THE GRAN CHACO AND THE NORTHERN TOWNS
The Gran Chaco is the least-known part of Argentina which has the
reputation of being a land of Pampas, although these grassy plains
cover but one-fourth of the total area of the Republic. In the Chaco
are to be found the great majority of the flora and fauna which occur
in Argentina, for except in its semi-tropical forests there is no
considerable variety of either vegetable or animal life. Concerning
the origin of the name, the worthy Padre Lozano says[150]: "The
Etymology of the name _Chaco_ indicates the great multitude of tribes
which people this region. When the Indians go out hunting and drive
together from different quarters the vicunas and guanacos, that vast
mob of animals is called _Chacu_ in the Quichoa language which is the
common tongue of Peru. Thus, because the land in question contained a
number of different tribes, they received by analogy the name _Chacu_,
which the Spaniards have corrupted into _Chaco_."
Since the early wars of the Spaniards with the various tribes this
magnificent territory has not figured much in the history of the
country, but in natural interest it surpasses every other part of the
Republic, and its potential wealth is enormous. The climate, though
tropical, is not oppressive, and although the country is subject to
periodical floods, these greatly increase the natural wealth of the
soil, and almost every kind of vegetable product can be grown.
The principal tribes which inhabit this undeveloped region are the
Matacos, the Tobas, the Macovies, the Vilelas, the Chinipies, and the
Payaguas. Of these the Matacos and the Tobas are the most numerous.
The Matacos are tall and bony with strong frames. They have prominent
cheek-bones and black, hairy skins. Their teeth are white and far
apart, their noses are flat. They cultivate the ground and raise
crops of maize. The Tobas, who used to be a warlike race, are
more prepossessing in appearance and are slightly more civilised.
[Illustration: CHIRIGUANOS AND MATACOS.]
In the Chaco there is a considerable variety of fauna. The most savage
beast of South America, the jaguar, is found in Riacho Ancho and on
the islands of Cerrito. Its ferocity and cunning are well known, and
it is very destructive both to men and cattle. The puma also belongs
to the feline race, and is also destructive.[151] The wild cat (_felis
Geoffroyi_) is common. A less familiar animal is a large fox (_canis
jubatus_), red in skin and not unlike a hyena in both appearance and
habits, for it feeds on carrion. The tapir is one of the ugliest of
living creatures. It belongs to the hog family and somewhat resembles
the wild boar, but its long snout and ugly dark skin give it an
insignificant appearance. It is not savage. There are numerous species
of deer and a great variety of small animals. The alligator is very
common. The fish of the rivers is good and plentiful, and the chief
varieties are the pacu, armado, raya, suruvi, bagre, and palometa.
The natural history of the Gran Chaco has been well described by Felix
de Azara. The fauna, though abundant, are not particularly remarkable,
and differ in few particulars from those of other South American
forest tracts. Vegetation grows in boundless profusion, and the most
valuable product is timber, of which a brief description is given in
one of the industrial chapters. An Argentine writer[152] remarks: "The
forest land or woody portion of the Chaco can be said to occupy a
third part of the total area of the territory. The woods of the Chaco
are met with on the banks of rivers to which they make a broad fringe;
also in clumps or masses of trees more or less extensive; or as brows
of brush, as they are called in the neighbourhood--that is to say,
narrow strips of trees stretching from one clump to the other--or
else scattered in the form that is called thin bush. These varied
formations are not capricious. They obey geological laws with that
regularity which Nature demands from her handiwork, seeing that the
Chaco has no artificially planted trees whatever."
The Gobernacion of the Chaco itself is a comparatively small region,
not very much larger than England and Wales, and the population is
only 13,937. It is bounded on the north by the Vermejo, on the east by
the Parana and Paraguay, and on the west by the Provinces of Santiago
del Estero and Salta. The north is marshy, the south is covered with
dense forests. The capital is Resistencia, but the only place in the
Territory which has any railway communication with the outer world is
La Sabana, which is on a narrow-gauge railway to Santa Fé. A line,
however, is projected to run through Chaco into Bolivia.
In this work the term Gran Chaco is used, as it was by the old
Spaniards, to embrace all the tropical and semi-tropical north, and
this opportunity is taken of giving a brief account of a few of the
more interesting places, most of which are, thanks to the railways,
now within easy reach of Buenos Aires.
This is the case with the pleasant town of Cordoba, to which the
Central Argentine Railway provides a swift and comfortable service. It
was founded in 1573 by Don Geronimo de Cabrera, and it soon became the
religious and educational headquarters of the La Plata settlements. In
the Spanish days it was famed as a seat of intellectual culture,
but its importance seemed to have waned during the revolutionary wars.
Some eighty years ago a traveller[153] described it as situated in a
shallow valley. "The hills around are insignificant in size; but
partially wooded, and kept in a state of excellent irrigation. The
population, from the best source of information I could obtain, in the
absence of correct data, may be from eight to nine thousand, or
perhaps ten.... The granite hills in its vicinity afford abundant
ores, and they possess the necessaries of wood, water, mules, and
pasturage for cattle in abundance. The only impediment is the want of
practical miners to teach the unemployed peasants of the country the
rudiments of the art." Andrews observed that even at that time, when
the people were enraged with priests and bishops on account of their
loyal attitude, the ecclesiastical influence was probably more
powerful than in any other place in South America. Trade and all
prosperous activity was then in a state of stagnation owing to the
wars and the traffic in mules with Peru, Cordoba's staple industry,
had been completely destroyed. Andrews admired the "fine eyes" and the
"symmetry" of the ladies of Cordoba, and describes an excursion to the
country house of "the celebrated Dean Funes," the historian, but
unfortunately says nothing about his host. He seems to have enjoyed
his visit to Cordoba. About twenty years later another traveller[154]
estimates the population at fifteen thousand and says: "The city
presents an extremely clean and orderly appearance; the streets, which
intersect at right angles, are well kept and well lighted. The only
manufacture in the place is that of leather. There is no newspaper,
although formerly there were two weekly journals published....
The climate is very salubrious, though the rain does not fall in
sufficient quantity. There are no foreigners in the town, nor even in
the province, except a few French and two or three English: the
government architect is a Frenchman, who possesses both wealth and
influence." Cordoba must at that time have been a much pleasanter
place of residence than Buenos Aires, and possibly is so still. With
peace, renewed prosperity has visited the town, and it now has a
population of about sixty thousand. It is distant 435 miles from
Buenos Aires, and is an important railway centre. In old times it
stood on the high road to Peru, and it is now on what will be the
trunk line to the central Pacific coast. It is already connected with
Bolivia by a line running northwards through Jujuy. Twelve miles from
Cordoba are the reservoir and dam (Dique San Roque), on the river
Prisnero, which supply the city with water and are the largest works
of the kind in South America. The city is lighted by the electric
light and has electric trams.
[Illustration: GOVERNMENT HOUSE, CORDOBA.]
Cordoba with Mendoza has the reputation of being the town in Argentina
where the religious spirit is strongest. The number of churches is
remarkably large and some of them are handsome.
The University is the oldest in South America with the exception of
that at Lima. It was founded in 1613 by the Jesuits, who were always
foremost in the encouragement of learning and piety, and in 1621 it
was confirmed by the Bull of Pope Gregory XV. In Spanish times it had
a high reputation, but it greatly decayed under the tyranny of Rosas,
and in 1861 possessed only two faculties--Law and Theology. It was
much improved in 1880. Cordoba also is reputed to be a place where
culture is highly valued, but provincial seats of learning tend to be
overshadowed by Buenos Aires. Dr. Ernesto Quesada remarked: "In
Cordoba there is an active literary life, and a band of young men who
in society and magazines work with ardour, but their names are hardly
known in the capital." However, Cordoba has better than any other town
maintained its humanistic position, as Rosario has its commercial,
against this overpowering preponderance, and it may be hoped that
healthy non-political rivalries will be kept up and strengthened all
over the country.
Another large and flourishing city is Tucuman, a town of forty-nine
thousand inhabitants, situated on the right bank of the Tala, a
sub-tributary of the Salado. It was founded in 1565[155] by Diego de
Villaruel, and has always played a prominent part in history. The old
house in which the declaration of independence was signed is still
preserved. In revolutionary days the communicative Andrews[156] thus
describes it: "The city of Tucuman is like most others in South
America, of rectangular form. The public edifices and works are in a
wretched state. The arts and sciences are almost unknown, literature,
of course, included. Music alone seems to be a little cultivated, but a
general spirit of liberality, a wish to improve, and a thirst for
knowledge, is very observedly diffusing itself, and will not allow this
state of things to last. Unfortunately, the channels of information are
few and narrow, and I fear the people are without instructors, or have
very ill-chosen ones, though perhaps the best they can obtain." He
estimates the population at ten or twelve thousand.
Another traveller,[157] who was at Tucuman at the time the overthrow
of Rosas was announced, remarks: "If the tide of immigration could
only be diverted for a time towards this quarter, it appears to me
that this province is capable, in an agricultural point of view, of
largely supplying an export commerce. The sugar-cane, coffee, cocoa,
cotton, fruits of the most delicious kinds, and an abundance of
superior cattle, offer to the enterprising and industrious a certain
field of ultimate success. The united provinces of Cordova, Tucuman,
and Salta, have already gained a well-merited reputation for their
tanned leather, saddlery, and boots, superior to that of other
parts of South America." He declares that he left Tucuman with the
conviction that it stood unrivalled as the garden of the Argentine
Republic.
Like all other up-country towns, it long remained depressed by the
political troubles, and in 1875 the population was no more than
seventeen thousand. It had increased to twenty-seven thousand by 1884,
and has since been making steady progress. The Matriz Church is a fine
Doric building, erected in 1856, and there is a large National
College. In the suburbs stands the Plaza Belgrano on the site of the
village formerly called Cuidadela, where Belgrano gained a great
victory over the Spaniards. Like Cordoba, the city is on the trunk
line to Bolivia. The Province of Tucuman is famous for the sugar
industry, and many of the plantations and factories are near the town.
The Province of Salta one day can hardly fail to be of great
importance. It was first settled by one Lerma in 1582, and until 1776
was in the charge of a Lieutenant-Governor under the Governor of
Tucuman. During the first half of the nineteenth century it suffered
less than its neighbours owing to its remote situation. The forests,
hills, and rich pasture make the scenery charming, and the soil is
remarkably fertile, maize, wheat, lucerne, and sugar being extensively
cultivated. The mineral wealth, though insufficiently exploited, is
very great. The town of Salta, which is 935 miles from Buenos Aires,
has a population of about twenty thousand. It is well built, but not
particularly healthy, owing to malaria and bad water.
The fertile northern region of Argentina has hitherto been somewhat
neglected, in spite of the fact that it is the oldest settled part of
the country. When communications between Tucuman and Peru were
interrupted the country declined, and the easily earned wealth of the
Pampas diverted the attention of capital from less accessible parts.
On the western side communications are excellent, and on the east they
are fast improving. The towns and provinces are gradually increasing
in wealth and population and, besides their great fertility in soil
and every kind of produce, they will also be important as recipients
of trade from places over the frontier. This importance, of course,
will depend upon the development of the places in question. Those
countries that lie about the upper waters of the Parana will not be
trade centres for many years. As regards Bolivia, the case is
doubtful. That country has a large mining industry, but her population
is scanty and backward, and it is probable that it will still be more
economical to despatch the greater part of its products by sea.
In fact, the Argentine Government has raised objections to the
prolongation of the railway into Bolivia, on the ground that it will
not be a commercial success. However that may be, Tucuman, Salta,
Cordoba, Parana, and many other towns with their adjacent districts
will always have sufficient wealth to be of considerable importance in
themselves, and when more immigrants have been attracted thither they
will be regarded, in many respects, as the best part of the Republic.
[Illustration: TUCUMAN.]
FOOTNOTES:
[150] "Descripcion Chorographica," p. 1.
[151] South Americans say that it will not harm man under any
circumstances.
[152] M. Gonzalez, "El Gran Chaco Argentino," pp. 89, 90.
[153] Captain Andrews, "Journey from Buenos Aires," i. pp. 59, 60.
[154] W. MacCann, "Two Thousand Miles' Ride through the Argentine
Provinces," ii. 52, 3.
[155] "The land was rich in wheat, barley, and maize, and had fine
pastures to fatten fine cattle. Game was abundant, the trees were of
hard wood and of great size, and there was much cotton and flax which
was woven into fine linen. There were traces of gold, and above all
the climate was the best in the whole governorship" (Pedro de Lozano,
"Coleccion," iv. 228).
[156] "Journey from Buenos Aires," i. 241, 2.
[157] Bonelli, "Travels in Bolivia," &c., ii. 247.