45 6 



The National Geographic Magazine 



$65,000,000, with 97,000 employees and 

 1,560 separate pieces of machinery, and 

 yet this small section of the Republic, 

 with its large agricultural, pastoral, 



and manufacturing development, con- 

 tained a population of only 2,000,000, or 

 less than one-third the population of 

 Pennsylvania. 



THE FALLS OF IGUAZU 



By Marie Robinson Wright 



Author of "The Republic of Chile," "The New Brazil," "Picturesque 



Mexico," etc. 



IN the heart of South America, at the 

 meeting place of three republics, 

 Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, 

 Nature has chosen the site for a master- 

 piece of scenic grandeur, to be compared 

 only to the mighty Niagara in majesty, 

 and pronounced by some of the" few 

 travelers who have seen it to be even 

 greater than its North American counter- 

 part. 



The Falls of Iguazu occur at the junc- 

 tion of Iguazu River with the Upper 

 Parana, in a territory famous as the 

 original locality of the Jesuit missions, 

 established in the sixteenth century, the 

 ruins of which may still be seen by those 

 who visit the falls. The history of these 

 missions alone makes them sufficiently 

 interesting to warrant a journey thither, 

 and the fact that they have survived cen- 

 turies of disaster from fire and storm 

 speaks volumes for the enduring char- 

 acter of the work done by the simple 

 natives of what was then a savage 

 country, under the civilizing influence of 

 the celebrated Company of Jesus. 



There is no other spot in South 

 America, except the site of the ancient 

 empire of the Incas, where historic inter- 

 est and natural beauty are so allied in 

 attractiveness as in the land of "Las 

 Misiones," where it overlooks the Iguazu 

 Falls on the Upper Parana. In the 

 course of the Upper Parana there are 

 many notable waterfalls, among them the 

 Guayra and the Nacunday, of consider- 

 able fame, but none equal the magnifi- 

 cence of the Iguazu. Until recently the 



inaccessibility of this region prevented 

 its being known to any but daring travel- 

 ers, willing to bear the fatigue and dis- 

 comfort of many days' journeys across- 

 the pampas and through the forest, under 

 the blaze of a tropical sun and subject to 

 the annoyance of innumerable insects,, 

 with no accommodations along the route, 

 nor at the end of it, except such as the 

 traveler himself could provide. But now 

 that the Argentine government has 

 recognized the importance of opening up 

 a route to the missions and the falls, 

 regular excursions take many visitors to> 

 Iguazu from Buenos Aires and other 

 Argentine cities. The return trip re- 

 quires about two weeks, and can be made 

 with comparative comfort by train to- 

 Posadas, on the Upper Parana, and 

 thence by a small steamer in a few hours 

 to the falls. Occasional excursions are 

 also made all the way from Buenos Aires 

 to the falls by steamer. The approach 

 to the falls is "heralded by the thunder of 

 the cataract, which may be heard many 

 miles away. About twelve miles above 

 the falls the River Iguazu makes a sharp 

 bend, almost at right angles, giving them 

 greater extent and more varied character 

 than those of Niagara, which to some 

 degree they resemble. Indeed, a com- 

 parison between the two affords the best 

 means of judging of their relative claims 

 to preeminence, and is, perhaps, neces- 

 sary in order to give an adequate idea of 

 the appearance of Iguazu. 



The cataract of Niagara makes a clear 

 leap in an enormous sheet of water 



