BALSA BOAT
Native making the boat of reeds
Customs and Laws
Much of the trading carried on with the Indians is done by barter; they bring their farm and garden produce to the city, and exchange it with dealers for groceries or wearing apparel. Very few of them accumulate money, and wealth is very rare.
Many of their laws are unique, and are no doubt born of tribal customs which have been handed down for generations, and yet are usually rigidly observed. If, for instance, a doctor loses seven patients, Indian law decrees that the career of the doctor must terminate, and that his life must be a forfeit for his failure to save the lives of his patients. After the Indian doctor has lost his sixth patient, he usually departs for some unknown place.
Although the Bolivian capital is overwhelmingly Indian in point of population, in appearance it is decidedly modern. Its streets are paved with cobblestones, but as a rule are clean and kept in good condition. The pavements may be rough, but it must be borne in mind that there are very few level thoroughfares; most of the streets are very hilly, and would be almost impossible to navigate were it not for the cobblestones, which permit men and beasts to maintain a foothold. Municipal laws will not permit Indians to make use of the thoroughfares for their llamas during business hours; they are brought into the city early in the morning, remaining in some patio or courtyard awaiting the evening hours, when their owners drive them home. At sunset one may see long trains of these quaint animals driven through the streets on their way back to the farms. The llama lends picturesqueness to one of the most unusual cities on the face of the globe.
LA PAZ, VIEWED FROM THE RIM—MT. ILLIMANI IN THE DISTANCE
