88 JOURNEY ACROSS Chap. VI. 



CHAPTEE VI. 



JOUKNEY ACROSS THE CORDILLERA TO PUNO. 



In the region of the cordillera of the Andes, in Northern and 

 Central Peru, the country is broken up into deep warm 

 valleys and profound ravines, separated by lofty precipitous 

 ridges and snowy peaks, which combine to form some of the 

 most magnificent scenery in the world. Vast flocks of sheep 

 and alpacas find pasture on the upland slopes, while abun- 

 dance of wheat is grown lower down. Indian corn generally 

 flourishes at a still lower elevation, though it is grown as high 

 as 13,000 feet on the islands of lake Titicaca, and sugar-cane 

 is cultivated in the deep valleys. Tliis is the nature of the 

 country between Ayacucho and Cuzco, and in the valley of 

 Vilcamayu, which extends from the foot of the Vilcauota 

 range until it subsides into the vast tropical plains to the 

 north and east of Cuzco. 



But the southern part of the interior of Peru, and the 

 northern portion of Bolivia, present a very different cha- 

 racter. From the Vilcanota mountains the Andes separate 

 into two distinct chains, namely, the cordillera or coast-range, 

 and the Eastern Andes, which include the loftiest peaks in 

 South America, lUimani and Sorata, or Illampu. The region 

 between these two ranges contains the great lake of Titicaca, 

 and consists of elevated plains intersected by rivers flowing 

 into the lake, at a height never less than 12,000 feet above 

 the sea. The magnificent scenery of Northern and Central 

 Peru is wanting in this southern part of the country, which 

 composes the department of Puno, and is usually called 

 the Collao. It, howevei*, possesses features of its own which 

 are at once striking and imposing, while the land which is 



