SUCRE, THE CAPITAL OF BOLIVIA
[Illustration: COAT OF ARMS OF CHARCAS, NOW SUCRE.]
To the traveller who views it for the first time from the distant
heights of Huata, on the road leading to the capital from the north,
the beautiful white city of Sucre looks like a dove in its nest, as
it lies enclosed within the surrounding hills, gleaming in the bright
sunlight under the clearest of skies. It is an enchanting picture, and
the traveller involuntarily pauses to enjoy its exquisite harmony.
Repose and beauty are expressed in the whole panorama which spreads out
before one at this magnificent vantage point. Nature is calm on the
summits and in the valleys, the heavens are serene and smiling, and
the fair city nestling there is a vision of delight. It impresses the
imagination like the reading of a beautiful romance, the sound of sweet
music, or a day-dream in June. A nearer approach gives animation to the
picture, which is ever charming. Groups are seen to pass and repass
on the busy thoroughfares; elegant equipages can be distinguished in
the parks and along the avenues; and donkeys, resting in the shade, or
trotting along with their loads, _cholas_ and Indians with bundles
on their backs, and children playing about the doorways, indicate the
poorer quarters where work and rest have no separate abode. Here and
there a tall chimney, with the smoke curling up from it, marks the
site of the factory or mill, and shows that the spirit of enterprise
is not wanting. Numerous church towers rise above the tiled roofs.
Upon entering the capital, the foreigner’s first impression is one
of surprise that a city so remote from the centres of social and
commercial progress in the Old and the New World should present such a
modern appearance, with so many evidences of wealth and culture. The
sight of paved streets, handsome public buildings, plazas, driveways,
and private residences that are in some instances veritable palaces,
shatters the preconceived ideas of this far away metropolis. Although
situated in the heart of South America, from two to three days’ ride by
diligence from the nearest railway, and longer by muleback,--according
to the season and the consequent condition of the roads,--Sucre is as
European as any city of old Spain, and much more advanced than most
of them. The glorious climate makes mere existence a delight, and the
pure air of this altitude, which is ten thousand feet above sea level,
contributes to render it one of the most healthful and agreeable places
of residence imaginable. The inhabitants show the influence of its
inspiring atmosphere, and are, as a rule, happy, contented, and genial.
Everyone who has visited Sucre, even for a short time, retains through
life a pleasant remembrance of the beautiful city and its cultured and
hospitable people. Everything pertaining to hard and bitter struggle
and the turmoil of anxious effort seems to have been banished, or never
to have existed in this “Happy Valley” of the Occident. Occasionally
one hears a sigh and some reference to _la lucha de la vida_--“the
struggle of life”--from a philosopher of pessimistic temperament, but
there is seldom any deeper sentiment in the remark than that which
may be inspired by too long an interval between fiestas. There is
something restful in the quiet dignity with which the most urgent
business affairs are despatched, and it is refreshing to observe the
hopefulness with which each day is welcomed as the herald of important
possibilities. A Frenchman, writing of the city, says: “It is like one
of its own lovely ladies; it has the repose of the _grande dame_,
the fresh beauty of the _débutante_, and the fascination of both,
with its charming atmosphere, the sunny smile of its skies, and the
persistence with which it lingers in one’s memory!” Needless to say the
Frenchman left his heart in the Bolivian capital.
[Illustration: COLONEL DON JULIO LA FAYE, PREFECT OF
CHUQUISACA, SUCRE.]
It is to be regretted that so few foreigners visiting Bolivia ever
get beyond the Titicaca plateau, and that the only aspect under which
they see this great country is presented by the vast stretches of
the Altaplanicie, with the Andes marking its border. The average
traveller’s idea of Bolivian life and customs is taken entirely from
the cities of the Titicaca plateau, and especially from La Paz, which,
though the commercial metropolis, progressive and enterprising,
displaying in its social life those characteristics which are most
admired and give the city one of its greatest charms, is essentially
a “highland city,” and not typical of every town in Bolivia. Each
department has its distinctive features, whether of mountain, valley,
or plain, that give to the department capitals an individuality as
marked as that which distinguishes London from Newcastle, New York
from Denver, and Berlin from Leipsic. Sucre differs in some respects
from La Paz and other Bolivian cities, which in turn differ from each
other.
[Illustration: THE PRINCIPALITY OF GLORIETA, SUBURBS OF
SUCRE.]
By a law passed July 1, 1826, Sucre was declared the provisional
capital of the republic, and this title was confirmed by Congress,
July 10, 1839. A decree issued June 18, 1843, gave to the city the
additional title of “illustrious and heroic.” Nearly all the department
capitals, however, have had the honor of being the seat of government
at some period, and the sessions of Congress have, upon many occasions
in the history of the republic, taken place at Oruro and Cochabamba
and at the present seat of government, La Paz. Several amusing stories
are related in this connection. It is said that a mystified Englishman
once asked Don Casimiro Olañeta, the Bolivian orator: “But where is,
really, the capital of Bolivia?” to which the witty reply was: _La
capital de Bolivia es el lomo del caballo que monta el Presidente de
la Republica_--“The capital of Bolivia is the back of the horse
which the president of the republic rides.” The remote situation of
the capital and the difficulty of reaching it at some seasons of the
year are largely responsible for this itinerary system. Sucre is at
present the seat of the Supreme Court and the archiepiscopal see, but,
as before stated, the other executive authorities of the national
government now have their headquarters at La Paz, where the sessions of
Congress have been held since the overthrow of President Alonso in 1899
and the establishment of the present political system.
Of the history of the site upon which the city was built which has been
successively known as Charcas, Chuquisaca, La Plata, and Sucre, little
can be learned antedating the period of Inca rule, though it is known
that the locality has been from time immemorial a centre of population.
The name Charcas refers, of course, to the tribes to whom the original
inhabitants, not only of this locality, but of all Collasuyo,
belonged. Chuquisaca, an Indian name, signifies, according to various
authorities, “the bridge of gold,” “mountain of gold,” “stone of gold”;
but, by whatever interpretation, it shows that the presence of the
precious metal in abundance suggested the title. La Plata was the name
given by the Spaniards, who found silver in large quantities in this
locality. The name Charcas is no longer used, except in an occasional
reference to the University of San Francisco Xavier as the University
of Charcas; Chuquisaca is the name of the department of which Sucre
is the capital; La Plata designates the archbishopric; Sucre is now
the only name by which the city is known. The Spaniards could not have
chosen a more advantageous locality for the founding of their chief
city in Bolivia, at a time when the principal interests of Spain were
centred in the rich mines of her newly conquered territory. As soon
as Potosi began to empty its treasure stores, the tide of immigration
turned in that direction; and as the extreme altitude prevented many
people from living at the famous Cerro, the colonial capital became
a favorite place of residence for wealthy Potosinos, as the city has
continued to be to the present day. It increased in importance with
the increasing wealth of the colony, and early in the history of the
Audiencia it became celebrated, not only for its elaborate court
functions and the costly display of its rich inhabitants, but for the
attention paid to learning, the University of San Francisco Xavier, as
before mentioned, taking high rank among the best Spanish universities.
This characteristic of the capital of the Audiencia has been inherited
by the capital of the republic, and Sucre is noted for the great
number of the nation’s most brilliant and gifted sons who claim it as
their birthplace. The history of the city has been related in that of
the whole country; it would be impossible to give a record of events
concerning either the Audiencia of Charcas or the republic of Bolivia
without presenting to constant view the capital city, which has been so
often the chief theatre of action.
[Illustration: THE CATHEDRAL TOWER, SUCRE.]
[Illustration: MUNICIPAL PALACE, SUCRE.]
Every public square and every street has its story connected with
some period of the city’s history, and all the older buildings have
historic interest. The legislative palace, which was formerly a Jesuit
convent, has been the scene of some of the most important events in the
history of Bolivia. During colonial days, the general chapel, as it
was called, was used as an assembly hall, where all the corporations
and chief authorities had their reunions. In this hall one of the
leaders of the Chuquisaca patriots, Don Ramón García de León Pizarro,
was imprisoned for a share in the memorable revolution of August 25,
1809, and it was here that the Act of Independence was signed on
August 6, 1825. It is the _sala_ for the use of the Chamber of
Deputies, and has witnessed many stirring scenes in the meetings of
Congress held within its walls. It has two parliamentary tribunes,
besides one for diplomatic representatives; a magnificently carved and
gilded choir, which attracts attention because of its artistic design
and exquisite workmanship, and which is only one of many legacies of
architectural beauty bequeathed to posterity by the Jesuit wood and
stone carvers, extends as a gallery along one end of the _sala_,
and is known as the ladies’ gallery of the House. The Senate is a
spacious hall occupying one side of the palace, and having as its most
conspicuous adornment a bust of the celebrated Bolivian statesman who
was one of the nation’s greatest presidents, Señor Don Tomás Frias. In
the _sala_ of the Chamber of Deputies have been placed handsome
commemorative busts of General Bolivar, General Sucre, and General
Ballivian; and in the same hall the swords of the victors of Ayacucho
and Ingavi are preserved among the nation’s priceless relics. The
saddle cloth which was worn by General Sucre’s horse on the day of the
mutiny, when the general was shot in the arm just before Colonel Lopez
came to his rescue, and which still shows the stain of blood, is among
the souvenirs of the illustrious hero of Ayacucho that remain in the
city bearing his name. It is a valued possession of the prefect of
Chuquisaca, Colonel Julio La Faye, whose grandfather, Colonel Lopez,
received it as a parting gift from the “philosopher soldier” before the
latter left Bolivia. It is magnificently embroidered in gold. Colonel
La Faye may some day present it to the nation, to be exhibited among
its most precious historical heirlooms. The Pacheco _finca_ marks
the site of the house in which General Sucre recuperated from the
effects of the wound in his arm, and where he dictated his abdication
to one of the young captains of his army who acted as his secretary. It
is a celebrated document, and is regarded as one of the most beautiful
demonstrations of patriotic feeling, exalted integrity and rhetorical
brilliancy in the history of Spanish-American politics. The young
captain who wrote the abdication was José Ballivian, afterward one
of Bolivia’s most illustrious generals, and the hero of her greatest
battle, Ingavi. Romance has its share, too, in the stories that survive
regarding General Sucre, and a picturesque country place is pointed
out as having been the home of a beautiful daughter of the capital who
won the heart of the hero, and whose white kerchief fluttering from a
window that peeped out among the trees was a signal as powerful to lead
the great soldier into love’s silken campaign as was his country’s flag
to plunge him into the storm of patriotic combat. “The bravest are the
tenderest” under all the flags of the world.
[Illustration: VIEW OF ONE OF SUCRE’S BEAUTIFUL PLAZAS.]
The new government palace is the handsomest public building in Sucre.
It occupies half a square on the west side of the principal plaza
and consists of three stories and a magnificent cupola which has a
_mirador_, or balcony, affording an uninterrupted view of the
city and surrounding country. Spacious _salas_ are provided for
the use of the chief executive and for the offices of the ministers of
state. Architecturally and in its modern style of construction, the
new palace is a fine example of building enterprise. When finished it
will be furnished in harmony with the most tasteful ideas of artistic
decoration. Already much of the furniture has been purchased, great
mirrors have been ordered for the _salones_ as well as rich
curtains and carpets. The plan of the building is effective, the
double marble staircases leading from the grand entrance, which turn
to form a single staircase midway between the ground floor and that
above, presenting a particularly imposing appearance between stately
marble columns. The halls and corridors are spacious and conveniently
arranged, not only for executive and administrative purposes, but as
banquet halls, ballrooms, and reception parlors. The façade of the
building shows in the centre the national coat of arms, and above it
the legend _La Union es la Fuerza_--“Union is Strength.” Over the
entrance is sculptured in high relief a shield bearing the coat of arms
of each of the departments of Bolivia.
Next in importance to the Executive Palace, the Palace of Justice
claims special attention. In its halls are held the sessions of the
Supreme Court, Superior Court, and lesser judicial authorities. It
contains the offices of the national Tribunal de Cuentas, Prefectura,
and Comandancia General of the department of Chuquisaca, the General
Archives of the nation, the administration offices of the departmental
treasury, and the Public Library, containing about ten thousand
volumes. This imposing old edifice is one of the most interesting
in the city. Its style is the earliest colonial period, when it was
erected as a Dominican convent. The cloisters on the second floor are
still apparently as solid as they were centuries ago, and surpass
the most substantial corridors and galleries built to-day. In the
_patio_ is an old quadrant or sun-dial of colonial days, which
still is as serviceable as ever. The _salas_ of the Supreme Court
are furnished appropriately and in good taste, and upon the walls are
oil portraits of the most distinguished jurists of the republic. In
the Superior Court several old paintings attract attention, though
only one, a painting of the Crucifixion, appears to have particular
merit. The president of the Supreme Court, Señor Don Fenelon Pereira,
is one of the most distinguished jurists of Bolivia, and a statesman of
unimpeachable integrity as well as superior talent.
[Illustration: GROUP IN THE ASYLUM FOR THE AGED, SUCRE.]
Prominent among the historical institutions of the country is the
University of San Francisco Xavier; which, however, pertains more
appropriately to the subject of educational institutions, to be
described in a later chapter, along with the Military College and
School of Engineering, the School of Medicine, and other educational
establishments. The Manicomio Pacheco, the Hospital de Santa Barbara,
and similar charitable institutions, have previously been referred
to in connection with the noble charities with which the ladies of
Bolivia are largely identified. The Consistorial Palace, in which the
Geographic Society of Sucre holds its sessions, one of the important
public buildings, faces the principal plaza, which is called Plaza 25
de Mayo in memory of the first strike for independence. Among public
offices of note are: the Post Office, adjoining the Palace of Justice,
the quartels and police headquarters, the Public Market, the Municipal
Custom House, and the Tambo de la Independencia, as the penitentiary is
called,--_tambo_ meaning “inn.”
Sucre has eight churches, twelve chapels, two convents, three
monasteries, and three cloistered nunneries. Being the seat of the
archbishopric of La Plata, its importance as an ecclesiastical centre
can readily be appreciated. The great Metropolitan Basilica, a solid
edifice of the seventeenth century, to which a handsome tower was
added late in the nineteenth century, faces the Plaza 25 de Mayo.
It is the richest cathedral in Bolivia, having many gold and silver
ornaments and precious jewels. The _custodia_, or casket, in which
the consecrated Host is manifested to public veneration, is set with
precious stones of rare value. In all the churches the image of the
Blessed Virgin is covered with jewels. The Virgin of Guadalupe, an
image of solid gold, is adorned with jewels which are said to be worth
a million dollars. The archbishop’s palace, adjoining the Basilica, is
an old colonial edifice, spacious and richly furnished, as befitting
the residence of one of the highest dignitaries of the Church. San
Felipe, the oratory of the Fathers of Saint Philip, shows wonderful
specimens of colonial wood carving; and the spacious church of Santo
Domingo, the monasteries of Santa Clara, and Santa Teresa, the convent
of the Franciscans, and the numerous other buildings for religious
worship, are noteworthy examples of the ecclesiastic architecture of
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
[Illustration: GATEWAY OF THE ALAMEDA, SUCRE.]
The city has nine plazas. The Plaza 25 de Mayo is situated in the very
heart of the city, which is planned in the form of a diamond. Two small
streams, one on each side of the plaza, carry through the city, in
opposite directions, the headwaters of two of the greatest rivers in
the world. One pours its sparkling tide into the Rio Grande, to join
the Mamoré, thence through sloping plains and densely wooded forests,
to reach the winding course and tumbling rapids of the greater Madeira,
losing itself in the mightiest affluent of the Amazon; the other, the
picturesque Cachimayo, blithely begins its long journey in the cañons
and gorges of the _serranias_ of Yamparaez, growing more sluggish
as it finds itself in the broad river bed of the Pilcomayo, sometimes
no more than a lazy stream, and again spreading into a broad, though
shallow, lake, overhung with verdure of tropical luxuriance, idling
along, until it enters the Paraguay opposite the city of Asuncion, and
passes down, between orange groves and fertile gardens, to the great
estuary of La Plata. The one to the north, the other to the south,
each carries its message across the continent of South America from
the beautiful city of southern Bolivia; and whatever of marsh and
miasma they may encounter on their way to the sea, whatever scenes of
desolation they may pass on their long route, only the sweetest purity
and limpid freshness mark them as they leave their mountain source, and
the only reflections in their clear waters are of beauty and content.
Thus too the mighty tide of patriotism that first bubbled out of the
hearts of the noble heroes who made the 25 de Mayo memorable in the
annals of the Independence, flowed pure and undefiled from its fountain
head, whatever tortuous windings it may have suffered, and whatever
evils it may have met in the long war that it carried to the colonies
of all South America! And as the mighty Amazon and the broad La Plata
owe a debt to the little mountain streams that feed them, so the
South American republics owe their gratitude to the initiative of the
Bolivian patriots, which was the source of a continent’s inspiration.
[Illustration: MARKET SCENE IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF SUCRE.]
In addition to the Plaza 25 de Mayo, which is adorned with gardens,
fountains, and a pretty kiosk, there is the beautiful Plaza
Libertad, in the centre of which stands a marble column surmounted
by the Phrygian cap of Liberty; the Plaza Sucre, with a bust of the
grand marshal of Ayacucho adorning a handsome monument; the Plazas
Monteagudo, Recoleto, and others. Out of the city good roads lead in
several directions to the picturesque suburbs, and, beyond, to the
highways which conduct the traveller to Potosi, Cochabamba, Challapata,
and other distant cities. The excellent condition of the roads, as well
as other notable signs of development in the department, are due to
the direction of the prefect, Colonel Julio La Faye, whose devotion to
the interests of his department is seen in many improved public works.
The road and bridge of Azero, the complete building up of hitherto
bad roads southward, and especially the establishment of the system
of water works, to be brought from the Cerro of Cajamarca, prove not
only the will to promote the best interests of progress in this part
of the country, but the talent necessary to initiate and successfully
carry out the most important reforms. Colonel La Faye has occupied his
present post since 1900. Previous to that time he held other offices
of importance in the government, and as orator, diplomat, soldier, and
statesman, his career has been one of brilliancy and absolute integrity.
[Illustration: THE HACIENDA GUEREO, SUBURBS OF SUCRE.]
The inauguration of a new system of water works in Sucre is a
particularly important event. When the government resolved to bring the
waters of the Cerro of Cajamarca, fifteen miles away, to the city of
Sucre, it was decided to use the source in the springs formed by the
headwaters of the Cajamarca, Uyuni, Pucaloma, and Kolpamayo rivers,
which belong to the Amazon system. The quantity to be supplied will
be six thousand cubic mètres per day, more than sufficient for the
population of Sucre, which has about twenty-five thousand inhabitants.
The work of laying the pipes and completing the system will take about
three years, and will cost approximately one million bolivianos.
Sufficient energy will be transmitted from the headquarters of the
water works for the public and private lighting of the city and for
the local industries. Abundant material is found in the Cerro for the
purposes of construction. Portland cement cannot be used because of
the high price at which it sells in Sucre, six hundred bolivianos per
metric ton. The Cerro of Cajamarca is particularly well chosen as the
source of Sucre’s water supply, as its rainy season is distinct from
that of Sucre, though at so short a distance away, and its register
of rainfall is double that of the city. The engineer and director of
the enterprise, Señor Don Carlos Doynel, a Belgian, who has had great
experience in such undertakings, is enthusiastic over the promising
features of the work.
By the establishment of an improved system of water works and the
development of energy sufficient to provide motive power for the
factories of the city, the manufacturing interests will profit
considerably. While this branch of industry is still in its infancy, it
can nevertheless show very encouraging signs and, in some instances,
great progress. One of the most important enterprises is the chocolate
factory of Aranjuez, owned by Rodriguez Brothers, which produces
three hundred pounds daily of the most delicious chocolate. It is
an interesting process to watch the grinding of the cacao berry into
a powder, its mixture with sugar, always the purest white granulated
quality, and the gradual conversion into the chocolate sticks of
commerce. It is shipped to all parts of Bolivia and to Chile, neatly
put up in a similar style to the Chocolat-Menier, so familiar in
other countries. Sucre has also a flour mill, in which North American
machinery is used. The flour, which is made by a firm also engaged in
manufacturing cigars and cigarettes, is of a superior grade, and was
given a premium in the Buffalo Exposition of 1901 for its fine quality.
Fruit preserving is one of the flourishing industries, and at Ñuccho,
a few miles out of the city, there are several large preserving
establishments. Ñuccho is an ideal country place, and every visitor to
Sucre enjoys a trip to this historic resort. It was in this picturesque
spot, on the site where the Pacheco _finca_ now stands, that
General Sucre recuperated from his wound after the mutiny of 1828, and
here he dictated his famous abdication. It is situated on the banks
of the Cachimayo, at its confluence with the Yotala, in the midst of
magnificent scenery which combines the grandeur of lofty mountains with
the pastoral beauty of green meadows and prosperous-looking farms. Many
of the beautiful haciendas near Sucre have fruit farms and dairies,
from which are shipped the finest products the market affords. The
beautiful suburb of Cachimayo has many gardens and vineyards, and wine
of an excellent quality is made. During the bathing season Cachimayo is
a popular social resort, many Sucre families spending there the months
of spring and autumn. The beautiful avenues leading out of Sucre pass
many of these charming suburbs, the chief among them being, beyond
doubt, the country home of the Prince and Princess of Glorieta. The
prince, being Bolivian minister in Paris, seldom visits his home these
days, but a staff of administrators and overseers attends to the care
of the place. Guereo and Florida are also beautiful _fincas_,
adorning the city’s outskirts with their stately trees, and an
abundance of flowers enhances the beauty of the handsome houses and
well-trimmed grounds.
The climate of Sucre, as previously stated, is superb. Endemic fevers
and similar ailments do not occur in the city, and the air is so dry
that the psychrometer has been known to register 0°, which is seldom
noted elsewhere. Typhoid fever and diphtheria appear at times, but
statistics show a diminution in the death rate from these causes, owing
to improved sanitation. During the rainy season, from October to March,
there are sometimes terrific electric storms, magnificent to witness
from a distance, but disquieting to the timid in their midst.
Sucre counts few foreigners among her citizens, but those who live
there are devoted to their adopted home. The English and North American
residents--of whom Mr. Thomas Moore is the best known, having lived
half a lifetime there, and married a charming Bolivian--could be
counted upon the fingers of one hand, and there are almost as few of
other foreign nationalities. But the hospitable and courteous people
of this attractive city have a warm welcome and a kindly good-bye for
all strangers who visit them, and life is made very agreeable. There
are several good clubs, the Club de la Union being one of the richest
and of the best _ton_ in Bolivia. Its entertainments are on a
scale of great luxury; and when a ball or special function is given,
no expense is spared to make the occasion worthy of the best society of
the republic.
Though everyone seems to recall with the greatest facility the
impression made by a first glimpse of Sucre, few remember its aspect at
parting; for they see it either through a mist of tears, or with the
sight far away from what the eyes are looking upon. One recalls the
affectionate good-byes, and the dear faces of sweet friends who have
been won during a too brief stay in that enchanting spot never fade
out of memory; but, on taking leave, one’s thoughts are devoted less
to the place than to the people, who have won their way into the heart
and memory so completely that their beautiful city remains only as a
background against which to group “the cherished pictures that hang on
memory’s wall.”
[Illustration: THE MISSES RODRIGUEZ, SUCRE.]
[Illustration: MILITARY COLLEGE, LA PAZ.]