Tari^ ia to Merced 
: X 
Leaving Tarija, the road follows the regular Jhighway 
to Villa Montes for some distance dovm the val3.ey of 
the river (Rio Guadalquivir) , then swings across to the 
southwest to Concepcion, a small village noted for. its 
wine and pisco. From there it continues over a range oj 
of hills and do-vm into another vallev to Padcayo,a 
larger town, a. total do stance from .Tarija of* about. 60 
kilometers. The road this far is an old one,up hill 
and down dale, and in very had condition, almost impass¬ 
able during the rainy season. 
Prom Padcayo the highway is nev; and very v;ell 
constructe'd,with a maximum of 5% grade. It clombs out 
of the va.lley..of. Padcayo,.crosses.a. range^ of. high hills 
and drops dovm to La Meced,a distance of 30 kilometers 
L 
La Merced. 5,500 feet. 
Ton Piio Cachimayo) 
This is merely a tiny hamlet of several scattered 
houses,the principal one being quite a pretentious placei 
pi belonging^to Gabriel Daza. The hamlet lies alongside 
a sm.all river which flows on down to Fortin CamperoV 
after receiving several large branches. The valley is] 
^deep and narrow, with mountains rising high on both 
sides,the slopes of which are quite bare on the uppe 
reaches,but on the louver portion are scattered trees 
and shrubber;/, the latter becoming more dense near the b| 
bottom. There is very little flat land along the river, 
but quite a long, narrow , strip just -at La Merced, which 
is under, irrigation and has many orange and other fruit] 
trees,also some grapes and cultivated fields. There 
is a small stream entering from the left(descending) 
just above the hamlet,along which is considerable 
v/oodland and shrubberi^-, and where birds were quite 
abundant. The main stream, above this branch, is very 
bare for the most part, there being scattered clumps'" of 
on the floor of valley and a good 
deal of shrubbery and trees on the slopes,but everythin! 
on the slopes v/as dry and leafless, only on the floor of' 
the valley were there trees with green leaves. 
Below the hamlet the v.alley widens out somewhat and - 
there are some irrigated fields,but very little in the 
, way of trees. Along the rocky edges of the river and 
^Pr: on the large bars are many thorn-trees, sirailiar to 
those at San Lorenzo,but^ these contained few birds. 
A couple of miles above the hamlet the valley narrov/s 
dovm and there are very few flat pieeee of land.there 
are several smaiq 
*^^®eks entering 
