Chap. XT. JULIACA. 183 



tween Caracoto and the next village of Juliaca there is 

 another swampy plain : most of the road was under water, 

 and we encountered a heavy liail-storm. The lights and 

 shades on the cordilleras and nearer hills, the heavy black 

 masses of cloud in one part of the heavens, and the sun's 

 rays breaking through in the other, were very fine. Juliaca 

 is a small town built under a spur of the mountains, with a 

 handsome stone church. It was Easter-Sunday, and I was 

 invited to meet all the principal families at dinner at the 

 house of the cura. Several Indian alcaldes were in attend- 

 ance ; consequential old fellows in full dress, consisting 

 of broad-brimmed black felt hats, sober-colom'ed ponchos, 

 and black breeches very open at the knees, no stockmgs, and 

 usutas or sandals of llama-hide. The distinctive mark of the 

 alcaldes, of which they are very proud, is their staff of office, 

 with silver or brass head and ferule, and rings round it 

 according to the number of years the owner has held office. 

 The Indians here wear the hair in numbers of very fine 

 plaits reaching half-way down their backs. An Indian always 

 accompanied the post-mules from one village to another, in 

 order to take back the return-mules ; and at Juliaca, while I 

 was quietly enjoying the cura's hospitality, the Indians took 

 my own mule back to Caracoto, as well as the post-mules. 

 Next morning, therefore, I sent for it, and received an 

 answer that the postmaster knew nothing about it. I was 

 eventually obliged, after seeing the gardener and luggage on 

 theii' way to Lampa, to go back to Caracoto, where the 

 postmaster was drunk and insolent ; and at length I found it, 

 with a troop of others, on the great plain beyond Caracoto. 

 Several Indians took much trouble for me in catching my 

 mule ; and it was late in the afternoon before I got back to 

 Juliaca, and was ready to set out on my journey to Lampa. 

 I mention this incident in order to show the trouble and 

 inconvenience of acting as one's own muleteer, although such 

 a mode of travelling is certainly four or five times as cheap 



