CHAPTER X

THE SUBURBS OF LIMA—THE OROYA RAILWAY—CERRO DE PASCO

=Chorillos.= With sufficient time at one’s disposal a few days may be pleasantly spent in visiting the shore resorts near the capital. The electric cars which pass on the calle de Abancay, the third street southeast from the Maury, are the means of transit to Miraflores, Barranco and Chorillos, all pleasant places of residence, though Chorillos is especially fashionable. The last named, before the Chilian war, was the most frequented summer resort in South America, but after the battle of Chorillos in 1881 it was completely destroyed by the invaders. Rebuilt during the last quarter of a century, it is again beautiful with many charming homes. The town is located 100 feet above the beach of a sheltered cove, which is partly enclosed by a cliff. A promenade along the edge is a fashionable resort for tourists and townspeople, to enjoy the cool breezes, and the sunset in the broad Pacific. Close at hand an eminence of 2000 feet called Morro Solar enhances the beauty of the scene. A shady pathway leads down to the beach, which affords excellent bathing with a moderate surf. The regular population of 3000, greatly increased in the summer, is daily further augmented by those who come for the bathing and the other diversions of a watering place: boating, music, dancing, etc. At the Casino are held many fashionable social affairs; and the Regatta Club gives frequent entertainments when the bay, covered with boats of various descriptions, presents a pretty spectacle. Worthy of a visit is the Military School here located, a fine institution for the education of army officers, and an excellent training school for the Indian soldiers.

Beyond Chorillos the electric cars continue by a tunnel through Morro Solar to La Herradura, another bathing resort. _Barranco_ and _Miraflores_, nearer to Lima, are almost continuous with Chorillos and are connected by pleasant, shaded driveways. _Magdalena_, a shore resort still nearer Lima, is reached by a different electric car line.

A very popular resort with a fine new hotel, the Eden, is _La Punta_, down beyond Callao, whence electric cars, connecting with those from Lima, for five _centavos_ carry passengers to the extremity of the sandy point ever refreshed by cool breezes. Here the Naval School’s excellent new building is located.

=Ancon.= Twenty-five miles north of Lima, on the opposite side from Chorillos, is _Ancon_, more especially a health resort, its sandy soil and dry atmosphere making it especially desirable for persons with pulmonary and bronchial affections. There is good bathing, a tennis court, one or two hotels, the Grand said to be comfortable, and many cottages; but it is less attractive than the resorts at the south. It has, however, an allurement peculiarly its own in being renowned as a necropolis of prehistoric treasures. Ancon is reached by a steam railway from the Desamparados station in an hour and a half or so, and the ride gives one a view of the genuine unirrigated desert. The journey may now be pursued to the town of Huacho, about 90 miles farther.

=Pachacámac.= Persons who are interested in antiquities should make the excursion to Pachacámac, whose ruins are believed to antedate any others in Peru and to go back two or three thousand years. The place is not accessible by rail, carriage, or boat, yet it may be visited in a single day by a vigorous, enterprising person who is able to make suitable arrangements in advance. The site of this ancient sanctuary and city is nearly 25 miles from Lima, in the direction of Chorillos. Thither one should go by the earliest morning car, to be met there by a guide and horses with which to pursue the journey. Dr. Max Uhle made extensive excavations in this region. The ruins are in the Lurin Valley, the loveliest south of Lima, watered by a stream smaller than the Rimac but of constant supply. In the period of the invasion it was the more thickly populated of the two. Wars, and the efforts for the conversion of the natives by religious orders caused the ancient city in the course of the century following the Spanish invasion to become a scene of desolation.

Provisions for a substantial luncheon should be taken in saddle-bags, though fodder for the animals may doubtless be procured at the hacienda near by of Don Vicente Silva. A desert called the Tablada de Lurin is crossed between the Rimac and Lurin valleys. Barren islands are in view on the right with myriads of pelicans and other sea-fowl. The desert sands drift over the ruins, on the north side of the valley, 600 yards from the ocean. A few _tillandsia_ plants show a little green in winter. The hooting owl, the lizard, and a small viper are the only forms of life. The neighboring hills rise 150 to 250 feet above the desert. In the distance two villages with their church spires may be seen, Pachacámac three miles back from the sea on the other side of the river, and Lurin near the coast, a mile and a half from the ruins. To the south beyond is desert; to the east, 45 miles away, the outlying bulwarks of the Andes rise 9000 feet. In an early period the coast for 120 miles from Supe to Huaman was under the sway of Pachacámac. There are extensive remains in many places about, and traces of an ancient road with a wall along the center, one side for the ruler and his retinue, the other for common people, each section 16 feet wide. The place was conquered by the Incas 170 years before the invasion of the Spaniards, when all its wealth of gold had already disappeared. The ancient city, 2½ miles long and 1⅓ broad, included four hills, on one of which in the center of the town the Incas later erected a temple to the Sun. The original sanctuary to the Creator god, not to be confounded with the Sun god of the Incas, stood at the foot of a hill on the north side of the town nearly on a level with the city. The temple which faced the coast to the northwest was 400 feet long and 180 wide with terraced sides leading to a plateau above, 330 by 130 feet. There are rooms supposed to be for the reception of envoys, others for sacrificial purpose. They were gorgeously decorated with frescoes of bird and animal designs, with doors incrusted with coral, turquoise, and crystal. Pilgrims who came a thousand miles with offerings were obliged to fast for twenty days before entering the first court, and a year before ascending to the holier shrine of extraordinary sanctity above. The cemeteries naturally furnished many valuable relics, mummies, bones, and skulls, fragments of cloth, and a great variety of articles. The cemetery connected with this temple was the most crowded, though burial here was reserved for princes and pilgrims who brought rich offerings. Many objects have a strong resemblance to those of Tiahuanaco. A slab of Chavin de Huantar and a richly ornamented poncho at Ancon are of similar style. It is estimated that there were from 60,000 to 80,000 graves here, some in open cemeteries, some in dwellings, besides those in the temple. Most of these were rifled ages ago. This is thought to be a seat of the earliest civilization of the coast, perhaps extending to Ecuador, while the Chimu culture either descended from it or was influenced by it. The city wall was from 11 to 13 feet high and 8 feet thick. There was an inner as well as an outer wall. The streets were 13 to 16 feet wide. There were large detached edifices, resembling ruins at Huatica near Lima, and one group of crowded buildings. The term Pachacámac is of Quichua origin, the earlier name being different, perhaps Irma the same as Wiraqocha. The Sun temple half a mile from the sea is on a terraced rocky height a mile and a quarter in circumference; but it does not compare with the Mexican pyramid Cholula. The rooms may be traced, and the stairway with steps four inches high and one foot four inches wide. A convent for the Sun maidens, accommodating two hundred, fronts the green fields. The cemetery on the southeast terrace of the Sun temple shows that all were women who had been strangled in obvious sacrifice; thus suffered also many children of all ages for the propitiation of their cruel deity.

=The Oroya Railway.= Whatever else may be omitted from one’s programme of sight-seeing in Peru, a journey over the Oroya road should on no account be missed. Long enjoying the reputation of the highest railway in the world, it affords an opportunity to climb with ease in a few hours to a height as great as that of the summit of Mont Blanc, to behold scenery of wonderful grandeur, and a historic region of remarkable mineral wealth, the second of the three great longitudinal divisions of Peru. Farther on, with a little more trouble, one may most conveniently obtain a glimpse of the third and by far the largest of Peru’s three natural divisions; as yet thinly peopled and little known, but ultimately, perhaps, to prove the richest. The practically rainless coast region from 50 to 100 miles wide, all desert except where irrigated, we have already seen. Next comes the sierra district of mountains and tableland, from one to three hundred miles wide, where, beyond the Coast Range, there is plenty of rain and snow. Varying in height, width, and in the number of parallel mountain chains, the greatest altitude is in the southern and central portions, decreasing north of 7° S. Lat. The lofty snowclad mountains, the multitude of lesser peaks, the lakes, small and large, the countless streams, the delightful valleys, the desolate plateau sometimes called the _puna_, cut by narrow gorges, present a marvellous variety of scenery, climate, and productions. Here are two-thirds of the inhabitants of the country. The forest region on the eastern slope of the mountains with the lowlands beyond, all called the _montaña_, is at first wonderfully beautiful with soft, genial climate, though below an altitude of 2000 feet it becomes rather warm, in a few spots unhealthy.

By the Oroya Railroad a great elevation is attained in fewer hours than can be duplicated elsewhere in the world except in balloon or aeroplane. Indeed, the time of the ascent is so brief that some persons suffer from the sudden change in the pressure of the atmosphere. This fact has given rise to alarming representations, on the part of many native and foreign residents, of the danger involved in the journey, so that many tourists are frightened out of the excursion to whom it would be a genuine delight. The truth is that of the thousands who each month go over the road, the majority suffer from _soroche_, mountain sickness, not at all, or with little and temporary discomfort. A slight headache is common; it may be severe, or accompanied by nausea and vomiting. A few have become dangerously ill and deaths have occurred, as on Pike’s Peak. Two classes of people should not take the risk, those with weak hearts and those who are both stout and full blooded. Persons merely delicate in a general way are less likely to suffer inconvenience than some vigorous athletic persons. One doubtful about his heart should have it examined. Apprehensive persons who would be _sure_ to avoid trouble may get off at Matucana, and a day or two later comfortably pursue the journey. It will be easier for every one to go the day previous to Chosica to spend the night, thus avoiding an unreasonably early start in the morning. Ordinary prudence may suggest that one should be careful not to over-eat the day before, and be very abstemious on the trip, especially as to alcoholic liquors. At the highest points one should move slowly or not at all. A brisk walk may produce dizziness or worse.

=The Central Railway of Peru=, a standard gauge line, was begun in 1870 by the American financier, Henry Meiggs, and completed to Chicla, 88 miles from Callao, in 1876. On account of the troubles resulting from the Chilian War it did not reach Oroya until 1893. For some years this was the terminus of the road and in one sense is so still, as the natural continuation would be east, over to the _montaña_ country. There are, however, branches in two different directions, north and south; the former, an American line of the same gauge to Cerro de Pasco, the latter, a part of the Central system owned by the Peruvian Corporation, now open to Huancayo and being gradually extended to the southwest, ultimately to reach Cuzco, where it will connect with the Southern Railway managed by the same corporation. Both of the _branches_ are on the line of the Pan American Railway, by which it will some day be possible, perhaps within a decade, certainly in two, to go by rail from New York to Buenos Aires, a wonderful journey through ever changing and delightful scenes. By the time these 250 miles from Huancayo to Cuzco are finished, which should be by 1918, all the southern part from Lima to Buenos Aires will be ready, as Argentina’s portion is now complete and Bolivia’s will be finished soon. The section from Quito to Panama will linger longest. When finished, the road in my opinion will be a far greater bond of union between North and South America than the Panama Canal.

The Oroya Railroad follows the Rimac Valley up to its culminating point, with an occasional detour into a side cañon to gain additional height. It was a man of courage and large ideas who forty years ago planned to climb with the iron horse, instead of the ancient burro and llama, the steep and lofty wall which, rising in its _lower_ points to a height of from 14,000 to 17,000 feet, stretches for 1000 miles along the coast of Peru within 100 miles of the sea. With an average grade of four per cent it was the second road from the Pacific to cross the continental divide, though it still remains to be continued, as Meiggs planned, down to a point open to steam navigation on one of the branches of the Amazon.

Setting out on this trip from Lima, one must rise early, as the train leaves the Desamparados Station at 6.50 a.m., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. By strenuous insistence the night before, you _may_ be able to have coffee and rolls brought to your room before your departure; but if you fail, a ten minutes’ halt at Chosica at half past eight affords opportunity to repair the omission.

The lower part of the Rimac Valley has an apparently level floor of considerable breadth, with vegetation of a sub-tropical character, irrigation affording an ample water supply. At first banana groves and fields of sugar cane are numerous; patches of Indian corn and alfalfa continue far up the cañon. The view, for a short distance somewhat open among isolated hills, narrows as we enter a genuine valley with steep and ever higher walls, their slopes thickly terraced and bearing remains of ancient highways and villages, evidence of a formerly far greater population than now. After much wandering among the ruins near Chosica, Professor Solon I. Bailey estimated an earlier number of 6000 inhabitants, where now there is one-tenth of that number.

=Chosica.= This town, at train time a busy place, is growing rapidly since, with several daily trains, it has become a suburb of the capital 25 miles distant. It is especially a winter resort, as, located just beyond the edge of the fog bank or cloud which in that season hangs over the coast, it has plenty of sunshine. It is much patronized by those natives and foreigners who find the chilly dampness from May to October rather trying to their health. The Gran Hotel de la Estacion, close to the station, affording comfortable rooms, is the best place to stay over night. On the opposite side of track and river are many pleasant dwellings in pretty gardens and another hotel, rather a Sanatorium, fitted up with all modern appliances such as sun rooms, electric apparatus for baths, and many other devices to aid the semi-invalid or debilitated to recover his strength. In the season, Chosica is served with three daily trains each way, including an express with parlor car in one hour.

Above Chosica the scenery becomes wilder, the valley narrower. The fall of the Rimac is so rapid as not only to compel many curves and V’s but to make an incursion into a side valley desirable. Thus the road goes half a mile up the Verrugas Gorge which it crosses by the highest bridge on the road, 225 feet, with a length of 575, returning on the other side to the Rimac at a considerably greater elevation. Frequently the floor of the Rimac Cañon has room only for the rushing stream. The road passes high up on the slope, or through one of the sixty-five tunnels. Many times the river is crossed; sixty-seven bridges may be counted. At one point the side walls are so precipitous that it was necessary to lower workmen from the top of the cliff above. Sitting in a swing they cut footholds in the rock preparatory to the beginning of the work. Some of the cliffs are more than a third of a mile in perpendicular height.

=Matucana.= Whenever the valley broadens out there is a town, as at the breakfast station, Matucana, which at an altitude of 7788 feet affords a meal of several courses at the price of one _sol_. The hotel furnishes comfortable accommodations for those who think it wiser to take the climb in instalments, or for any with archæological tastes who may like to investigate some ruins a few miles down the valley on an eminence rising from the north side of the river. The excursion may be made from Matucana in a long day on horseback with a good horse and guide, even on foot by one so inclined. The remains are of especial interest on account of a theory that they are relics of a Pygmy City; that the little people once its inhabitants were expelled by ruthless invaders and fled over the mountains into the Amazon basin. Fortifications, house walls, and subterranean chambers still exist, the small size of the rooms, the doorways three feet high, being adduced as evidence in favor of the little people. Others believe the ruins are those of an ordinary ancient fortress.

Beyond Matucana the scenery becomes still grander. The walls above sometimes look dangerous with overhanging rocks, or with boulders half out of a steep earth slope, appearing just ready to roll down. Slides occasionally occur, especially in the rainy season, but accidents are rare; for going up it is easy to make a sudden pause, and coming down a hand-car goes ahead of passenger trains to make sure that the track is clear. Bridges and tunnels are the order of the day, gorges and cliffs, at last, shining mountains. The Gorge of Infernillo (Little Hell), black and deep, you are whisked across in a moment, and from one tunnel into another. Tamboraque, the first small mining town, is really in the Sierra. Rio Blanco and Casapalca farther on are important smelting centers, the last above 13,000 feet. Long before this it has grown cold and wraps are in order, furs perchance not amiss, good woolen underwear desirable. Chicla, a considerable place, reached before Casapalca, is notable for having five parallel tracks one above another, curves, tunnels, and two V’s being required to climb, by three miles of track, 500 feet in a short distance up the valley. At Ticlio there may be a chance for tea. One venturing from the car should here step slowly and carefully if he would avoid a slight ringing in the ears. One not feeling perfectly well is wiser to let some one else bring the tea. A bottle of salts of ammonia should be at hand in case of headache or vertigo, and fresh air may be desirable. A short stop is made just before entering the Galera Tunnel, 4000 feet long. On the right at the entrance of the tunnel is a rounded brown hill top, Monte Meiggs, often without snow though 17,575 feet above the sea. This altitude is confused by many with that of the railroad, about 2000 feet lower; for which the manner of printing the time-table may be responsible. East of the continental divide the fine snow peaks and glaciers are in striking contrast to the bareness in the dry season on the coast side. Beyond the snow mountains, the scenery diminishes in grandeur to _Oroya_, 12,050 feet, where the train is now due about 3.30. An observation car is greatly to be desired on this ride. If the conductor can be persuaded to let you stand on the rear platform of the last car, this on a regular train is the best position available. An open freight car now affords the finest possible outlook, but most persons will prefer a more comfortable seat with diminished view. From the station Ticlio, altitude 15,665 feet, the highest point on the main road, there is a short branch line to the mining town Morococha, beautifully situated among lakes and glaciers, this branch crossing the divide at 15,865 feet, a trifle higher than Mont Blanc, and absolutely the highest point in the world now reached by rail. The grandeur of the varied scenes on the wonderful Oroya Railway baffles all description and must be seen to be realized in the smallest degree. For those who are unable to devote the two days necessary to enjoy the entire trip, it is sometimes possible to make a Sunday excursion part way up the valley to Rio Blanco, 20 miles above Matucana, returning the same afternoon; much better than nothing, but with a loss of the more splendid scenes above. At Oroya there are two hotels, the _Junín_ and the _Grand_, with little to choose between them. No luxuries are provided; a fair dinner, a bed, and morning coffee are supplied; but more fortunate are those who have friends at court and are entertained by some of the railway officials. At Oroya one may have his first sight of llamas, the ancient burden bearers of Peru, dignified, graceful animals, when moving with their ordinary slow walk, but not when startled into a run. Be cautious about making free with them, as if they resent your advances they are liable to spit in your face, though they do not look as if they could be so rude.

Those who are making the South American Tour in a leisurely manner, or who have an eye to business, may not pause at Oroya, but changing cars may continue north the same day to Cerro de Pasco, or after a night in Oroya may pursue the railroad journey southward to Huancayo, or may on horseback go over another mountain range, then down, down, to Tarma, La Merced, and the _montaña_ country.

=Cerro de Pasco= is reached by a journey of about 90 miles over a generally hilly or rolling country, with few high mountains visible and those afar off. Lake Junín is passed before dark, a resort of ducks and other wild fowl, hence a field of sport for those fond of game. Here, be it remembered, was the next to the last battle of the War of Independence; and the soldiers in those days did not come up in cars either. Indians abound at the stations along the road, Quichuas, differing little from their ancestors of 400 years ago. The town of Cerro is reached about 9.30 p.m., but as a dining car is attached to the train one is well fed at a seasonable hour. The best if not the only hotel in the place is the _Universo_ on the main plaza of the town, to which the stranger will need a guide, as the station is on the outskirts of the old city. The hotel is not much to boast of, but the night I spent there was perfectly comfortable. Again, if one has friends at court among the officials of the Mining Company he is lucky, but naturally they cannot entertain all tourists. The place is of exceptional interest as one of the highest mining camps of any size, and the highest town of any importance in the world. There are at least 8000 people here at an altitude of about 14,300 feet. The _Cerro de Pasco Mining Company_, composed of half a dozen or more well known American millionaires, has spent it is said towards $30,000,000 in the purchase and development of property here and at Morococha, in building the railway from Oroya, in erecting a large smelting plant nine miles from Cerro with buildings for employees, on coal mines, and on other things essential to a great property. In earlier days these mines were worked for silver, but now copper is the chief production. Recently an average of 400,000 lbs. 98 per cent pure has been turned out from the smelter each month. The privilege of visiting the mines is accorded to few, but all may observe the great open pits resembling quarries, several hundred feet deep, where the surface, undermined years ago by great tunnels and chambers, at last caved in. The titanic forces of nature by some mighty effort here cast upward a wonderful mass of minerals, gold, silver, copper, etc., not in veins, but in chunks. This has been called the richest copper deposit in the world, but others dispute the claim. Vanadium is one of the various minerals found not far away. The town with its many Indians, Peruvians, and Americans is a curious place on this great plateau from 50 to 100 miles wide, a plateau diversified by hills, fringed by distant mountains, and cut by occasional cañons, from which fruit and vegetables are brought for the sustenance of the dwellers above. It is possible to go on by train from Cerro to Goyllarisquisga, 26 miles farther, on the edge of a cañon commanding a fine view of the great mountain, La Viuda, believed by some to exceed Aconcagua in height. A concession has recently been granted by the Peruvian Government to Mr. Alfred McCune, now transferred to the Amazon Pacific Co., to build a railroad from Goyllarisquisga, down to Puca Alpa on the Ucayali River, a point four days from Iquitos. Operations have commenced. An immense amount of rich territory will be opened up by this road, fine grazing and agricultural lands, and rubber country below. Ultimately the town Goyllarisquisga will be connected by rail with Recuay, the entire line from Oroya forming a link in the Pan American railroad. From Cerro or the Smelter, a three days’ horseback ride would bring one to Lake Santa Ana, the source of the Marañon or Amazon. A mile or two below the Smelter is a valuable silver mine and smelter in operation, property of Señor Fernandini.

=Huancayo.= The trip from Oroya south to Huancayo is through a valley of somewhat lower elevation, hence of more cheerful character. The town of Jauja on this line is considered an excellent place for consumptives, for whom the coast is much too damp. Huancayo, 78 miles from Oroya, is now the terminus, but work has been pushed for 20 miles farther and ere long Ayacucho will be reached, the scene of the final battle, compelling the withdrawal of the Spaniards.

=Tarma.= The expedition to Tarma and the _montaña_ may attract a few who can spare a week or ten days for this delightful trip. Animals to Tarma may be obtained at Oroya for 5 or 6 _soles_ each. With saddle-bags, no baggage animals are needed. It is well to set out from Oroya by 9 a.m., in order to pass over the _cumbre_ before the afternoon breeze begins to blow and to arrive in good season at Tarma, a pretty town at an altitude of about 10,000 feet. There are two hotels where lodging may be had at modest prices, and at the Umberto horses may be engaged for the ride to La Merced. Luncheon must be taken from Oroya, but beyond Tarma there are places on the road where it may be procured. On the _cumbre_ 2000 feet above Oroya, all is brown and bare, but at the farther edge of the broad pass there is a fine view of distant mountains and valleys. Not far down, green will appear, presently a house or two, a pretty stream, a few calla lilies. From Tarma onward there are plenty of trees, growing as it were of their own accord, a pleasing change from the plateau and the western side. The next day luncheon is at Palca, and before night one should reach Huacapistana, 40 kms., a delightful spot. The third day one has luncheon at San Ramón and spends the night at La Merced, 35 kms., which with an altitude of less than 3000 feet is really in the tropical country. The delights of this journey, the beautiful cañon lined with verdure, is a contrast indeed to the bare sublimity of the other side. The road is excellent except in one place between Oroya and Tarma. There are romantic tunnels, fine suspension bridges, swinging, but that does no harm and may afford a novel experience. This road is now the highway from Lima to the Atlantic by way of Iquitos, and at the moment it is probably the most comfortable route to cross the center of the continent. With good luck the journey from Lima to Iquitos may be made in 16 days, nine of these on horseback from Oroya to Puerto Jessup, one day by canoe to Puerto Bermudez, thence in five or six days by steam launch to Iquitos. At this city of 15,000 people a larger boat may be taken for Pará or New York. But that is another story. By way of Cerro de Pasco and Huánuco, the journey from Lima to Iquitos is ten days. A few hours beyond La Merced is the Perené coffee plantation belonging to the Peruvian Corporation. In this section land is cheap, and with the mercury always in the eighties, one so inclined may be happy, leading the simple life. The Indians about here are fine looking, whiter than many of the Spanish, and are quiet, peaceful people; though others beyond are so fierce that it is unsafe to pass through their territory. Having been ill-treated by white rubber gatherers and some other so-called civilized men, they allow no whites among them.