CiiAP. XI. THE PUCARA RIVER. ISO 



the inhabitants have small raamifactories for making glazed 

 earthenware basins, pots, plates, and cups,* which find an ex- 

 tensive market in the villages and towns of the department 

 of Puno, and which will probably long hold their own against 

 the same kind of coarse wares from Europe or the United 

 States. 



From Puno to Pucara I had travelled along the main-road 

 to Cuzco ; but, at the latter place, I branched oif to the east- 

 ward, to pass through the province of Azangaro to that of 

 Caravaya. The main-road continues in a northerly direction, 

 crosses the snowy range of VilcaSota near Ayaviri, and 

 descends the valley of the Vilcamayu to Cuzco. At Pucara 

 I left post-houses and post-mules bebind me, for they only 

 exist on the main-roads between Arequipa, Puno, Cuzco, and 

 Lima ; henceforth I had to depend on being able to induce 

 private persons to let out their mules or ponies to me. 



About 500 yards from the town of Pucara is the river of 

 the same name, Avhich flows past Ayaviri in the mountams 

 of Vilcanota. It was very full, and eighty yards across. The 

 mules swam, and we had to cross in a rickety balsa made of 

 two bundles of reeds, which had to go backwards and forwards 

 five times before all the gear and baggage was on the eastern 

 side. After riding over a plain Avhich became gradually nar- 

 rower as the mountains closed in, I began the ascent of a 

 rocky euesta, with a torrent dashing down over huge boulders 

 into the plain. There was a splendid view of the distant rock 

 of Pucara, with the snowy peaks of the Vilcanota range 

 behind. A league fiu'ther on there was an alpine lake, Nvith 

 a fine peaked cliff rising up from the water's edge. There 

 were many ducks and widgeons, and large coots were quietly 

 busy, swimming about and building their nests on little reed 



■• One of tlic manufuctureiti, Don I active in seeking for instruction, de- 

 Manuel Zenon Kamos, has been very | t^igns, and models from Europe. 



