The South American Tour

by Annie S. Peck

Hotels. The Sportsman, the Grand, the Majestic, the Albion.

After climbing the mountain side, an hour more over a rolling country brings one to the station called Luz, in the city of São Paulo, said to be the largest and most costly railway station in South America, and one of the finest in the world. The tracks are arranged below the street level, hence there are no grade crossings. This city, the second in Brazil, and with its about 400,000 inhabitants taking third position among the cities of South America, will be a surprise to most travelers. Located on the Tropic of Capricorn, its elevation gives it a healthful climate which in combination with other advantages has produced men awake to the spirit of progress and eager to develop the astonishing resources of this richly endowed State. The city is not only the capital and the seat of State Government, but a notable center of education and industry, and the home of many men of great wealth. It is an ancient city, going back to the middle of the sixteenth century, 1554, its name São Paulo, which had been previously applied to a Jesuit college here, being transferred to the new settlement by the Governor-General of Brazil, Mem de Sá. Though of greater age than any city in our own country, for three centuries it made small progress. In 1872 it was a town of 26,557 people. But within the last forty years it has shown amazing growth, which few of our cities can parallel, an increase of nearly fifteen fold. Although on the edge of the tropics, from its elevation of 3000 feet, it has a climate like that of Southern Europe. From the neighboring mountains it receives an excellent water supply, while its site on rolling ground affords excellent drainage facilities and in places a splendid outlook.

LUZ STATION, SÃO PAULO

MUNICIPAL THEATRE

The hotel accommodations are unfortunately inadequate for the rapid development and business of the city. They are fairly comfortable, though apt to be over-crowded. It is well if possible to engage a room in advance. The Sportsman’s Hotel on the rua São Bento is by some called the best; the Grand, the Albion, and the Majestic are not far distant. The prices are all about the same, from $3.50 to $5.00 a day, American plan. A new hotel is now being constructed, large and modern. The main streets of the business center, naturally the old part of the town, are rather narrow and not all checkerboard fashion as in most of the cities visited. This, no doubt, is due to the fact that the surface is irregular, with hills and valleys such that in one place a viaduct 800 feet long and 50 wide, called the Viaducto Chá, forms a curious street leading from the rua Direita over an old part of the town, once a tea garden, to a hill in the newer section, where the handsome Municipal Theater is situated. This imposing edifice, with streets on all sides, recently erected at a cost of a million dollars, compares with the best in Europe and surpasses any in the United States. The seating capacity is a trifle less than that of the Paris Opera House. The seats for the orchestra are, according to the Wagner system, placed below the general floor level.

The commercial center of the city, not far from the hotels mentioned, is a triangular plaza called Tiradentes. The rua São Bento, the Quinze de Novembro, and the Direita are the principal shopping and business streets. The Largo de Palacio is a square near by, on which is the fine Palace of Congress; the handsome Agricultural Building of the German style; the Treasury, covering 700 square meters, the work of a Brazilian architect, Ramos Azavedo; and the Judiciary Building of the Roman Doric order. Other noteworthy buildings are the Post Office, the Exchange, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Public Library. Some of the finest streets are the Avenidas Tiradentes, and the Rangel Bestana passing the Largo de Concordia with the always interesting Market Place, the ruas da Liberdade, Santo Amaro, da Consolação. The last three lead to the splendid Avenue Paulista, with shaded parkway along the center, the finest boulevard of the capital, on which are many of the handsomest residences. Of course the city has electric lights and cars, and many miles of fine asphalt pavements, though in the outskirts, on account of the city’s rapid growth, there may be a few streets yet unpaved, which should be avoided. Automobiles and fine carriages are numerous, and delightful drives may be taken to see the fine public buildings and the multitude of charming and splendid private residences. From a residential point of view few more attractive places will be found anywhere. The many churches one writer calls magnificent, another says only the modern ones are of artistic merit. The Cathedral, the churches of São Pedro, S. Gonçalo, and Remedios are among the most important.

YPIRANGA MUSEUM