The old and the new Peru

by Marie Robinson Wright

Although Peru lies entirely within the tropics, and close to the equator, yet its climate cannot be called equatorial, nor is the vegetation exclusively that of the Torrid Zone. Latitude has comparatively little influence in determining its character, the chief index to which is to be found in the remarkable physical features of this extensive territory, one of the largest and richest of the South American countries. The temperature here varies from equatorial heat to arctic cold, and the products of all zones flourish within its boundaries. Lofty peaks, clad in perpetual snow, look down from their frozen summits on scenes of perennial spring-time; and, from these lesser heights, the view extends over valleys and forests where summer reigns throughout the year and Nature is riotous in her extravagances.

According to the best Peruvian authority, the republic extends from north latitude 1° 29′ to south latitude 19° 12′ 30″; and from meridian 61° 54′ 45″ to 81° 18′ 39″ longitude west of Greenwich, covering an area of about one million seven hundred thousand square kilometres. Its boundaries are marked on the north by Ecuador and Colombia; on the east by Brazil and Bolivia; on the south by Chile; and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The settlement of boundary disputes and the definite establishment of limits between the different countries of South America are problems that have long taxed the diplomacy of these nations and proved a persistent drawback to their unity. By mutual agreement, it is understood that the basis on which the disputed frontiers are to be defined rests on the division of the territory made by Spain during the colonial government and recognized at the time of the Independence. The delays that have occurred in fixing these limits have made the task more delicate with the passing of time, owing to the increased value of the lands in dispute, the growing population and other circumstances; but, fortunately, the vexed problem is rapidly nearing a final solution, most of the rival claims having been already submitted to arbitration, and many of them satisfactorily settled. The frontiers indicated in the accompanying map represent the claims of Peru; though the limits between this country and its northern and eastern neighbors, as here shown, may be modified by the decisions that are to result from the arbitration of friendly nations, chosen by mutual agreement to mark the dividing line; on the south, the Camarones River forms the boundary between Peru and Chile, though the latter occupies the provinces of Tacna and Arica pending the plebiscite agreed upon in the treaty of Ancón.

LAKE OF LA VIUDA, IN THE HIGH SIERRA.

Between the rainless region of the coast and the dripping forests of the Montaña, the country is crossed by three mountain ranges that run parallel through a part of their course, sending out transverse chains at intervals, or joining together in great nudos, “knots,” that form high plateaus in the midst of lofty peaks, covered with perpetual snow. By this mountain system, Peru is divided into three distinct regions: the coast, the sierra, and the Montaña, or wooded plains. The coast region extends from the sea inland to the Cordilleras, reaching an altitude of from three thousand to four thousand feet; the sierra attains a height varying from ten thousand to eighteen thousand feet, the high altitude, above the limit of vegetation being known as the puna; the Montaña covers nearly two-thirds of the total area of Peru, stretching from the eastern slope of the Andes to the frontiers of Brazil and Bolivia.

The coast zone embraces a strip of land about fifteen hundred miles in length, having an average width of from fifty to one hundred miles. From the Gulf of Guayaquil, which forms its northern boundary, to the extreme southern limit of this region the coast line is marked by a succession of bare cliffs and shifting sandhills; though even this dreary prospect has its peculiar charm when seen in the lights and shadows of dawn, or in the still more marvellous colors of the sunset. One is reminded of the glow that spreads over Alpine summits as the great orb vanishes; in the fading light, the waters of the Pacific are as purple at the foot of these rosy rocks as are the deep ravines below the Jungfrau. On this strip of coast land, rain falls so seldom and in such insignificant quantities as to be hardly worthy of mention. The only moisture which the soil receives is derived from the rivers that traverse it on their way to the sea from the Cordilleras, and the mists that prevail during the winter season from May to August, caused by the southeast winds.

IN THE VALLEY OF ABANCAY.

The lack of rain on the Peruvian coast is chiefly due to two important circumstances, which explain why neither the winds from the Pacific nor those from the Atlantic discharge any moisture on this sandy soil. The prevailing winds from the Pacific blow from the southeast and carry very little moisture, owing to their courses being parallel with that of the Humboldt current,—a submarine stream from the antarctic, which follows the line of the Peruvian coast throughout its entire length and has a temperature seven degrees colder than the ocean; it is a hundred and fifty miles wide, with a velocity of about a mile an hour. Besides the southeast wind, a west wind blows across the Pacific, bringing plenty of rainclouds; but it is checked by the stronger southeast current as it approaches the coast, and its benefits are lost. The trade winds that cross the Amazon plain from the Atlantic discharge a great amount of rain in their course, but when they reach the high altitudes of the Andean range, their vapor is condensed and falls in the form of snow, no moisture remaining with which to water the narrow strip that lies between the Cordilleras and the Pacific. The sea breeze, known as the virazón, is strongest along the southern part of the coast, where, during the winter months, it sometimes causes inconvenience in the various harbors, on account of the heavy surf it creates. As a rule, the Peruvian coast presents few difficulties to navigation. It is seldom visited by storms, and there are no rocks, reefs, or shoals, to give the mariner anxiety. A remarkable feature of the ocean in this region is the appearance, during the winter season, of a current which is supposed to be a prolongation of the equatorial stream, and which flows in an opposite direction to the Humboldt current; it is known as the niño.