. The Spanish-American republics . ure Indian from themountains is rarely seen, and when he and his wife do go down to thecapital, they prove to be a stolid and imbruted couple, not worthy ofany particular interest. They are, however, good Catholics, bow re-ligiously before the gaudily-dressed images exhibited at the churchdoors, and deposit their obole in the tray which the priests presentto them. Given this excessively mixed population, it may be readily con-ceived that the streets of Lima present a sufficiently varied and pict-uresque scene. The town itself offers from almost any point aneq
. The Spanish-American republics . ure Indian from themountains is rarely seen, and when he and his wife do go down to thecapital, they prove to be a stolid and imbruted couple, not worthy ofany particular interest. They are, however, good Catholics, bow re-ligiously before the gaudily-dressed images exhibited at the churchdoors, and deposit their obole in the tray which the priests presentto them. Given this excessively mixed population, it may be readily con-ceived that the streets of Lima present a sufficiently varied and pict-uresque scene. The town itself offers from almost any point anequally picturesque frame for the picture. The perspective of thestreets is always amusing, thanks to the projecting miradorcs, to thetowers of the churches, which always appear in the distance, and, inthe longitudinal streets, to the line of hills and the Cerro de San Cris-tobal, which rise above houses and towers. The movement is com-posed of the elements already enumerated, an occasional cart with IMPRESSIONS OF PERU. 199 C-LLZ2/. ON THE DESEMPARADOS BRIDGE, LIMA. \ %^v three mules harnessed abreast, a whistling tram-way, a closed carriagedrawn by two horses (in Lima open carriages seem to be unknown,whether they be public or private conveyances), and foot-passengers,consisting largely of women wearing black mautas, which form atonce bonnet and shawl, being drawn tightly over the head and pinnedbehind in one or two places. This black mania is the universal cos-tume of the Lima women of all classes in the early hours of the day;no other dress is seen in the churches; and it is only in the after-noon that you see the ladies clad in the current modern finery whichParis invents and distributes to the whole world. Towards fiveoclock the Plaza Mayor and the main streets, called Mercaderes andBodegones, attain their maximum of animation, which is almost exclu-sively pedestrian, for the Peruvians are now too poor to keep car-riages. In the Mercaderes and the Portales of the plaza the
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidgrispanishameri00chil
