The capital, Puerto Suarez, is a small place on a bayou of the Paraguay River facing Corumbá.
Gran Chaco. South of Santa Cruz and southeast of Tarija, of which it was formerly a part, is the Territory of Gran Chaco, where the boundary with Paraguay is still undetermined. Fifty-seven thousand square miles is given as the area. Here are low lying plains, some covered with water in the rainy season (December to March), one or two feet deep; also open forests with palms, willows, cedar, carobs, and quebracho; and hilly sections occupied by wild Indians.
Yacuiba, formerly the capital, which is now transferred north to Villa Montes, is a town 200 miles southeast of Tarija, and still the most important place in the territory. In addition to forest riches, are those of the plains, now harboring wild cattle, and undoubtedly suitable for stock raising.
CHAPTER XXVI
BOLIVIA: PORTS AND TRANSPORTATION
La Paz. Bolivia unhappily has no seaport, but lake and river ports are better than none; of these she has several. Nevertheless La Paz is the chief port of entry with the principal Custom House, the terminus of the three railways leading from the Pacific.
Railways
Route from Mollendo. In 1903 not a single railway reached La Paz, but not long after, the road, which then left one on the great plateau, arrived at the edge of the alto, whence by electric power the cars are brought down the steep walls of the cañon to the picturesque city. This route is the conclusion of the road from Mollendo, by all means the most desirable for the traveler coming from the north. The inconvenience suffered by many persons going from the coast directly to the high table-land, and the real danger to those with weak hearts, may be lessened or entirely obviated by pausing two or three days in the pleasant city of Arequipa. Even the compulsory stay of a single night may render the journey to Puno innocuous to the person in good condition. Having crossed the divide, altitude 14,688 feet, one arrives at nightfall at Puno, on the shore of Lake Titicaca, altitude 12,500 feet. The boat is there taken for the night journey of 130 miles to Guaqui, the Bolivian port at the south end of the lake, a 14 hour sail which no one should miss; for in the morning an inspiring vision may be had, hardly equalled on the globe, of the magnificent Cordillera Real, a hundred mile stretch of rugged snowclad peaks from Illampu to Illimani with Huaina Potosí halfway. A splendid view of Illampu is had on the left, during the three hours’ ride, 56 miles, over the almost desert plateau, and after passing its edge a matchless view of the cañon, the city, 1000 feet below, and Illimani towering far above.
Arica-La Paz Railway. The second route is from the port of Arica, formerly in Peru, but now in the possession of Chile, which country in accordance with the peace terms with Bolivia of 1883 constructed the Arica-La Paz Railway as far as the frontier, the most difficult portion, while Bolivia laid the rails for 145 miles within her own boundaries. A branch 5 miles long leads to the important mining town of Corocoro. This is by far the shortest route from the coast, only 281 miles, but as we have seen, this is a disadvantage to travelers rather than a benefit; nor is there a gain in time to one coming from the north, as the steamer arrives at Arica, a day later than at Mollendo. As one may come up from Mollendo, including the night at Arequipa, in 48 hours, one thus arrives in La Paz a few hours before one who travels in 22 hours from Arica. The journey from Mollendo is 534 miles. For the more rapid climb from Arica there are 28 miles of rack railway with a maximum grade of six per cent. The equipment of the road has been inadequate for the business, but more has been ordered; larger port works at Arica are needed and expected. The highest point on the railway is 13,986 feet near the Bolivian boundary, nearly 700 feet lower than on the road from Mollendo; but being reached in less than half as many hours, and also at night when the effect of the altitude is always greater, even the most robust are likely to suffer from a headache if not worse, as is the case with persons coming up from Antofagasta. Going down by either route there is usually no trouble, except for those who have been a long time at the higher altitude.
Bolivia-Antofagasta Railway. The journey to La Paz from Antofagasta, on the Chilian coast 400 miles below Arica, occupies two days for the 718 miles. This, the earliest of Bolivian railways, with Oruro for years as the terminus, in 1911 was continued to La Paz, i.e., to Viacha (15 miles from La Paz), where it meets the road from Guaqui, the two forming a long link in the Pan American chain. The later road now has its own line into the city. At Uyuni, where there is a Custom House and a change of cars, the road turns off towards Chile. From Ollague on the Chilian border, a 58-mile branch runs to the Collahuasi copper mines, among the richest in the world. A Bolivian extension is now being made along the plateau to connect with the Argentine road from La Quiaca to Buenos Aires. Already Atocha has been reached; 60 miles remain to Tupiza, and 66 more to La Quiaca, the terminus of the Argentine railway to the border. An automobile service is operated in the dry or winter season from Atocha to La Quiaca, making the journey in eight hours. The rest of the year one goes on muleback. Thus by the weekly train from La Quiaca to Buenos Aires in 48 hours, the entire journey, 2000 miles, may be made from La Paz much more quickly than by way of Chile, in case one does not wish to go there. This route also serves when the Trans-Andine is blocked by the winter snow.
Other Argentine connections are planned. A branch railway is to be built from La Quiaca or possibly from Orán to Tarija, about 82 miles; meanwhile it is expected to construct an automobile road for the service. A railway extension from the Argentine boundary farther east, hoped for in the near future, is from Embarcación to Yacuiba, thence to Santa Cruz, thus opening the cattle region of the Chaco, of Chuquisaca, and Santa Cruz for the export of cattle through Buenos Aires.