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Show mm mmm , , li; 'ipt . josf.-.. i Scene in La Pat. LA PAZ, the city of peace, and the metropolis of Bolivia, stands amid great and majestic majes-tic mountains and In a region of the earth over which some of the earliest people trod. Only 50 miles from the country's capital of today He the ruins of Tlahuanacu, universally conceded to be among man's most ancient an-cient habitations. The whole region surrounding Bolivia's unique capital is so hoary with age that a man's imaginative imagi-native brain is puzzled in attempting to conjecture the era of prehistoric construction, says William A. Reid in the Bulletin of the Pan American Union. Scientists further tell us that once upon a time the Andean plateau was scarcely more than half as elevated as today, and that in lands where Bolivia's Bo-livia's present gold and silver lie se cluded the prehistoric inhabitant tilled his fields of grain. Gradually rising higher and higher with the pussing of geological ages, we find the Bolivian plateau at too great an elevation today to-day for the majority of agricultural crops, but a region of the earth lavishly lav-ishly endowed by nature with almost every variety of mineral. It is near what might be termed the heart of Oils mineral plateau, an area of 65,000 square miles, that Bolivia's modern capital has grown to be a flourishing city of 82,000 people. La Paz de Ayacucho, to use the full name adopted after the country attained at-tained its independence (proclaimed Aug. 6, 1825), is not only unique In its ancient surroundings, but the city lies so completely hidden in an enormous canyon or vent in the plateau that in Journeying thither we come very suddenly sud-denly to the great abyss and are held breathless for the moment until one's senses are collected and the beauty of the panorama takes the place of awe and surprise. This great canyon is about ten miles long, three miles wide, 1,500 feet deep, and in form somewhat like that of an exaggerated letter U, opening southward. Some scientists believe that in past ages it was the outlet of Lake Titicaca, when possibly that body of water was connected with the upper Amazon river. Approaching Ap-proaching La Paz by any of the three railways leading thither the sides of the canyon appear to be almost perpendicular; per-pendicular; yet engineering skill has marvelously wound two railroads down these precipitous sides, presenting at every turn a gorgeous panorama. The clear, crisp air, the mineral colorings of the mountain sides, the red tile roofs and the bright shades of the houses in the distance, the green patches of trees here and there, the flowing rivnlets and larger streams, the snow-covered peaks, together with the gay colors always worn by the humbler natives, combine to form a pleasing and lasting picture. El Alto, a term used to designate the little railroad station near the edge of the canyon, stands as already noted about 1,500 feet above the city, while the latter is 12,700 feet higher than the sea. La Paz being only 300 miles from the Pacific, we can form an idea of the steep climb made by the railways In order to reach this Inland In-land country. Supplanted Sucre as Capital. We speak of La Paz as being the capital of Bolivia and thereby confuse the minds of those not fully acquainted acquaint-ed with the facts. Sucre, formerly called Charcas, is the legal capital of the republic, but largely on account of accessibility and growing commercial importance La Paz became the actual seat of government more than 20 years ago. In the latter city the president and his official advisers reside, the nation's na-tion's congress meets there, and It is the residence of the foreign diplomats accredited to Bolivia ; but the supreme court of the couutry still holds its sessions ses-sions at Sucre. The distance between the two cities is about 300 miles; but the more rapid growth of La Puz, especially es-pecially since the completion of the three rail routes to the Pacific, seems to accentuate the desirability of La ' Paz over Sucre as the capital of the Ration. The coming t first settlers to the location whi Paz now stands Is enveloped insists of time. It Is said, howevet specks of gold In the streams flow down from the mountain sand through the valley were a ent attraction to draw thither thdgines during the reign of the fouica ; and in former form-er days, as at p:, shelter was one of man's comi and necessities. Gradually little made their appearance ap-pearance along treams, and thus Chuchiabo and liyapu, as it was called in turn, its origin from about 11S5 to 1 Later, the Spanish Span-ish proved to great lovers of golden ores as ttlves, and in 1545 history records ct that the Spaniard, Span-iard, Alonzo deloza, and 12 companions com-panions founde present city of La Paz on the t the old village. In the Streets. As already old, the canyon in which La Paz Is long and nar row ; it Is also uiely rugged and Interspersed wiany small tablelands table-lands and mouipeuks, the wholu dominated by uc Illimaui, rearing1 rear-ing1 its snow-cil crest to 21,350 feet. In consee of this uueven-ness uueven-ness the street the city running parallel with nrger stream are fairly level (At Arce, for Illustration), Illus-tration), while (Streets are necessarily neces-sarily short an many cases elevated ele-vated at the eis they approach the sides of tinyon. Some of these streets extremely steep, while others haen constructed in conformity wltl configuration of the hills and nerefore more or less winding. One of the c widest and most popular residentreets lies in the southeast sectlol is known as the Alameda, extenhalf a mile along a level course idorned with willow, wil-low, eucalyptus! other handsome trees. Shrubs lowers are also to be seen, but Utremely high altitude alti-tude appears ave a sohiewhat blighting effect such growth. The Alameda, aiwaiore or less animated, ani-mated, is espe alive in late afternoons af-ternoons and onlays and holidays, when the elite dal and official life are to be seeilking, driving, or motoring along urse. On passing through a picdue gateway this popular avenuerolonged through Plaza Concordid the Twelfth of December StreeObrajes. The latter lat-ter is three mlKtant, and the ride over a very fairar road or by electric elec-tric line is thrcan extremely pic-tvresque pic-tvresque canyoounding in novel views for the ser. The more Important Im-portant streets well lighted by electricity, the i which has been expanding corably in recent years as the m. power for numerous numer-ous Industries. Where Mi Is Honored. La Paz Is nillke other Latin-American Latin-American cltiesroviding numerous and attractive i'- The most noted one of the cityaat known as Mu-rillo, Mu-rillo, so named nor of the hero of independence, I Domingo Murillo, who gave up te on this sacred spot in 1809. ' torch of liberty there lighted, Per, spread over the c6ntinent, Anally resulted In the lndependen Bolivia as well as the sister natlrf which she is surrounded. sur-rounded. Todf the center of this plaza stands a itiful- monument to Murillo, the pt honored in the past as at pr as one who surrendered sur-rendered life rr than the cause of the people. The building La Paz usually strike the stra with interest Although Al-though many been constructed along the llneslpanish or Spanish-Moorish Spanish-Moorish archire, the extremely rugged topogr: of the place has been responsil'or local modifications modifica-tions and unus-.Hitures of construction. construc-tion. The catll of La Paz, which has been huil for a number o( years, promisebe one of the finest and largest oih structures in all Latin-America, covers an area oi more than 43,Clure feet and is tu seat at least 0 people. |