THE BALTA BRIDGE OVER THE RIMAC RIVER.
PASEO COLÓN—THE FAVORITE DRIVEWAY OF LIMA.
Few capitals can boast of more delightful suburban resorts than those which surround the Peruvian capital, making it possible for one to live in a perennial paradise. In the mountains, a few leagues inland, is the ideal climate of an altitude reaching from five thousand to eight thousand feet above the sea, and tempered by its proximity to the equator, so that, in winter, it is the most desirable place of residence imaginable. Chosica and Matucana are destined to be renowned as popular mountain resorts ere very long. Chosica is situated in the province of Lima, on the line of the Oroya railway, two hours’ journey by train from the capital. Many business men take their families to this resort, and find it very convenient to reach their offices in town daily, as the railway service is arranged to accommodate this demand. Matucana stands at a much higher elevation, about eight thousand feet above sea level, and is a couple of hours’ ride beyond Chosica on the same line of railway. It is the capital of the province of Huarochiri, Department of Lima, and is the political centre of an important district created during the administration of Bolivar, who gave the citizens an escutcheon with the inscription, “To the constant Patriots of Huarochiri.” Matucana is quite a large town, and is increasing in importance as the surrounding country is more generally explored for its mines and other resources. Two trains daily each way carry passengers between Lima and Matucana; many travellers bound for the sierra stop on their way to enjoy a night’s rest at this healthful resort before beginning the sharp ascent to the summit of the Andean range. The air is fresh and cool, and one rarely suffers from soroche at this altitude. In summer, all Lima society deserts the capital to live at Chorillos, Miraflores, Barranco, Magdalena, La Punta, Ancón, or some other of the bathing resorts in its vicinity.
Chorillos is the Newport of Peru. Before the war with Chile it was the wealthiest and most frequented summer resort in all South America; and, even though it was completely reduced to ashes by the invading armies in 1881, it is to-day a beautiful suburb, having been almost entirely rebuilt within the past twenty years. The site on which Chorillos is built possesses advantages that are ideal for the purposes of a bathing resort. Surrounding a sheltered cove that lies just under the brow of a mountain two thousand feet high, called Morro Solar, is an uneven cliff, rising at one point to a height of one hundred feet above the sea, and here the city of Chorillos is situated. A beautiful terrace extends along the edge of the cliff, where society gathers to enjoy the sea breeze and to revel in the beauty of a Pacific sunset, under the warm skies of the tropics.
The descent to the beach from the cliff is a picturesque and shaded pathway, and the surf is particularly adapted for bathing, being smooth and regular. The town has a population of three thousand, and in summer the daily excursions from Lima bring many times that number to enjoy the baths, the music, dances, boating, and other amusements. The Casino of Chorillos is famous for its fashionable social affairs, and the Regatta Club usually provides entertainments at intervals during the summer, when Chorillos Bay is flecked with pretty white sails, launches, and rowboats. Large and commodious electric cars run every few minutes between Lima and Chorillos, the line having been recently extended to reach another bathing resort, La Herradura, on the opposite side of the Morro Solar, through which a tunnel has been built. Chorillos, Barranco, and Miraflores are all connected with Lima by the same system of railways. The distance between these resorts is very short and a shaded driveway connects one with the other. Magdalena is situated between Lima and Miraflores, and is reached by a separate car line; though the trip may also be made by following the beautiful Avenida Magdalena, which begins at the foot of the Paseo Colón, and extends all the way to Magdalena.
La Punta, “The Point,” is another very popular bathing resort of Lima, and it is growing in favor every year. It is located on the peninsula which extends out into the sea at the port of Callao, and is frequented by the people of Callao as well as those of Lima. Throngs of bathers arrive by the trains that stop at La Punta every few minutes during the day, and in the height of the summer season additional cars are put on to accommodate the crowds. La Punta is located at the extremity of a long narrow tongue of sandy beach, and cool breezes always blow across it, refreshing and invigorating after the humid air of the capital. Ancón, with its world-renowned necropolis of prehistoric treasures, lies about twenty-five miles north of Lima, with which it is connected by railway. It is quite popular as a bathing resort, and is a favorite summer home for families; its climate is extremely healthful, and it is regarded as a desirable place of residence most of the year. The dry atmosphere and sandy soil are advantages always appreciated by invalids suffering from pulmonary affections, and they are glad to enjoy the sea air without the dampness that so often prevails at seaside resorts.
Whether in the charming capital, or in its picturesque and healthful suburbs, the life of the Peruvian people is noted for its many agreeable features, some of which are to be attributed to the blessings of climate and the prodigality with which Nature has showered her wealth on the land, though most of them are undoubtedly due to the amiable and generous qualities of the people themselves, who have made their country renowned abroad as the abode of an ever abundant and polite hospitality.
