ISLAY AND AREQUIPA.
THE port of Islay is the commercial outlet of the departments of
Arequipa, Cuzco, and Puno, in Southern Peru; and thus a small town,
dating from about 1830,[118] has risen up on the rocky barren coast,
surrounded by a sandy desert, and shut in from the interior by a range
of sterile mountains. The coast consists of inaccessible cliffs,
perforated with deep caves by the incessant surge of the ocean, with
several rocky islets off the shore. The anchorage[119] is formed by
a slight indentation of the coast, and the landing is effected at a
small iron jetty clamped to the rocks, under which the swell breaks
and chafes with a ceaseless roar. A very steep path leads up the cliff
to a custom-house, forming one side of the little _plaza_, which is
constantly filled with droves of mules from the interior. A single
street leading up from the plaza, with a few lanes off it, forms the
town of Islay; and a brief statement of the trade of this port will
give an idea of the importance of the country to which it forms an
outlet.
The principal articles of export are alpaca and sheep's wool, vicuña
wool, copper, bark, and specie; the total value in 1859 being
336,842_l._,[120] and the value of the imports, consisting chiefly of
European goods, is about equal to that of the exports.
The country round Islay is as dreary and arid a waste as the eye could
rest on; yet from July to October, when there is the greatest amount of
moisture on the coast, the otherwise barren mountains, which rise up
abruptly from the desert, at a distance of about three miles from the
sea, are green and carpeted with flowers, while the plain nearer Islay
is also dotted over with vegetation. This maritime range is called
the "Lomas." In consequence of the unusual quantity of rain which
fell in the early part of 1860, the Lomas had broken out in renewed
freshness in March. The country, close to Islay, was covered with a
scattered growth of Compositæ, wild tobacco, Nympha, Oxalis, Salvia,
an Umbellifer with a large white flower, Verbena, Heliotrope, a purple
Solanum, an Amaranth, and other flowers. It is broken up into abrupt
ravines; and, near the foot of the mountains, some of them contain
deposits of soil washed down by little streams which flow during the
wet season, sufficient to sustain small groves of fig and olive trees,
the abodes of numerous flocks of doves. Such is the case in the ravines
called Catarindo, Yutu, and Matarani, from the latter of which the
water is led in pipes to supply the town of Islay. The guardian of this
water-supply is an Irishman, generally known as Juan de la Pila (John
of the fountain), an active obliging man, who also follows the trades
of carpenter, cooper, and blacksmith; and to whom we were indebted for
much valuable assistance in procuring soil for the Wardian cases, and
in giving us the use of his yard.
The soil in the richest parts of these ravines, which had been washed
down from the higher slopes of the Lomas, is several feet deep, and
appeared sufficiently good to be used for the Wardian cases, in the
event of its being found impossible to obtain soil from any more
promising locality; and the great number of wild flowers which were
growing in it convinced me that it could not contain anything very
pernicious.[121]
The formation consists of granite, with veins of very pure quartz; but
the plains are covered with large patches of fine dust, consisting
chiefly of silica, containing potash and mica, with small quantities of
the débris of the rocks associated with the soil, which Admiral FitzRoy
suggests may have been the ashes ejected, at some remote period, from
the volcano of Arequipa. Near the sea-shore, and about half a mile
south-east of Islay, there is a very curious result of the constant
action of the weaves, in two immense cavities hollowed out of the rock,
called the _Tinajones_ (jars). They are circular holes about thirty
yards across, and of great depth, separated from the sea by a wall
of cliffs not more than four yards wide, the lower part of which is
undermined, and forms a passage by which the waves rush into the great
_tinajon_, or bowl, with a mighty roar; and, dashing themselves against
the rocky sides, throw back clouds of white spray. The only vegetation
near the coast consists of lowly little _Mesembryanthema_, scattered
about at long intervals, and an occasional stonecrop (_Sedum_).
During our stay at Islay we enjoyed the hospitality of Mr. Wilthew,
H.B.M. Consul, and his wife, to whom we were indebted for much
thoughtful kindness. The rest of the inhabitants consist of Peruvian
officials, agents of commercial houses in Arequipa, and a few
shopkeepers and artisans, besides the muleteers and other birds
of passage, and the porters and boatmen of mixed Indian and negro
extraction. The supplies for the market come almost entirely from the
rich valley of Tambo, some leagues down the coast.
On March 6th, our mules and horses having arrived, we started for
Arequipa in the morning, a distance of ninety miles, and, crossing the
country near Islay, entered a gorge in the mountains, which winds up to
the great desert above, at the commencement of which there is a grove
of dusty olive-trees. This dismal ravine, with arid scarped mountains
rising up on either side, here and there a tall gaunt cactus, and
everywhere a dense cloud of white dust, leads up to a little post-house
built of canes, called the "Tambo de Guerreros," eighteen miles from
Islay.
Guerreros is at the head of the gorge leading down to Islay; and, from
a rising ground a little beyond the tambo,[122] the great desert of
Arequipa opens upon the view, bounded by a range of mountains which
are crowned by the snowy peak of the volcano. At this point there is a
wooden cross which marks the grave of a poor soldier belonging to the
fugitive army of Salaverry, in 1836, who, worn out with fatigue and
thirst, had here sunk down to die, and had been lightly covered over
with sand. The flesh was in perfect preservation. We then entered the
great desert of Arequipa, extending to the horizon on the right and
left, and ending in front at the foot of the rocky range of mountains
separating the sandy waste from the fertile campiña of Arequipa.
The desert consists of hard ground, without a blade of vegetation,
affording good riding; but it is covered at short intervals with mounds
of the finest white sand, from twenty to thirty feet high, all in
the shape of a half-moon, with their horns pointing north-west, and
thus denoting the prevailing wind. They are called _Medanos_. These
_Medanos_ shift their positions, and the breeze, whirling the sand in
eddies on their summits, often causes a singing noise in the early
dawn. Frequently they form athwart the road, which has to deviate in
a half-circle, and rejoin the old track on the other side; but they
all resemble each other exactly, and afford no landmark to the lost or
benighted traveller.
In the centre of the desert is the post-house or tambo of La Joya,
twenty miles from Guerreros, kept by an Englishman, whose homely name
of Jimmy Eyres has been converted into the more grandiloquent and
euphonious Spanish one of Don Santiago Casimiro de los Ayres. Water
and fodder for the beasts are brought from a great distance, and their
price is of course proportionately high; but, considering its position
in the midst of a desert and many leagues from all supplies, the little
tambo, consisting of several rooms of deal planking roughly knocked
together, was very comfortable.
Starting at four on a bright starlight morning, the perfect stillness
and the wild grandeur of the boundless desert were very impressive,
while there was a delicious freshness in the cool air. As the sun rose
behind the mighty cordilleras which bounded the view, the whiteness
of their snowy peaks became quite dazzling. Immediately in front was
the perfect cone of the volcano of Arequipa; to the right the glorious
peaks of Charcani and Chuquibamba; to the left the remarkable range of
Pichupichu. It is probable that in no part of the world is so sublime a
view of mountain peaks to be found as is presented at early dawn from
this desert. But its sublimity is similar to that which is witnessed
in a sunrise at sea; it fills the mind with an idea of vastness and
grandeur, while it wants all the details which usually accompany and
form no small part of the enjoyment derived from ordinary mountain
scenery. Yet here, while gazing on those magnificent peaks, with no
middle distance and no foreground, save the flat sea-like wilderness,
we felt that any addition would have marred the simple glories of this
unparalleled view. The desert is between 4000 and 5000 feet above the
sea, and the cordillera peaks are, some more, some a little less, than
20,000 feet in height; so that, within a distance of under forty miles,
we beheld mountains rising upwards of 16,000 feet from the point on
which we stood: of no other mountains in the world could such a view be
obtained. In this land of the Incas Nature has done her work on a truly
gigantic scale.
The desert, from Guerreros to the entrance to the gorge leading through
the rocky hills which divide it from the plain of Arequipa, is upwards
of forty miles across, while its length from the transverse valley of
Tambo to that of Vitor must be about sixty. During the greater part of
the day we were threading our way through arid mountain gorges, and
up and down zigzag rocky paths strewn with the bones and carcasses
of mules, under a scorching sun. A little pale purple _Nemophila_, a
small _Crucifer_, and the weird _Cacti_, the appropriate inhabitants
of the desert, are the only plants of this cheerless region; and a few
obscene gallinazos, floating lazily in the upper air, with their
keen-piercing eyes watching for some luckless mule to sink under its
burden, were the sole representatives of animal life.
[Illustration: AREQUIPA. Page 75.]
At length our eyes were gladdened by the sight of the green vale of
Tiavaya, in the campiña of Arequipa. The rows of tall willows, the
bright green fields of lucerne, and white farm-houses, were a blessed
relief after the monotonous glare of barren rocks and sand; but it was
not until late at night, and after a ride of more than fifty miles,
that we reached our hospitable lodging in the city of Arequipa.
Arequipa, the second city in Peru, is built on the banks of the rapid
river Chile, and at the foot of the great volcano, called Misti, which
rises up in a perfect cone to the height of 17,934 feet, its upper half
covered with snow. Arequipa itself is 7427 feet above the sea, so that
the mountains ascend in one unbroken sweep upwards of 10,500 feet. The
climate, during my stay from March 11th to March 22nd, was as follows:--
Mean temperature 64-1/3
Mean minimum at night 60-1/2
Highest observed 67
Lowest 58
Range 9
The town is built of a white stone of volcanic origin, being a
trachytic tuffa containing pumice and lava, dug out of quarries at
the foot of the volcano. The houses are usually of one story, built
solidly and substantially, with vaulted stone ceilings, the better to
resist the shocks of the frequent earthquakes. Like almost all Spanish
American cities, the streets are straight and at right angles to each
other, with an _azequia_ flowing down the centre. Wheeled vehicles
of any description are unknown, and the traffic consists of horses,
droves of mules, donkeys laden with lucerne, and flocks of llamas. The
principal streets all lead to the great square, which forms a busy
and most interesting scene in the morning, the time for marketing. It
is then filled with gaily-dressed Indian women, some sitting under
shades, with their goods spread out on the ground before them, and
others, in constant movement, threading their way amongst the sellers.
Their dresses are of baize, manufactured at Halifax,[123] of the gayest
colours--consisting of a skirt and mantle of the two most brilliant
colours they can find, red and blue, green and crimson, or purple and
orange. The effect of these bright-coloured groups, in constant motion,
as they move about buying fruit or vegetables, potatoes, earth-nuts,
medicinal drugs, corn, articles of dress, and other necessaries, is
very pleasing. The background is formed by the handsome new cathedral
of whitest stone, behind which the noble volcano, and the peaks of
Charcani (18,558 feet above the sea) dazzle the eyes by the brilliancy
of their snowy covering.
The campiña of Arequipa, which surrounds the city, is about five miles
broad from the foot of the cordillera to the arid range of hills which
separates it from the wilderness of the coast; and about ten or twelve
miles long, being bounded at each end by a sandy desert. It is watered
by the river Chile,[124] coming from a chasm in the cordillera, on the
north-west side of the volcano, and by the streams called Posterio and
Savandia, which flow from the Pichu-pichu mountains to the eastward
of the volcano. These several streams unite on leaving the campiña,
and finally fall into the river of Quilca. The campiña contains,
besides the city of Arequipa, a number of small villages, and numerous
farm-houses. In March the view from the hills above the city is most
beautiful. The brilliant green of the campiña, with its fields of maize
and alfalfa, its rows of tall willows, and orchards of fruit-trees,
is dotted with houses and villages, while it forms an emerald
setting to the white city. Looking from the other side of Arequipa,
the view, though not so beautiful, is more imposing: the snow-capped
volcano rearing its majestic head above the stunted towers of the
town. There is a great deal of maize grown in the valley, and guano is
extensively used as manure; but the wealth of the campiña is chiefly
derived from its mules, which monopolize the carrying-trade from the
coast to Arequipa, and from Arequipa to the interior. A quantity of
lucerne or _alfalfa_ is raised for their sustenance, and the _arrieros_
or muleteers are a wealthy class of men, generally possessing a
_chacra_ or farm of their own, besides considerable sums in ready
money. They are, as a rule, good-looking, well-grown men, with fresh
complexions, and little mixed blood, which is also made evident by the
comparatively fair complexions of their wives and daughters.
[Illustration: AREQUIPA CATHEDRAL. From a Photograph. Page 76.]
The families of the upper classes of Arequipa usually own estates in
the neighbouring warm valleys of the coast, such as Vitor, Tambo,
Siguas, Majes, and Camana, where the rich vineyards yield them a
profitable return by the sale of aguardiente. Their houses in the
city are built round a _patio_ or courtyard, on which the principal
rooms open. Their sons are frequently the leaders of the turbulent
_Cholos_ in revolt, and follow the professions of _abogados_, lawyers
or politicians, traders, and _haciendados_ or farmers, while the more
ambitious adopt a military life, the _carrera de armas_. The ladies are
considered the most beautiful and intelligent in Peru, and, at Lima,
the most attractive women are usually Arequipeñas. Perhaps the majority
have never moved beyond the campiña, and adjacent warm valleys, and
many have never seen the sea. Yet they are sprightly and agreeable in
society, full of intelligent curiosity, and almost invariably excellent
musicians. They frequently sing the plaintive _despedidas_, and other
sonnets of their native poet Melgar, whose love for a fair townswoman
was unrequited, and whose melancholy fate has surrounded his name with
a halo of romance. He was barbarously shot, after having been taken
prisoner by the Spaniards, at the battle of Umachiri in 1815, the first
attempt which the Peruvians made for their independence.
During the winter months the wealthier families remove to villages in
the campiña, either to Tingo, Tiavaya, or Savandia, taking furniture
with them. At the commencement of the season droves of mules leave
the city laden with beds, chairs, and tables, to render the country
houses habitable. Here the Arequipeños enjoy the delights of the
country and of bathing in large swimming-baths faced with masonry,
and planted round with rows of tall willows. The rides in the country
which surrounds these villages are exceedingly pretty. The trees
consist chiefly of tall willows and of the _Schinus molle_ with its
bunches of red berries, while bushes of fragrant white _Daturas_ and
of the beautiful _Bignonia fulva_ fill the hedges, and the streams
are bordered by masses of _Nasturtiums_. The fields either bear crops
of vivid green alfalfa, or tall Indian corn, six to eight feet high,
over which the _Tropæolum canariensis_ creeps in golden masses, and at
whose feet the bright blue _lupins_, and a _Solanum_ with rich purple
flowers, grow as weeds. From many points of view the rapid waters of
the river Chile complete the picture, while far away the snowy peaks
of Chuquibamba, Charcani, and the volcano glisten in the beams of the
sun. Above Arequipa the river flows through the valley of Chilinos,
the steep sides of which are lined with _andeneria_, or terraced
maize-gardens, with here and there a picturesque group of the stone
huts of the Indians, often completely hidden by the dark green leaves
and golden flowers of the gourds which cover them. The courtyards of
the houses are frequently ornamented with a beautiful passion-flower,
which creeps over the trellised verandahs, and is covered with flowers.
It is a species of _Tacsonia_, called by the natives _tumbo_. The
flower has a very long tube, and is of a deep rich rose-colour: and a
delicious _fresco_, or sherbet, is made of the egg-shaped fruit.
In addition to the baths of pure spring-water at Tingo and Savandia,
the medicinal baths of Yura are a great resort during the winter
months. Yura is thirty miles to the north-west, and is situated,
like Arequipa, just under the range of the cordilleras. The road
leads over very broken ground, where the rugged spurs from the Andes
project out into the desert. In March the weary arid wilderness was
enlivened by wild flowers, bushes of yellow and purple _Solanums_,
bright orange _Compositæ_, and, in one place, a carpet of little purple
dwarf iris. The baths are in a green ravine, with tall willow-trees
and maize-fields, watered by a little rivulet. In this narrow glen,
bounded on one side by sandstone mountains, which here form the base
of the volcano, and on the other by a ridge of trachyte, there are
two places where thermal waters bubble out of the rocks, one being
ferruginous and the other sulphurous. At the sulphurous baths there
are some solid stone buildings, intended as lodgings for the bathers,
with heavy arcades, and long vaulted rooms with no windows, and without
furniture, for, as at Tingo and Savandia, all visitors bring their
beds, tables, chairs, crockery, and cooking utensils with them. In the
bath-room there are four square basins, faced with stone, of different
temperatures, and called the _Vejeto_ (87° Fahr.), the _Desague_ (88°),
the _Sepultura_ (89°), and the _Tigre_ (90°). They are said to cure
dysentery, rheumatism, and cutaneous diseases. The rivulet flows down
the glen and joins the river of Yura near a village called Calera,
where most of the soap is manufactured which is consumed in Arequipa.
Great quantities of carbonate of soda are collected from the sandstone
rock, which gives employment to the people of the village. The land is
divided into _topos_ (5000 square yards), each valued at a thousand
dollars, and every six weeks a harvest of _salitre_ (carbonate of soda)
is reaped. From Calera there is a fine view of the green valley of
Yura, and of a grand range of porphyritic mountains.
The population of the campiña and town of Arequipa is reckoned at about
50,000.[125] The place was first colonized by the Inca Mayta, who
established a body of _mitimaes_ or colonists there, from the village
of Cavanilla, near Puno, and ordained that they should remain and
settle there. Hence the name "_Ari quepay_," "Yes! remain:" or more
probably it is derived from the words "_Aric quepa_," "Behind the sharp
peak." These _mitimaes_ were the ancestors of the present Indians,
or _Cholos_ as they are called, and were established in villages in
the campiña, occupied in the cultivation of maize; but the city is
purely Spanish, and was founded by Pizarro in 1540, at which time the
stone-quarries first began to be worked.
The _Cholos_ or Indians of Arequipa have long been notorious for their
turbulence, and for the eagerness with which they join any attempt
at revolution, apparently from mere love of excitement. They are
addicted to the use of _chicha_--a fermented liquor made from Indian
corn--to such an extent that it is said that nearly all the maize which
is raised in the campiña is used in brewing this liquor; under the
influence of which the Cholos have established the fame of Arequipa as
the grand focus of Peruvian revolutions. But this habit of drinking to
excess has rendered the Cholos, though capable of fighting desperately
behind walls, quite worthless as soldiers in a campaign; and their
habit of body becomes so bad that a slight wound is frequently fatal.
Though the received idea in Europe, that Peru is constantly in a state
of civil war, is erroneous in fact, as well as unjust,[126] yet it is
true that the period of tranquillity which had lasted from 1844 to
1854 was broken in the latter year by the successful revolution of
General Castilla--the result of the discontent caused by the dishonest
financial measures and the embezzlements of his predecessor; and two
years afterwards the Cholos of Arequipa commenced a rebellion against
Castilla. A brief account of the siege of that city, which followed,
will give a good idea of the endurance and fighting qualities of the
Cholos.
In October 1856 two young men of good family, named Gamio and Masias,
collected a handful of Cholos, and sent a message to the Prefect
Canseco, telling him that he must either evacuate the city with his
troops, or lay down his arms. The prefect marched out, and left
Arequipa in the hands of the insurgents, who proclaimed the exiled
General Vivanco President of Peru, and appointed Don José Antonio
Berenguel prefect of the town; and most of the soldiers who had
marched out with Canseco returned on the following day to join the
rebels. Vivanco was an exile in Chile, but, on receiving the news, he
started for Islay by the English mail steamer, and reached Arequipa
in December; while General San Roman, who had been sent from Lima
to propose terms of accommodation with the rebels, was dismissed,
and retired into the interior to collect forces for the support of
Castilla's government.
While the Cholos of Arequipa were maturing their rebellion, a fortunate
event placed the Peruvian navy at the disposal of Vivanco. Their
largest frigate, the 'Apurimac,' was lying off Arica, and, while her
captain, a rough old Chilian seaman named Salcedo, was on shore, the
crew, led by Lizardo Montero, one of her lieutenants, a young man and
native of Piura, mutinied, declared for Vivanco, and steamed away,
leaving Salcedo storming on the beach. The 'Apurimac' went at once to
Islay, where Montero captured the port, and where he was joined by two
smaller steamers, the 'Loa' and 'Tumbez.'
Vivanco, meanwhile, had proclaimed himself "Regenerator" of Peru,
and offered his services as a lawgiver and restorer of prosperity to
his country, which were not accepted or appreciated, as none of the
other great towns followed the example of Arequipa. Leaving a ministry
consisting of young inexperienced lawyers, who had nothing to lose and
all to gain, in charge of affairs at Arequipa, he embarked on board the
'Apurimac,' in the end of December, 1856, and sailed for Callao, but
did not venture to disembark. He then went on board the 'Loa,' leaving
the 'Apurimac' to watch Callao, and proceeded to Truxillo; while the
'Apurimac' went down to the Chincha Islands, and began shipping off the
guano to any one who would buy it, thus leaving the port of Callao open.
General Castilla is an old Indian, possessed of great military talent
and extraordinary energy and intrepidity; while Vivanco is a native of
Lima, of pure Spanish descent, indolent, dilatory, and without personal
courage; but eloquent and persuasive, and possessed of qualities which
have surrounded him with numerous warm partisans and personal friends.
Between such men the issue could not be doubtful.
The veteran Castilla, as soon as the 'Apurimac' had sailed for the
Chincha Islands, formed the daring plan of attacking his enemy in the
north; and, in spite of the Navy, which had declared against him,
he bought an old steamer, the 'Santiago,' belonging to the English
Steam Navigation Company, and boldly steamed away in search of the
Regenerator. On hearing of his approach, Vivanco was seized with a
panic, and, evacuating the places he had occupied, retreated to his
ships. He now thought that, in the absence of Castilla, he might
succeed in an attempt on the capital, and, collecting all his vessels,
he retraced his steps southward, and arrived in Callao bay on April
22nd, 1857. A night attack was then made on the fort, but, after some
hard street fighting, Vivanco's party were obliged to retire to their
ships; and, his expedition having proved a complete failure, the
Regenerator returned to Islay, and proceeded at once to Arequipa.
While Vivanco was absent in the north, General San Roman had collected
a considerable force in the interior, with which he marched towards
Arequipa. The warlike Cholos came out to meet him, and a skirmish
followed, which they call the battle of Yumina. It consisted of a
considerable waste of powder, the two parties firing at each other,
at very long ranges, across a ravine; and in the afternoon the
Cholos returned in triumph to Arequipa. Having missed Vivanco in the
north, old Don Ramon Castilla steamed away to Arica in the same old
'Santiago,' safely passing the rebellious fleet at Islay, collected
a force at Tacna, and, marching by land, arrived in the campiña
of Arequipa in the end of July; soon afterwards establishing his
head-quarters at the village of Sachaca, some miles below the city, on
the banks of the river Chile. A detachment occupied Tiavaya, to cut off
Vivanco's communication with Islay.
The people of Arequipa were now hard at work to place the city in a
proper state of defence; barricades were erected in the most important
streets, and day and night the Cholos were under arms. But, supplies
having now entirely ceased from the custom-house at Islay, Vivanco
found himself in great difficulties; for people, having little faith
in the success of his revolution, were unwilling to advance money in
exchange for his _vales_ or promissory notes, even at a discount of
fifty per cent. The needy Regenerator then resorted to more violent
methods of raising money, and, breaking open several of the principal
shops, began to sell their contents to the highest bidder.
Castilla made constant sham attacks upon the town, which kept the
inhabitants in a continual state of alarm; but all his supplies were
derived from Arica, by way of Tacna, as the port of Islay remained in
the hands of Vivanco's party. This was his weak point; and when the
'Apurimac' arrived off Arica, and her commander Montero, after a sharp
street fight, got possession of that port in February, 1858, Castilla
found himself in a position of great difficulty. His supplies were
entirely cut off, and it became necessary for him to assault Arequipa
at all hazards. Accordingly he moved from his quarters at Sachaca
and Tiavaya, marched round the south side of the city, and early in
the morning of March 5th, 1858, commenced an attack on the eastern
suburbs. His troops first stormed the church of San Antonio, and then
advanced to the attack of San Pedro, which had also been occupied by
the besieged. Here the Cholos held their ground for four hours, from
eight to twelve A.M., in spite of the desperate attacks of Castilla's
best troops, and the well-directed fire of his artillery. At length,
overpowered by numbers, they were forced to retire, disputing every
inch of the ground. They rallied at the convent of Santa Rosa, and
obstinately defended the position for several hours, until night
closed in upon the combatants. Next morning, being the 7th of March,
some further resistance was made, but the troops of Castilla finally
stormed the barricades, and drove everything before them. Vivanco
escaped in the disguise of a friar to Islay, and thence to Chile, while
his officers looked after themselves, leaving the gallant defenders
of Arequipa to their fate. Tacna and Arica at once returned to their
allegiance, and the 'Apurimac' was given up to Castilla's ministers at
Lima by the mutinous Montero.
The Cholos of Arequipa thus defended their position, with great bravery
and resolution, against Castilla's disciplined army for upwards of
eight months; and during the assault, which lasted for two days, their
desperate valour was as remarkable as their extraordinary endurance,
for, such was the negligence of Vivanco and his officers, that they
were kept without refreshment or even water during the many hours in
which they sustained a deadly and unequal struggle against Castilla's
troops. It should also be recorded to their credit, that, although the
town was on several occasions entirely in their hands, there was no
instance of any act of pillage or excess being committed by them; and,
when all authority was withdrawn, they showed no disposition to take
advantage of their power, but displayed a regard for order which would
not be found among the lower orders of most other countries during
periods of great excitement.
There is a very striking difference, however, between the Cholos of
Arequipa and the Inca Indians of the interior, who appear in the
streets with their llamas laden with silky vicuña-wool: the former a
turbulent, excitable race, who will fight desperately behind walls, but
who are without stamina and quite unable to endure fatigue; the latter
a patient, long-suffering people, capable of extraordinary endurance,
and, as soldiers, in the habit of marching distances which appear
incredible to those whose experience is confined to the movements of
European troops. There is an evident mixture of Spanish blood in the
people who inhabit Arequipa and its campiña, while the Indians of the
interior are for the most part of pure descent.
The road over the cordilleras to Cuzco and Puno leaves Arequipa by
the southern suburb, and, after a few miles, ascends a rocky ridge to
the more elevated valley of Chihuata or Cangallo (9676 feet above the
sea[127]), at the foot of the southern spur of the volcano. A wretched
stone hut with a mud floor is here the only shelter for the traveller.
At one end a fire of sticks, where an old hag acted as cook, filled the
interior with smoke, and at the other each wayfarer, as he arrived,
made a shakedown of blankets and ponchos, sipped his chocolate, and,
after a short conversation, composed himself for the night. The fire
gradually smouldered and went out, and the old woman, with a brood of
children, made a heap at the further corner.
At early dawn of the 23rd of March we were all in motion, and our
companion of the previous night, a Spaniard with a large _tropa_ of
mules laden with aguardiente, was busily preparing for a start. As the
sun rose, the dazzling white of the snowy peaks of Pichu-pichu and
the volcano, with fleecy clouds above their summits, gave a glorious
effect. The rest of the sky was blue, gradually clouding over as the
morning advanced; and the valley was covered with alfalfa-fields of the
richest green, with the pretty little village of Cachimarca perched on
a rounded hill to the southward. The flowering shrubs by the roadside
are the same as in the campiña of Arequipa, except that a small yellow
Calceolaria is more abundant. The morning air was fresh and bracing as
we mounted our mules and faced the long zigzag path up the "alto de los
huesos," the southern spur of the volcano, so called from the bones of
thousands of mules which are met at every turn. This ascent conducts
the traveller from the temperate valley of Cangallo to the bleak and
chilling plains of the upper cordillera.
[Illustration: A CHOLO OF AREQUIPA. From a Photograph See page 80.]