The Andes of southern Peru . g a 3 p THE PERUVIAN LANDSCAPE 185. bed, and the tortuous trail now follows a stream in the depths ofa profound abyss, now scales the walls of a labyrinthine canyon. The most striking elements of scenery are not commonly themost important in physiography. The oldest and most significantsurface may be at the top of the country, where it is not seen bythe traveler or where itcannot impress him, ex-cept in contrast to fea-tures of greater heightor color. The laymanfrequently seizes on apiece of bad-land erosionor an outcrop of bright-colored sandstone or acliff of var
The Andes of southern Peru . g a 3 p THE PERUVIAN LANDSCAPE 185. bed, and the tortuous trail now follows a stream in the depths ofa profound abyss, now scales the walls of a labyrinthine canyon. The most striking elements of scenery are not commonly themost important in physiography. The oldest and most significantsurface may be at the top of the country, where it is not seen bythe traveler or where itcannot impress him, ex-cept in contrast to fea-tures of greater heightor color. The laymanfrequently seizes on apiece of bad-land erosionor an outcrop of bright-colored sandstone or acliff of variegated clays ora snow-covered mountain as of most interest. All we can seeof a beautiful snow-clad peak is mere entertainment comparedwith what subdued waste-cloaked hill-slopes may show. We donot wish to imply that everywhere the tops of the Andes aremeadows, that there are no great scenic features in the Peruvianmountains, or that they are not worth while. But we do wish tosay that the bold features are far less important in the interpre-tation of the lands
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidandeso, booksubjectgeology
