The City of Puno. 423 



Puno is elevated 12,547 feet above the sea. It is situ- 

 ated at the foot of the silver-veined Caucharani, as it slopes 

 gently to the lake. Indeed, it ovpes its origin to the rich 

 mines in the vicinity, now nearly abandoned, though not 

 exhausted. It would be a noiseless city, were it not for 

 jingling church-bells ; for the streets are unpaved, aud car- 

 riages have yet to be. Save a few public buildings, the 

 houses are of one story, and of brown adobe, thatched or 

 tiled. Though lowly in this respect, the lofty city boasts 

 of its altitude, its fine cathedral, its university, with several 

 colleges,* and three newspapers. The cathedi'al dates from 

 1757, and has an elaborate front. The Grand Plaza con- 

 tains a fountain (the chief water-tank of the cit}'), and 

 around it the daily markets are held ; for every morning 

 the little world of Puno assembles here to buy, sell, and 

 talk. Here the Aymara women (who do most of the bus- 

 iness) squat on tiie ground in rows, each with the little pile 

 of charqui (jerked beef), fish, dried potatoes (called chuno), 

 ocas, aji (red peppers), beans, pease, maize, barley, quinoa, 

 coca, and clay. The peppers, beans, and pease come from 

 the coast, and the beans and pease have to be ground to 

 powder before they can be cooked at this altitude. Po- 

 tatoes are frozen, and then dried, before eaten. Coca, the 

 main solace of the poor Indian, is one of the most valu- 

 able articles of internal Peruvian commerce. It is the 

 leaf of a shrub six feet high, cultivated extensively in 

 the warm valleys of Yungas. The clay is eaten ; but, 

 as analyzed by Forbes, it shows only a trace of organic 



* One of these is for sefioritas. Female colleges in the United States and 

 England may be interested to know the course of study in this rival institu- 

 tion below the equator, and two miles above the sea. The departments are : 

 Ancient history of the East ; astronomical geography ; Spanish grammar ; 

 practical arithmetic; religion; hygiene; urbanity; writing; and embroid- 

 ery. A similar establishment in Cuzco has three professorsliips : one of 

 arithmetic, morals, religion, and embroidery ; a second of urbanity and sew- 

 ing ; and a third of geography and grammar. 



