Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
for throughout the night I heard some men exercising their powerful mountaineers' lungs by
shouting, '
al mar con los chilenos!
' (Into the sea with the Chilians!) Between these exclam-
ations they roared like lions, as if they were competing to see who had the loudest and most
terrifying voice.
In a valley, situated at the foot of a high, steep hill, Cuzco came in sight; we had penetrated
through the mountains to what had once been the heart of a mighty empire: the city of the In-
cas.
A military detachment happened to be stationed in the town, and the commander was kind
enough to take my horses into one of the corrals they had installed in a spacious backyard.
Neither man nor horse must be particular about quarters in Peru, and he who looks for a
stable, or perhaps even for a lavatory, in villages and small towns might just as well seek At-
lantis.Myeducation inthislinestarted inthenorthoftheArgentine,neartheBolivian border,
when I asked my host, the
comisario
(sheriff), the way to the lavatory. With a merry twinkle
in his eye he reminded me that I was no longer in Buenos Aires, and taking me by the arm
he led me outside his house, and with a waving gesture of his outstretched arm told me, 'My
friend, here you have the whole universe at your disposal, and I am sure it is large enough'.
Onesoongetsusedtotheseprimitiveandunsanitaryconditions,andafterawhileonedoesno
more than casually notice people committing what we call indecency, a thing one sees daily
even in busy streets in towns, women being as unconcerned about the matter as are men and
children.
I took a room in one of the hotels in Cuzco, and although I was used to far worse quarters
or even none at all, I objected to the high charges. Conversing with acquaintances I had made
thereIfoundoutthatIwasbeingchargedtwiceasmuchasaPeruviangentleman;anEnglish-
man paid double my fees, and an American tourist was 'bounced' out of enough to leave no
doubt that they had not mistaken him for a Scotchman.
Today Cuzco has some 80,000 inhabitants, but it is estimated that its population amounted
to 130,000 in the time of the Incas. Like most towns that were founded or rebuilt by the early
Spanish settlers, it has an almost incredible number of churches and chapels. The twenty prin-
cipal churches were built on the bases of ancient Inca constructions, and several have subter-
ranean chapels that date back to the time of the Jesuits. Some of the old churches are note-
worthy for their architecture, magnificent wood-carving and gorgeous altars. The pulpit in the
cathedral is a masterpiece, being of the finest wood, beautifully carved, and the main altar is
made of solid, beaten silver.
