The old and the new Peru

by Marie Robinson Wright

THE DOCKS AT CALLAO.

A greater catastrophe than invasion of pirates befell the seaport in the height of its prosperity, when, on the 28th of October, 1746, a terrible earthquake, accompanied by a tidal wave of tremendous volume, completely destroyed the city, about six thousand people perishing in the sea that swept over the falling buildings in a deluge. The task of rebuilding began at once, though not on the same site, which has ever since remained under the sea. The location of the submerged city is indicated between the points of Independencia and Camotal, south of the present site, and in that part of the bay called the Mar Brava (rough sea.) For many years after this calamity, a sentry was stationed on the beach to take charge of any treasure that might be washed ashore, and this post was not dispensed with until after the inauguration of the republic. When the new city was built, the port was fortified and placed in charge of a strong military garrison. The part played by this garrison in the last days of the viceroyalty is well known. Its surrender was the signal of defeat to the royalist cause in Peru.

The foreigner who first sees the harbor and city of Callao from the deck of a steamer, finds the view such a pleasing contrast to anything the neighboring harbors have to offer, that he is not disposed to find fault even with the barren aspect of San Lorenzo to the south, and the monotonous line of houses facing the water front; he is charmed with the beautiful green of the Rimac valley to the north, the distant glimpse of Lima’s church towers, and behind them the purple hills that hide their summits above the clouds. There is much to enjoy also in the busy scene of the harbor; vessels of all nations are loading and discharging their cargoes, tugs bustle about, and, while the pompous whistle of modern steamers announces their arrival, the graceful sailing ship glides silently into port, maintaining with dignity the credit of the good old days, in the face of these rival parvenus of twentieth century transportation.

Nearly all passengers landing at Callao proceed immediately to Lima, and, as soon as the routine of the custom house is finished, there is a general rush for the train or the electric street car which runs to the capital. If the foreigner were to be asked his first impression of Callao, he would probably give a confused description of a place remembered only for its Custom House, the narrow irregular streets and old-fashioned houses of the water front, and the railway tracks to be crossed on the way to the Station. But those who have seen Callao under more favorable circumstances have found many attractions in the social life of its kind and hospitable people and much to admire in the city itself. Under the present administration, important improvements are being carried to completion, notably the work of canalization, which means a great deal to the healthfulness of the city. Block pavements have been laid in the principal streets, the question of sanitation has received special attention, and everything indicates a spirit of progress active in public affairs.

THE CUSTOM HOUSE, CALLAO.

The public buildings of Callao are situated chiefly in the central part of the city, on one of the numerous squares, or plazas. The most conspicuous of these edifices is the custom house, the chief aduana of the republic. It occupies the site formerly enclosed in the city’s fortresses, and is a spacious building; though, it is claimed, the accommodations do not fulfil the requirements of an establishment of this kind, as the first custom house of Peru. The post office building is a solid, well-built structure, overlooking the plaza; the prefecture occupies a large and commodious building, the lower part of which is used for the offices of the police authorities, the Junta Departmental, the treasury and the criminal court; the civil court holds its sessions elsewhere. Callao has a town council, a chamber of commerce, an excellent fire brigade composed of four companies, a benevolent society which maintains the hospitals of Guadalupe and San Juan de Dios, several churches, and three social clubs. There are two protestant churches in the city and two foreign clubs. The English Club has its headquarters in a building overlooking the bay; its broad verandahs, adorned with shrubs and plants, present a very attractive picture from the landing-place. For amusement, there is a theatre and a bull ring, and lovers of sport have their rifle and regatta clubs, besides which there is also the Naval Club and the Italian Club. In the principal plazas of the city, monuments have been erected in honor of the national heroes. The Plaza Grau has a handsome monument in memory of the heroic commander of the Huascar; a statue of General San Martin adorns the beautiful Plaza Matriz; and in the Plaza “Dos de Mayo” stands a marble pillar, supporting a bust of the hero José Galvez, Minister of War, who was killed in the naval battle of 1866, in the bay of Callao.

STATUE OF THE LIBERATOR, CALLAO.

The constitutional province of Callao was created by a decree of the supreme government in 1836, the name “constitutional” being bestowed by law in 1857, in remembrance of various occasions when its people had defended the constitution of the State. The province extends from the Rimac River on the north to the Mar Brava on the south, and from the Pacific Ocean on the west to the haciendas Chacra Alta, Taboada, and La Legua on the east. It includes the city of Callao, the wards, or barrios, of Bella Vista and La Punta, and the islands of San Lorenzo, Fronton, Palominos, Hormigos de Afuera, and neighboring rocks. The province is governed by a prefect, an intendant of police, commissaries and governors. Bella Vista and La Punta are under the authority of commissaries. The present population of Callao is thirty-five thousand, of which one-tenth are foreigners. Its chief industries are those connected with maritime traffic, though the city has also a number of factories and flour mills. The port is connected with the capital by telegraph and telephone systems, and with all the cities of the world by the Central and South American Telegraph Company, and the West Coast of America Telegraph Company. Most of the consular offices are located in Callao, which is within twenty minutes’ ride of Lima, on the electric car. A business man may reside at the capital without any inconvenience in getting to and from his office. The ride itself is a pleasant paseo, across open country, with agreeable scenes all the way.