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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



ON THK ROAD TO LA PAZ 



highlands. The pure-blooded Indian fears 

 and dislikes all whites and is not on inti- 

 mate terms with the Cholos. He often 

 understands Spanish, even when he can 

 or will not speak it. On the highway 

 he appears very respectful, greeting the 

 stranger with a gutteral "Tata, asqui ura 

 churutam" (Eather, a good day to thee). 



The shoe stall proved the market's 

 "star" exhibit. Every possible combi- 

 nation of color was displayed in the foot- 

 gear. On the street I saw men and 

 women carefully carrying their shoes, 

 saving them for the following "fiesta" 

 day, when they squeezed their poor rock- 

 worn feet into the gorgeous yellow crea- 

 tions decorated with pink, blue, and pur- 

 ple designs. After paying for any pur- 

 chase the customer expects some little 

 thing to boot from the merchant. 



As we walked away from the market 

 we came on a group of children playing 



a favorite game, which was not "hide 

 and seek," but a mock bull fight. One 

 child had horns tied on his head, and the 

 other boys represented toreadors. Bright 

 little fellows, these future Bolivian citi- 

 zens. A day of progress has dawned 

 for them. La Paz is now connected 

 by rail with Chilian, as well as Peruvian, 

 ports, and before long Bolivia will be 

 traversed by a railroad connecting Peru 

 and Chile with northern Argentina. In 

 time the road will also be finished from 

 La Paz to Puerto Pando, at the head of 

 navigation on the Beni branch of the 

 Madeira River, and the line constructed 

 around the dreaded Madeira Falls, on 

 the route to the Amazon. 



There were few foreigners in the city 

 at the time of our visit, but the number 

 is increasing steadily, with the arrival of 

 American engineers, German merchants, 

 and British capitalists. The Bolivians of 



