BOLIVIA Cities of Bolivia

SIX

Cochabamba (ko-chah-bahm´bah) is called the Garden City of Bolivia. It was founded in 1574 in a beautiful valley on the east side of the mountains, which are here called the Royal Range. For a time the town was known as Oropesa (o-ro-pay´sah). During the war of independence, the people of the city took an active part; the women especially distinguished themselves in an attack on the Spanish camp in 1815. Three years later some of them were put to death by the Spanish forces. In general, the isolated situation of Cochabamba has been a protection against the disorders which have from time to time upset Bolivia.

Cochabamba stands on the Rocha (ro´cha), a small tributary of the Guapai (gwah-pie´) River. Its population is about 30,000, mostly Indians and mestizos. The city is 8,400 feet above the sea, 291 miles north-northwest of Sucre, and 132 miles east-northeast of Oruro (o-roo´-ro). A newly constructed railway runs from Oruro to Cochabamba.

The climate is mild and temperate, and the surrounding country fertile and cultivated. Trade is active; and in fact the city is one of the most progressive in Bolivia, in spite of its isolated situation. It is laid out regularly and contains many attractive buildings. The city has a university and two colleges, but they are poorly equipped.

The name of the city of Potosí (po-to-see´) has become proverbial and “smacks of almost magical and unearthly wealth.” It possesses some of the most wonderful silver mines in the world. Founded in 1547, shortly after the first discovery of silver there by an Indian herder, it has since produced an enormous amount of the precious metal. One writer estimates the yield of the mines there as having been worth one billion dollars. Seven thousand mines have been started, of which seven hundred are being worked for silver and tin today. At one time the city had a population of 150,000, which has now dwindled to about 25,000.

Potosí stands on a barren terrace about 13,000 feet above sea level, and is one of the highest towns in the world. It is 47 miles southwest of Sucre in a direct line. The famous Cerro Gordo (ser´-ro gor´-do; Spanish, ther´-ro gor´-do) de Potosí rises above the town to a height of 15,381 feet, a barren, white capped mountain, honeycombed with mining shafts. The town itself is laid out regularly. A large plaza forms the center, around which are grouped various buildings, such as the government house, national college, the old “Royal Mint,” dating from 1585, and the treasury. The city has a cathedral, which in part dates from early colonial times. The water supply is derived from a system of twenty-seven artificial lakes, or reservoirs, and aqueducts constructed by the Spanish government during the years of the city’s greatest prosperity.

Oruro (o-roo´-ro) is an important mining town of about 20,000 people. During the colonial period this town was noted next to Potosí, for the richness and productiveness of its mines. The mines in the neighborhood are now worked principally, though not entirely, for tin.

Oruro is 115 miles south-southeast in a direct line from La Paz. It stands 12,250 feet above sea level, and its climate is characterized by a short, cool summer and a cold, rainy winter. Oruro is the Bolivian terminus of the Antofagasta (ahn-toe-fah-gahs´-tah) Railway, the first constructed in Bolivia. In time the city promises to be one of the most important railway centers in the country.

Oruro contains many foreign residents, and several clubs. The government palace and the university building face the principal plaza. Besides these, the city has a theater, a public library and a mineralogical museum, as well as the usual churches, hospitals and schools.

There is one other region in Bolivia that should be visited by all travelers interested in the mysterious past of the country. This region is called Tiahuanacu (tee-ah-wah-nah´-koo). It is not far from La Paz, and the ruins there were believed by Sir Clements Markham to indicate the former existence of a large city of the Incas. One huge gateway, broken and apparently not in its original position, is especially interesting. This great piece of stone is 13 feet wide, 7 feet above the ground, and 3 feet thick. It is curiously and elaborately carved. In the center is a human head, supposed to represent the creator of the universe. To this, other figures, partly human and some with heads of condors, seem to be offering worship.

Other stones in this region are remarkable for their size and for the ornamental carving that appears upon them. All the ruins are apparently of great age. It is not difficult to imagine a time when the city was the home of thousands of human beings in a very advanced stage of civilization.

PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR. VOL. 5, No. 18, SERIAL No. 142 COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.

THE MENTOR · DEPARTMENT OF TRAVEL NOVEMBER 1, 1917