Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE AUTHOR
,
WEARING A SAND
-
STORM MASK IN BOLIVIA
If the natives' way of interpreting distance in the north of the Argentine was aggravating,
the Indians' vague and laconic information was far more annoying, for if one enquires how
far it is from one point to another, and if the Indian happens to understand and speak a little
Spanish, he points in some direction as if he could see the place one asks about and says,
cer-
quita
(quitenear)or
aquicito
(justhere),thoughthedistancemaybeanythingbetweentenand
a hundred miles.
Indians are very industrious people and quite unlike the mestizos, who are untrustworthy
and extremely lazy. Wherever there is a patch of ground, even high up on the mountain-sides,
Indians cultivate it, and between harvests they spend all their time making thread and weav-
ing. The latter is done on a primitive framework on the ground, but the quality of the material
turned out is remarkably good and often of very artistic design. They are skilful in preparing
natural dyes, but modern aniline dyes are often used today and are sold at all markets.
Many of Bolivia's mountains contain rich mineral deposits, some of which were exploited
longbeforetheSpaniardsinvadedtheseregions.TothisdaysomeoftheoldSpanishsmelting-
