF COROICO, NORTH YUNGAS 269
CHULUMANI, CAPITAL OF SOUTH YUNGAS 270
INDIAN COCA GATHERERS IN THE YUNGAS 271
A CALLAPO, OR RAFT, ON THE RIVER LOAYZA 272
BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER LOAYZA 273
PALCA, ON THE ROUTE TO THE YUNGAS 273
CUTTING SUGAR CANE IN THE YUNGAS 274
TOWN OF IRUPANA, IN THE YUNGAS 275
TYPICAL INDIAN OF THE YUNGAS 276
THE PLAZA, COCHABAMBA 278
THE ALAMEDA, COCHABAMBA 279
LA PUERTA DE COCHABAMBA 280
THERMAL SPRINGS NEAR COCHABAMBA 281
CALLE COMERCIO, COCHABAMBA 282
FEAST DAY OF SAN SEBASTIAN, COCHABAMBA 283
PAVILION IN THE ALAMEDA, COCHABAMBA 284
CHURCH OF SAN PEDRO, COCHABAMBA 286
LOVERS’ TREE IN CALA-CALA, COCHABAMBA 288
CACHIMAYO HACIENDA, NEAR SUCRE 290
PICTURESQUE SCENE IN THE RUBBER REGION 291
VINEYARDS OF PARANI, DEPARTMENT OF LA PAZ 293
ENTRANCE TO CACHIMAYO HACIENDA, NEAR SUCRE 294
FERTILE VALLEY ON THE ROUTE OF THE ARICA AND LA PAZ RAILWAY 295
CATTLE FAIR IN SUCRE 296
COACH ROAD TO OBRAJES, NEAR LA PAZ 297
VALLEY OF SOPOCACHI, NEAR LA PAZ 298
SINKING GROUND, CERRO DE MILLUNI 299
SHEEP RANCH ON THE BOLIVIAN PLATEAU 300
THE MARKET PLACE, COCHABAMBA 301
FRUIT VENDOR OF COCHABAMBA 302
PATIO OF THE NATIONAL MINT, POTOSÍ 304
WOODEN MACHINERY IN THE OLD MINT OF POTOSÍ 305
FOUNDRY OF THE MINT, POTOSÍ 306
LA PAZ CUSTOM HOUSE 307
TUPIZA CUSTOM HOUSE ON THE ARGENTINE BORDER 308
ARGANDONA BANK, SUCRE 309
GERMAN-CHILEAN BANK, ORURO 310
NATIONAL BANK OF BOLIVIA, SUCRE 311
IMPORTING HOUSE OF MORALES AND BERTRAM, SUCRE 312
IMPORTING HOUSE OF BEBIN BROTHERS, CHALLAPATA 313
STREET OF THE BANKS, SUCRE 314
GUAQUI, ON LAKE TITICACA 315
PUERTO SUAREZ, A PORT ON THE PARAGUAY RIVER 316
THE NATIONAL MINT, POTOSÍ 318
WOMEN EXPERTS SORTING ORES, HUANCHACA SILVER MINES 320
ENTRANCE TO PULACAYO MINE, HUANCHACA 321
PORCO, SITE OF THE OLDEST SILVER MINES IN BOLIVIA 323
SILVER AND TIN MINES, REAL SOCAVON, POTOSÍ 324
ESTABLISHMENT OF SOUX AND HERNANDEZ, POTOSÍ 325
ASSORTED TIN ORES 326
BARS OF TIN, MINES OF BEBIN BROTHERS, POTOSÍ 327
CARTS OF SILVER ORE FROM HUANCHACA MINES 328
LOADING TIN ON CARTS, MULES, AND LLAMAS, SOUX AND HERNANDEZ
SMELTING FOUNDRY, POTOSÍ 329
VIEW OF HUANCHACA, CENTRE OF RICH SILVER MINES 330
AQUEDUCT OF YURA 331
GENERAL VIEW OF PULACAYO MINES, HUANCHACA 331
LAKE AND DAM IN THE CORDILLERA 333
ARRIEROS PHOTOGRAPHED FOR IDENTIFICATION, POTOSÍ 334
PRINCIPAL PLAZA OF POTOSÍ DURING A PROCESSION 336
MONUMENT OF LIBERTY, POTOSÍ 337
THE IMPERIAL CITY OF POTOSÍ 338
CITY HALL, POTOSÍ 339
PICHINCHA PLAZA, POTOSÍ 339
ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL STREETS OF POTOSÍ 340
STREET SCENE SHOWING CERRO DE POTOSÍ 341
OLD COLONIAL DOORWAY OF THE MINT, POTOSÍ 342
CERRO DE POTOSÍ, OVERLOOKING THE CITY 343
THERMAL SPRINGS OF TARAPAYA, NEAR POTOSÍ 344
ARTIFICIAL LAKE OF SAN SEBASTIAN, NEAR POTOSÍ 345
COMMERCIAL HOUSE OF BEBIN BROTHERS, POTOSÍ 346
BREAD VENDOR, POTOSÍ 346
ARTIFICIAL LAKE ILLIMANI, NEAR POTOSÍ 347
COAT OF ARMS OF POTOSÍ 348
COROCORO, CENTRE OF THE GREATEST COPPER MINES IN SOUTH
AMERICA 350
IN THE HEART OF THE COROCORO COPPER REGION 351
COLQUECHACA, CELEBRATED FOR ITS MINES 353
MINING TOWN OF INQUISIVI 354
CARRYING FREIGHT TO THE MINES OF QUIMSACRUZ 355
FAMOUS ROSICLER SILVER MINES, COLQUECHACA 356
IRON MOUNTAIN ON THE ROAD FROM LA PAZ TO THE MINES 357
MOUNT KAKA-ACA 358
TRANSPORTATION OF COPPER FROM THE COROCORO MINES 359
THREE PRINCIPAL MINING ESTABLISHMENTS OF COROCORO 361
MINING DISTRICT OF QUIMSACRUZ, NEAR ORURO 362
CITY OF ORURO 364
COAT OF ARMS OF ORURO 365
MAIN PLAZA, ORURO 367
SAN JOSE, ORURO 369
MINERS’ HOLIDAY AT SAN JOSE, ORURO 370
MINE OF SAN JOSE, ORURO 371
SILVER AND TIN SMELTING WORKS, POOPO 373
BERENGUELA TIN MINES 374
GOLD WASHING AT CHUQUIAGUILLO, NEAR LA PAZ 376
DISTANT GLIMPSE OF TUPIZA, THROUGH A TUNNEL 377
RICH GOLD MINING REGION OF CHUQUIAGUILLO 378
ADMINISTRATION HOUSE, CHUQUIAGUILLO MINES 379
MOUNTAIN OF CHOROLQUE, SITE OF THE HIGHEST TIN AND BISMUTH
MINES IN THE WORLD 381
QUECHISLA, MINING ESTABLISHMENT 382
DREDGE IN CONSTRUCTION AT SAN JUAN DE ORO MINES, TUPIZA 383
PICTURESQUE VIEW OF TUPIZA 385
PLAZA OF TUPIZA 386
THE INDIAN MISSION OF SANTA CRUZ 388
COAT OF ARMS OF SANTA CRUZ 389
GOVERNMENT PALACE, SANTA CRUZ 391
CALLE FLORIDA, SANTA CRUZ 392
OLD QUARTER OF SANTA CRUZ 393
PICTURESQUE PLAZA OF SANTA CRUZ 394
CALLE DEL COMERCIO, SANTA CRUZ 395
SANTA CRUZ, SHOWING LAKE IN THE VICINITY 396
CACIQUE AND HIS FAMILY, SANTA CRUZ 397
LAS BARRERAS, A HACIENDA NEAR SANTA CRUZ 399
THE CACTUS OF SANTA CRUZ 400
OPENING THE ROAD FROM PUERTO PACHECO, ON THE PARAGUAY RIVER 402
GIANT TREE IN TARIJA 403
THE NARROWS, NEAR TARIJA 405
BOLIVIAN COMMISSION OF LIMITS, IN THE CHACO 407
PALM TREES IN THE GRAN CHACO 408
SCENE ON THE PILCOMAYO RIVER 409
CAMP OF CHOROTIS IN THE BOLIVIAN CHACO 410
COAT OF ARMS OF TARIJA 412
STEAMBOAT ON THE MAMORE RIVER, EL BENI 414
THE RUBBER GATHERER AT WORK, EL BENI 415
MISSION OF COVENDO ON THE BENI RIVER 416
THE ACRE DELEGATION LEAVING TRINIDAD 417
CALLAPOS ON THE BENI RIVER 418
CUTTING A PATH THROUGH THE FOREST 418
A CAMP IN THE RUBBER FOREST, EL BENI 419
CARRYING PROVISIONS TO THE RUBBER CAMP 420
VIEW NEAR SUAPI CENTRAL, UPPER BENI 421
NAVIGATION ON THE UPPER BENI 422
RUBBER TREES, EL BENI 423
GRAN CRUZ HACIENDA 424
COAT OF ARMS OF EL BENI 424
RIVER BOAT ON THE MADRE DE DIOS, TERRITORIO DE COLONIAS 426
A CHOZA, HUT OF RUBBER GATHERERS 427
THE KNAUDT EXPEDITION IN CAMP 428
A BATELON ON THE MADRE DE DIOS 429
RAPIDS OF THEOTONIO, MADEIRA RIVER 430
VIEW OF THE MADEIRA RIVER 431
FORDING THE RIVER PIQUENDO 431
CONFLUENCE OF THE BENI AND MAMORE RIVERS, VILLA BELLA 432
RIVER PORT OF GUARAYOS 433
SCENE ON THE MAMORE RIVER 433
CAMP OF RUBBER GATHERERS 434
TRANSHIPPING CARGO AT THE RAPIDS OF THEOTONIO, ON THE
MADEIRA RIVER 435
GLIMPSE OF FOREST AND STREAM IN THE RUBBER REGION 436
DANCING THE KENA-KENA 438
INDIAN WATER CARRIER OF LA PAZ 439
PICTURESQUE TYPE OF THE COCHABAMBA INDIAN 440
TEMBETAS, INDIANS OF SANTA CRUZ 440
INDIANS OF POTOSÍ 441
THE STIRRUP-CUP 442
QUICHUA INDIAN 443
A GENIAL BEGGAR OF COCHABAMBA 443
INDIANS IN FIESTA AT TRINIDAD, THE BENI 444
CHOLA OF POTOSÍ, IN COSTUME OF FIESTA 445
CHOROTIS, INDIANS OF THE CHACO 445
CHOLA OF THE BOLIVIAN PLATEAU 446
THE MODE OF CARRYING THE BABY 446
A CHOLA BELLE OF POTOSÍ 447
AYMARA INDIANS OF TITICACA PLATEAU 447
GUARAYO INDIANS 448
A BRIDAL COUPLE 449
ALL SOULS’ DAY IN THE CEMETERY 450
MAP OF BOLIVIA _Facing_ 450
INTRODUCTION
Writers on South America generally dismiss Bolivia with a brief
description which affords no adequate idea of its real place among
the republics of the New World or of its unique interest from many
points of view. The present volume, the fourth of my series on the
Latin-American republics, is devoted to this important country
with the object of making it better known, not only as the home
of a liberty-loving nation, but as a land of unlimited commercial
possibilities, destined to command universal attention.
The history of Bolivia is particularly fascinating for the glimpses its
monuments give of the unsolved mysteries of antiquity, and because its
people supply the keynote to the interpretation of Spanish-American
character. The colonists of Alto Peru became Americanized earlier than
did the people of any of the other Spanish possessions in the New
World. The Criollo’s sympathies were, from the first, more American
than Spanish; and while he preserved many inherited characteristics, he
acquired others which in time developed within him that unconquerable
spirit of freedom--the influence of the West working its spell upon
heart and life--which led inevitably to national independence.
Aside from its historical and scientific interest, Bolivia is a subject
worthy of study for more practical reasons. By its position as the
central highway of South America, it is the natural distributing point
for traffic across the continent, lying midway between the Atlantic
and Pacific coast countries, its borders touching Brazil, Paraguay,
Argentina, Chile, and Peru. Its industrial possibilities are awakening
general interest and enterprise, and there is every prospect of a
speedy revival of the prestige which this country enjoyed three
centuries ago, as one of the richest and most prosperous lands in the
world, when the name of its famous city of Potosí gave to the language
of all countries a synonym for fabulous wealth.
No one can make a just and impartial study of the South American
countries and their people without regretting the widespread ignorance
that prevails regarding them; and as my work progresses, each year
finds me more enthusiastic on the subject of their present conditions
and the prospects which they enjoy. It has been said that my fault
lies in seeing the best rather than the worst side of life in South
America, and the critics have blamed me, in some instances, for failing
to describe more fully the less admirable features of these countries.
But it is quite as possible to err through a disposition to magnify the
shortcomings of a nation as from too lenient judgment. Books written
on any country by visiting foreigners show how unfair and exaggerated
the criticisms of a pessimistic alien can be in the opinion of those
best informed. The story of Bolivia is that of strong, sturdy, and
determined people, who have abounding faith in their country’s future
and persistent courage to direct its destiny.
During my stay in Bolivia, and especially while making my journey of
a thousand miles on muleback in the interior, visiting the capital
and other cities, I found this beautiful country most attractive
and interesting. The magnificent scenery, the glorious climate, the
absolute security with which one may travel unmolested from one end
of the country to the other, and, above all, the gracious and kindly
welcome received everywhere are among the recollections of my visit
which remain a constant delight, and inspire me with the desire to make
better known both the land and its charming people.
The unfailing attentions shown me will always be remembered with
appreciation. With sincere gratitude I thank His Excellency President
Ismael Montes and the ministers of his Cabinet for many courtesies. I
am honored to have received from the illustrious representative of the
Bolivian nation constant evidences of gracious and kindly interest in
my work and I feel deeply indebted to his distinguished ministers for
their generous coöperation, by facilitating my journeys through the
country and providing me with important information.
MARIE ROBINSON WRIGHT.
_Philadelphia, October 25, 1906._
BOLIVIA
CHAPTER I
PRE-COLUMBIAN PERIOD--SPANISH INVASION AND CONQUEST
[Illustration: GENERAL SIMON BOLIVAR]
Few countries offer a more interesting field of study than Bolivia,
a land of varied attraction, with mystery and romance enveloping the
story of its antiquity and lending a magic charm to its many legends
and traditions; with records of daring and devotion illuminating the
often triste pages of its existence under Spanish domination, and
marking a worthy preface to the annals of sturdy patriotism revealed in
the long struggle for freedom which began two centuries before South
American independence was an accomplished fact; with the history of the
republic,--with all that makes this land worth knowing as the dear home
of a brave nation.
To the popular imagination Bolivia presents only the picture of a
country somewhere in South America, above the clouds, consisting of
inaccessible peaks and unfathomable gorges, with an occasional plateau
to give diversity to what a clever writer has called “the roof of the
western world,” where llamas are believed to pose eternally on rocky
cliffs, and gaily plumed Indians to form picturesque groups forever
against a background of Inca architecture. This is an archaic idea,
but it is held tenaciously in the minds of a majority of people.
Bolivia is a land so rarely visited by the foreigner that it is not
remarkable that the most extraordinary notions prevail regarding it.
A few have read of the fabulous riches of Potosí, but it is not many
years ago that a distinguished European asked where “the country called
Potosí” was situated; and the vast wealth of Bolivia, apparently so
unlimited that a traveller was impressed to describe the country as
“a table of silver supported by legs of gold,” is yet a treasure
whose value has never been fairly calculated. It is a closed book
to the tourist, though it presents aspects of grandeur undreamed of
except by the few who have witnessed its beauty, who have felt the
compelling majesty of snow-capped Illimani and wonderful Sorata, and
to whom the legends of Titicaca have been told in the white moonlight
as they glided across its mirror-like surface, seemingly enveloped in
the glory of a higher sphere,--so clear is the moonlight on this lake
above the clouds,--their souls thrilling in unison with the wondrous
harmony of the perfect picture. To the lover of varied scenery there
is a fascination about this almost untravelled country, with its bleak
Andean plateaus and densely wooded plains, its towering mountains,
rugged cañons, and fertile valleys, bounded as it is on one side by a
desert so barren that not a blade of grass could find nourishment, and
on the other by the greatest river system of the globe, which receives
and pours out continually enough water to fertilize a whole continent.
Although third in territory and one of the richest in natural resources
among the South American republics, Bolivia occupies the most remote
position and is the least influenced by foreign association, placed as
it is in the heart of the continent, with no outlet to the sea except
through neighboring countries, and consequently having had, up to
the present, scant opportunity to establish extensive international
relations. As the country is now entering upon a new era of progress,
increasing its productiveness, building railroads in every direction to
connect the various centres of industry with Atlantic and Pacific ports
and the great Amazon waterways, and making improvements in all branches
of national administration, its Arcadian character is becoming modified
to conform to twentieth century conditions in the New World, and the
advance of modern thought is making its influence felt on the Titicaca
plateau and in the Amazon valley as surely as in any other region of
South America.
It is often said that nothing is a greater obstacle to modern progress
than the inheritance of ancient monuments, and his majesty of Greece
is credited with the statement that he would be glad to have every
vestige of ancient Athenian architecture disappear, so that his country
might be given a little consideration for what twentieth century Greeks
are doing. Bolivia’s heritage of some of the most remarkable ruins of
antiquity has been so great an attraction to foreign writers that it
has diverted their interest almost entirely from modern Bolivia; though
it is true that the subject of these ruins is one which deserves the
attention of the world, one worthy of all the scientific research given
to it, pointing as it does to a solution of the important problem of
the priority of races in the New World.
Many theories have been advanced regarding the monumental ruins
that exist in the region of Lake Titicaca--particularly those of
Tiahuanaco--as to their origin, the people who built them, the period
to which they belong and the degree of civilization which they
indicate, but very little is really known about them, and imagination
has free rein to picture the conditions that may have existed before
the Spanish conquest brought Bolivian history into the realm of certain
knowledge. There is nothing to indicate that the primitive inhabitants
of what is now Bolivian territory reached an important degree of
advancement in any other part of the country than that known to
ethnologists generally as Aymaráland, which is supposed to be--though
this, too, is questioned--the cradle of the Aymará race, whose origin
is very obscure, but whose people are considered by many writers as the
authors of the most colossal examples of ancient architecture existing
on the South American continent. This region is comprised in the
southern part of what is now the department of La Paz, chiefly in that
section which borders Lake Titicaca. Unfortunately, everything relating
to it prior to the period of the Spanish conquest is so shrouded in
mystery as to yield few satisfactory results to the most careful
investigation beyond the apparently certain evidence that it was not
a contemporaneous civilization that wrought such marvels of progress,
but the peoples of successive and often remotely separated periods not
necessarily of identical origin. According to some authorities, the
Tiahuanaco whose ruins are now to be seen, and which was already a
shattered record of past greatness when the Incas set up their dynasty,
is but the remains of a second Tiahuanaco, the first having been
swallowed up at a previous period, forgotten ages ago, when a great
seismic upheaval changed the face of the Bolivian plateau and buried
out of sight evidences of culture advanced far beyond anything the same
race attained subsequently. Archæologists generally agree in claiming
that at least three distinct periods of culture are recorded in the
form and character of prehistoric remains now being excavated in this
locality. Naturally it is this part of Bolivia which is the centre of
interest in the study of the pre-Columbian epoch.
[Illustration: GOVERNMENT PALACE, LA PAZ.]
The theory accepted by many ethnologists, that the Indians of America
are of Asiatic origin, is met, on the other hand, by the assertion of
some more recent investigators--notably those composing the expedition
organized by Mr. Morris K. Jessup, president of the American Museum
of Natural History, and sent out by him ten years ago to study this
question--that man did not emigrate from Asia to America, as many
racial similarities seemed to prove, but that the emigration was from
America to Asia, the evidences of human life on the American continent
proving greater antiquity of origin here than in Asia. The latter
possibility gives unique value to the study of a country within whose
territory have been found indications of human habitation in ages
remote beyond any determined period. May it not be that Bolivia has an
especial claim to universal attention as the true birthplace of the
human race, and the chief centre of its progress at a time antedating
the chronicles of Old World empires?
Aymará mythology is very similar to that of the Orient. According to
the oldest traditions, at the beginning of the world, the god Khunu,
the creator of all things, became so angry because of the vices of
mankind that he visited a great drought upon the earth, converting
fertile regions into deserts: he deprived humanity of the means of
living, and they became lower than the beasts. Then Pachacamac, the
supreme spirit of the universe, restored that which had been destroyed
by Khunu and gave new life to mankind. A second time Khunu showed
his wrath and sent a great flood and darkness upon the earth. The
few people who were saved from destruction in this calamity sent up
prayers to heaven, and in answer the sun appeared behind the rock
Inti-Karka, on the sacred lake of the same name, since corrupted into
Titicaca. Soon after this appeared also the great god Viracocha, the
name signifying “foam of the sea,” so called because he rose out of
the waters of the lake. Viracocha created the sun, moon and stars,
plants and animals, as well as men. Tiahuanaco is full of carvings
representing this deity, and it is the opinion of noted archæologists,
among others Professor Max Uhle, who has made a special study of the
field, that Tiahuanaco was built as a temple of this deity, and that it
was not, at least in later periods, a centre of population, as has been
generally believed.
As far back as any records exist that serve to trace the history
of the Aymarás, there appears to be confusion regarding their
identity with the Collas, Umasuyas, Yungas, and other tribes that
are generally considered as offshoots of the parent Aymará stock.
All these tribes were natives of the country now called Bolivia, and
were governed by _mallcus_, or chiefs, chosen in some cases for
their military valor and in others for their venerable character. The
Collas, or Charcas, were the most powerful and numerous, and gave
their name to the whole country, which was called Collasuyo by the
Incas to distinguish it as a southern province of the great empire
of Tahuantinsuyo, “the kingdom of four regions,” the remaining three
having been called Antisuyo, “to the east,” Cuntisuyo, “to the west”
and Chinchasuyo, “to the north.”
At the period generally credited to the advent of the Incas, the
inhabitants of Collasuyo had already reached decadence and were given
up to decimating wars and struggles among themselves. That the
Collas, or Charcas, tribes belonged to the same stock as the Aymarás
is disputed by some of the best authorities, who believe the latter an
entirely distinct race, of Mongolian origin, who came to Bolivia by way
of Arica on the Pacific coast, many centuries ago, and settled on the
Lake Titicaca plateau because it was the centre of a region belonging
to a people of peaceable habits, living, not on the barren heights, but
in the valleys and on the slopes around. These authorities give the
Aymarás no share in the construction of the great monuments, which they
claim were built there only as sanctuaries, apart from the habitations
of the people, explaining that because of their great solidity of
construction they have survived the changes which brought about the
decadence and oblivion of the race that built them.
[Illustration: THE NEW GOVERNMENT PALACE, SUCRE.]
The Bolivian historian Señor Don José Maria Camacho apparently favors
the theory which gives the Aymarás credit for the culture that
found expression in these colossal structures. In an entertaining
chapter on this subject he writes: “It is presumable that in order
to have attained the degree of prosperity which their monuments
reveal, as well as to have arrived at the state of decadence in
which the Quichuas found them, the Aymarás must have experienced,
through a long succession of centuries, great social changes and
the devastating inroads of other tribes.” The same author gives an
interesting description of these people, with particular reference
to their government, religion, and mode of life. In addition to the
_mallcu_, or supreme chief, there were the _jilakatas_, or
secondary authorities, and, in some parts, there were also sacerdotal
chiefs, whose word was the law of the community. “The Aymarás,” says
Señor Camacho, “believed in the existence of God, whom they called
Pachacamac, which means ‘eternal.’ They supposed that he revealed
himself to the eyes of mankind in every object of Nature; from which
their religion degenerated into complete fetichism, losing its
spiritual significance entirely. They believed in the existence of the
soul and in its immortality; in the evil spirit; in the resurrection of
the body; and in eternal reward and punishment. They were acquainted
with the meaning of prayer, knew of confession and penance, and were
accustomed to offer sacrifices. Their most celebrated sanctuary was
Inti-Karka, signifying ‘the rock of the sun,’ a name that has extended
to the island on which it was located and to Lake Titicaca itself.
Each tribe of the Aymarás was distinguished from the others in dress
and more particularly by the cap, a knitted kind of headgear, and this
distinction still prevails. The tribes had ideas of military art, were
skilled in constructing fortresses, which they called _pucaras_,
some of which remain to the present day; they used the lance, the
sling, and the arrow. Their chief industry was agriculture; they had
many herds of llamas, and paid careful attention to the cultivation of
their fields. Commerce was reduced to a limited exchange of products.
They had an idea of hieroglyphic writing. Their language is reputed by
eminent philologists to be one of the mother tongues--the most ancient,
richest, and most complete in existence.”
One of the chief difficulties in the way of acquiring adequate
information regarding the religious beliefs of the races that were
conquered by the Spaniards is the tendency of the Indians to engraft
Christian teachings on their Aymará and Quichua traditions to such a
degree that it is not possible to know exactly where the influence of
the Church enters into their records. There is much confusion also
between Aymará and Quichua deities. Pachacamac and Viracocha are
apparently only different names of the same deity, commonly used both
in Quichua and Aymará traditions, and in many cases the influence of
Aymará traditions upon the religion of the Incas is marked as clearly
as are the traditions of the Children of the Sun to-day upon the modern
religious beliefs of these Indians, gained through four centuries of
Christian teaching. No foreigner who has visited the land of the Incas
can fail to observe the strange interpretation which they put upon
Bible truths.
[Illustration: THE ALAMEDA, THE FAVORITE PROMENADE OF LA PAZ.]
According to various existing traditions the Aymarás and the Quichuas
had been rival races from time immemorial, alternately superseding
each other until the final change gave the Quichuas uninterrupted
ascendancy, under the dominion of the Inca dynasty, and they achieved
a degree of advancement and culture beyond that of any other primitive
race of South America within the period of existing records. It is
a singular fact, awaiting explanation by the ethnologists, that the
Aymarás appear to have been always confined almost exclusively to the
Titicaca plateau, while the Quichuas are found not only in the region
extending from the lake northward to Cuzco, but in the departments
of Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, Potosí, and Oruro. There is a theory,
accepted by some ethnologists, that the Aymarás and the Quichuas were
of the same origin, the Aymarás having evolved in the course of many
generations, and under the harsh necessities of the rigorous soil
and climate of the plateau, into a hardy race of highlanders,
differing in character and even in appearance, from their Quichua
brothers who had been subjected to less severe natural conditions in
their development on the fertile mountain slopes and in the valleys
of the regions they occupied. It seems incredible that offspring of
the same race should develop a higher degree of culture on the arid
plateau than in the fertile valley; yet the evidences of advancement
among the ancient inhabitants of the Titicaca region indicate that they
were leaders of progress among their contemporaries, who have left no
monuments equal to those of the Titicaca plateau. It has been claimed
that the great empire of Tahuantinsuyo was built upon a foundation
purely Aymará, and that the first Inca obtained from Collasuyo his
ideas regarding government, religion, and even architecture, which
were afterward developed according to the genius of his successors.
The most reasonable theory seems to be that the Quichua culture had
been in process of development long ages before the establishment of
Inca empire, and that it may be traced to a source identical with the
origin of the Collas, whether this race be related to or distinct from
the Aymarás. The question affords a prolific subject of controversy,
and remains unsettled in the minds of impartial students of ethnology
and archæology. Whether the Aymarás are too primitive a people to
have had any connection with the history of the wonderful monuments
of the Titicaca plateau; whether the Quichuas in long periods of
culture, possibly interrupted, and dating from great antiquity,
constructed these colossal monoliths; whether these Quichuas were of
Peruvian origin, and the Aymarás also first came from the region of
the Apurímac in that country; or whether the Quichuas were first the
inhabitants of Collasuyo and had their ancestral domain in the land of
the Charcas,--who, according to some ethnologists, belong to the same
parent stock as the Quichuas,--all are theories for the scientists to
settle when more extensive investigation shall afford better ground for
establishing proofs.
The poetical story of the first Inca’s appearance is worthy of the race
that invented it. The Inca historian, Garcilaso de la Vega, one of the
most picturesque figures in the landscape of ancient Peru, even as he
himself paints it for us, and the only contemporary authority of note
on the history of the Peruvian empire, relates in inimitable style the
story of the first Inca’s appearance. In his _Comentarios Reales_
he tells us that the Sun, the life-giving and fructifying deity of the
universe, was moved to pity by the contemplation of degraded humanity,
and in order to redeem it he sent down from heaven his two children,
Manco-Ccapac and Mama Ocllo, causing them to appear on the island of
Inti-Karka, where, after the great food, brought upon the earth by
the god Khunu (meaning snow, and supposed to have reference to the
glacial period), the Sun had beneficently extended his first rays.
This mysterious pair, who were at the same time brother and sister and
husband and wife, crossed the plains north of the Lake Inti-Karka,
carrying with them a sceptre in the form of a bar of gold, which was to
determine the place of their permanent abode by the facility with which
it buried itself in the earth. They proclaimed themselves children of
the Sun, and announced as their mission the civilization of all savage
tribes and the establishment of an empire which would be under their
own benevolent government, as divine rulers who inherited their rights
from their father the Sun.
[Illustration: FOUNTAIN IN MURILLO PLAZA, LA PAZ.]
The historian adds, with the naïve gravity of a true descendant of the
Incas, that as the sacred bar buried itself most easily in the soil of
Cuzco, that locality was made the site of the Inca capital. The first
Inca was called Manco-Ccapac, and his wife Mama Oclla. Pedro Kramer, in
his _Historia de Bolivia_, says the name _Manco_ is evidently
a corruption of _mallcu_, and that Manco-Ccapac was an Aymara
chief or _sacerdóte_, of great talent and superior knowledge,
who probably left his home on account of the wars of extermination
which the Aymarás were carrying on at that time, and, with his sister,
embarked in one of the little _balsas_, or canoes, made of rushes
which are used at the present day on Lake Titicaca, the two making
their way to one of the islands in the lake, where they remained hidden
until it was safe for them to continue their voyage to the opposite
or western border. There they landed and became acquainted with the
neighboring Quichua tribes, continuing further north on their journey,
until they arrived in Cuzco. They found themselves in the midst of
a people of hospitable disposition and submissive character, who,
seeing that the pilgrims were superior in wisdom and beauty, began
by respecting them and ended by rendering them mystic reverence. The
royal pair founded a city which they called Cuzco, “the navel of the
universe,” and began the organization of the great Inca empire of
Tahuantinsuyo, with which the history of Bolivia is also associated.
The Bolivia of to-day is represented in Collasuyo, the inhabitants of
which were tributary to the Cuzco monarchs, required to send their
share of gold to the royal coffers, to labor in the royal mines, and
to serve in the royal household. But the subjection of Collasuyo to
Inca authority did not take place until the reign of the fourth Inca.
Even then the warlike Bolivian highlander was not entirely subdued, and
he remained a troublesome vassal of the empire throughout the entire
period of Inca rule.
When the fourth Inca, Maita-Ccapac, marched into Collasuyo at the head
of an army of twelve thousand men, he was met by the natives with
sturdy and determined resistance, but he conquered by superior force
of arms, returning well satisfied with the result of the invasion. It
was upon the occasion of this visit that he became so impressed with
the grandeur of the Tiahuanaco ruins that he thought of making this
place the seat of his empire. His successor, the Inca Ccapac-Yupanqui,
extended the empire eastward and southward, marching over a great
deal of territory and subduing numerous tribes. There was continued
opposition to the invaders on the part of both the Aymarás and the
Charcas, and repeated revolts kept the country in a ferment of warfare.
Pachacutec, one of the wisest of the Incas, visited Collasuyo, spending
several years in the neighborhood of Lake Titicaca, and making an
expedition to Oruro, one of the most important pueblos.
[Illustration: PRESIDENT’S COACH IN THE ANNUAL INDEPENDENCE
DAY PROCESSION, LA PAZ.]
The Incas were by no means insensible to the advanced culture
everywhere shown in the monuments and temples of Collasuyo. They copied
much from the works of the vanquished race, and some authorities go so
far as to say that they got all their ideas of civilization from this
source, modifying little and adding less; others assert, as proof to
the contrary, that there is nothing to establish this claim beyond the
similarity naturally existing in the ideas of races allied in thought
through long periods of mutual interchange.
But, leaving aside all puzzling problems, there is a witchery of
romance in the story of the great Incas descending upon Collasuyo in
all the glory and pomp of royal power, and setting up their court on
a scale of truly Oriental magnificence upon the sacred island of the
Sun, in the sacred Lake Titicaca, over twelve thousand feet above the
sea, in the heart of a continent at that time unknown to Pizarro’s
hosts, a continent of savages beyond the limits of the vast Peruvian
empire, which according to some authorities extended over the greater
part of South America and counted among its vassals twenty millions of
people. No wonder that the great Tupac-Inca-Yupanqui spent many years
in this enchanting spot, and erected in the vicinity of the lake and
on its various islands his wonderful palaces! One is only at a loss to
imagine why the sacred golden rod of Manco-Ccapac did not sink itself
with greater facility into the Rock of the Sun in the beginning of Inca
history. It is related that Tupac-Inca-Yupanqui erected not only a
sumptuous palace, but a temple dedicated to the sun, the richest of the
whole empire: temples were also dedicated to thunder and lightning, a
monastery was built for the sons of nobles, a sanctuary for the vestal
virgins, houses were erected for the Inca’s followers; the Rock of the
Sun was paved with silver and gold, the neighboring island of Coati
(from Coya, the Moon, wife of the Sun) was consecrated to the moon, and
temples were erected there, the ruins of which still remain, as well
as those of the sun temple on the island of Titicaca. The Inca fasted
for a whole year, it is stated in the records, abstaining from meat
and _aji_--a pepper seed indispensable in the Quichua and Aymará
cuisine--in order to prove his devotion and the serious purpose of his
pilgrimage.
[Illustration: MONUMENT TO GENERAL BALLIVIAN IN THE ALAMEDA,
LA PAZ.]
It was in Collasuyo that Huayna-Ccapac, the father of the ill-fated
Atahuallpa, spent his earlier years, having been left in charge of
the palaces and temples erected on Lake Titicaca by his father,
Tupac-Inca-Yupanqui. He became learned in the culture of the ancient
inhabitants of the lake region, and while under the spell of its charm,
or through an inspiration of spiritual understanding, he taught the
existence of a deity superior to the sun, invisible to mortal eyes, the
source of all power. Huayna-Ccapac was one of the most illustrious
of his race and added much to the prestige of the empire by his
conquests and discoveries. He explored the rich mines of Porco, south
of Potosí, visited the thriving pueblo of Chuquiapu,--on the site of
the present city of La Paz,--and celebrated there with great splendor
the religious festival of “Raymi.” One of his sons, Manco, famed later
for the determined campaign he led against the Spaniards, and who was
put to death by order of Almagro, Pizarro’s general, was a native of
Collasuyo, having been born at Tiahuanaco.
At the very height of power and in the full brilliancy of Collasuyo’s
glory, when Huayna-Ccapac was visiting his wonderful palaces and
temples on the sacred lake, and all was apparently peace and security
in the vast realm, which had so steadily extended its boundaries since
the first Inca placed his sceptre in the soil of Cuzco that there
remained little to conquer worth the effort; when no cloud seemed
visible in the sky,--suddenly an awful presage of coming evil gripped
the heart of the great Inca in a spasm of foreboding. Strange signs
appeared in the heavens, lightning struck down one of the Inca’s
palaces, earthquakes threatened, and, to complete the catalogue of
bad omens, the news was spread that white and bearded men, sailing in
houses of wood,--whose coming had been predicted by the Inca Ripac more
than a century before,--had been seen in the Pacific.
[Illustration: PICTURESQUE SCENE NEAR LA PAZ.]
To relieve the sadness of his heart under such terrible conditions, the
Inca left his beloved Collasuyo and repaired to Quito to seek refuge
from care in the sweet companionship of his favorite, Pacha, the mother
of his best beloved son, Atahuallpa. The story of his death and of the
succession of his two sons, Atahuallpa and Huascar, the former to the
throne of Quito and the latter to that of Peru,--their quarrels and
the consequent weakening of the Empire’s defence at the very moment
when greatest strength was needed,--the events connected with the
imprisonment and death of Atahuallpa, and the occupation of his throne
by Francisco Pizarro,--belong rather to Peruvian than to Bolivian
history.
[Illustration: ALAMEDA GATEWAY, LA PAZ.]
The first invasion of Bolivia by the Spaniards was made under the
orders of Pizarro’s companion in the conquest, Diego de Almagro,
who chose the route through Collasuyo on his march to Chile. The
vanguard of this expedition was placed in charge of Juan de Saavedra,
who founded the first Spanish town on Bolivian soil at Paria, a few
miles from Oruro. Continuing southward, Almagro’s party made a halt
at Tupiza, and then pursued their ill-fated course southward, leaving
the rich mines of Charcas unexplored and plunging into the horrors of
a trans-Andean journey altogether the most terrible in suffering and
deprivation that is recorded in the annals of the Spanish conquest.
Afterward, the unhappy adventurer expressed the keenest regret that he
had not remained in Charcas and colonized it instead of continuing the
profitless march which proved his ruin.
It was not long before Spanish cupidity turned its attention to the
valuable mines known to exist in this part of the Inca’s former
dominions. Hernando and Gonzalo Pizarro, brothers of the conqueror,
undertook the invasion of the country, but after a short time Hernando
returned to Cuzco, and Gonzalo became chiefly identified with the
history of Spanish conquest in Bolivia. His first victory of note
was in the valley of Cochabamba, followed by a more signal triumph
over the Charcas Indians in Chuquisaca, which gave him practically
undisputed sway. By order of Francisco Pizarro, Pedro Anzures founded,
on the site of an Indian village, the city of Chuquisaca, also called
Charcas, the seat of the royal Audiencia, and, later, La Plata, the
archiepiscopal see. It is now known as Sucre, in honor of the hero
of the Independence. Unwearying in the pursuit of adventure, Gonzalo
Pizarro set out on an expedition into the forests of the Amazon, which
yielded little in results. Upon his return, he devoted his attention
to the development of rich mines of which he had taken possession in
Porco, until altered conditions in political affairs led him to head a
rebellion against the newly appointed viceroy, Blasco Nuñez de Vela,
in a struggle to gain the supremacy as Governor of Peru. The viceroy
had been sent out from Spain with orders from the Emperor Charles V.
to reform the abuses of the system of _encomienda_, by which the
conquerors claimed ownership not only of the land, but of the Indians
who occupied it, under the pretext of converting them to Christianity,
and treated them with unparalleled cruelty. The opposition of Gonzalo
Pizarro and others to this action on the part of Spain led to open
warfare; and Gonzalo marched to Lima, the new Spanish capital,
defeated the viceroy’s army, and executed the viceroy. Then, finding
that a reactionary sentiment had been stirred up in Chuquisaca by his
rival, Centeno, and that there was a strong party arrayed against
his authority there, he commissioned the redoubtable old warrior
Carvajal, one of the most uncompromising fighters of the conquest, to
restore tranquillity. The chase which Carvajal gave Centeno, and the
territory the two armies covered without engaging in battle,--Centeno
being finally obliged to disperse his troops,--were subjects of keen
ridicule, and the battle was nicknamed the “fight of claws.” Gonzalo
Pizarro himself soon afterward met and vanquished Centeno at the battle
of Huarina, on the borders of Lake Titicaca. But the good fortune of
Pizarro was short-lived. About this time the Emperor Charles V. sent
out Pedro de la Gasca, with instructions to establish order in the new
colony. La Gasca attacked Pizarro’s forces at Sacsahuana, near Cuzco,
gaining a complete victory, and destroying forever the power of the
Pizarro party, which had been already weakened by the disaffection of
his followers, owing to his own pusillanimity and Carvajal’s cruelty.
Both Gonzalo Pizarro and Carvajal were put to death.
As a memorial of the peace which had been achieved by his victory
over Pizarro, La Gasca gave orders to Captain Alonso de Mendoza to
found a city in the valley of Chuquiapu, which he desired should be
established, in the phrase of Tacitus, “with a greater number of good
customs than laws.” The foundation of the city was begun on the first
anniversary of the battle of Sacsahuana, October 20, 1545, and it was
named Nuestra Señora de La Paz. The Villa Imperial de Potosí had been
founded a few months before by Diego Centeno and Alonso Santandia, upon
the discovery of the rich mines that were later to make it one of the
famous cities of the world.
In the founding of La Paz, the Titicaca plateau became again the
honored spot chosen to mark the birth of a new régime in South
America. It was peculiarly fitting that this locality, which bears
witness to succeeding periods of primitive culture, and to the rise
and development of the greatest of native dynasties, should have been
selected to commemorate the successful establishment of a greater
power on the continent and the beginning of a new national existence.
Centuries later, when this power proved insupportable through greed
and injustice, the same site was once more chosen to mark a fresh
beginning, when the march of civilization was signalized by the first
proclamation of the patriots of Independence. And the last honor was
the most glorious of all; for in choosing the City of Peace on the
Titicaca plateau as the sacred spot whereon to set the seal of victory
upon one of the noblest efforts of mankind--the effort to establish
the rights of human liberty. Destiny has bestowed a noble distinction
upon the Bolivian nation, and one which should inspire its posterity to
deeds of highest worth.
[Illustration: ILLIMANI.]
[Illustration: DOORWAY AND PATIO OF A PRIVATE RESIDENCE,
COLONIAL PERIOD, LA PAZ.]