La Paz, the de facto capital, population 107,000, is by far the largest and most important city commercially. It is the highest capital and large city in the world, also one of the most picturesque, both on account of its location at the bottom of a cañon, 1000 feet deep, and of its street scenes with the strangely garbed Indians and cholos, and the droves of llamas. The city has better sanitary arrangements than Quito, the narrow streets are remarkably clean, but some conveniences are lacking. There are electric lights and cars, but a meagre water supply, and too few opportunities for a bath. Good hotels are needed, the new “Paris” and some older houses being wholly inadequate for present necessities. The business of the city is largely in the hands of foreigners, i.e., the best shops, and some of the banks and importing houses. La Paz is the chief centre of trade of the country, the Custom House here transacting by far the most business, but supplemented by several others at the east and south.
La Paz is the most northern Department of the plateau region, the third largest, the first in population and importance. It has Colonias north, El Beni and Cochabamba east, Oruro south, and Chile and Peru west. La Paz has an extremely varied landscape with a range in altitude from 640 to 21,750 feet at the top of Mt. Sorata, though some Bolivians give the altitude of this mountain as 24,000 feet. Besides the Cordillera Real the Department includes Lake Titicaca, or as much of it as does not belong to Peru. The lake is remarkable as being the highest in the world on which steamers regularly ply, 12,500 feet is an accepted figure; 12,545 is also given. The lake has an area of 3200 square miles; it is about 120 miles long, 34-44 wide, and 330 feet deep, in places nearly 1000. Other figures are 145 miles long and 69 broad, average depth 492 feet; temperature of water 48°; annual rainfall about 78 inches. Besides the bleak table-land west of the Cordillera Real, the Department comprises many beautiful valleys east of the mountains. It contains, with the capital La Paz, several important though not large cities: Corocoro, a famed copper centre; Sorata, north, a delightful spot, at an altitude of 8000 feet, a centre for the rubber industry and for mining; Achacachi, a big Indian town near the Lake; Copacabana, a very sacred religious shrine, also on the Lake; Coroicas, east in the Yungas Valley. Actual or potential wealth of almost every kind may be found here: large flocks of llamas, alpacas, and some vicuñas; sheep and goats, herds of cattle and horses; vegetable products, coca, cotton, coffee, cereals, etc.; great riches in minerals, gold, silver, tin, copper, rock crystal, berenguela, a fine native marble, all these in fine quality and immense quantity. The wonderfully grand and varied scenery of this Department can be duplicated or rivalled in few quarters of the globe.
Oruro, directly south of La Paz, between Potosí and Chile, is the smallest of the Departments, entirely on the plateau, thus having a much smaller range of altitude and of climate. Its wealth is in minerals, especially silver and tin, though gold, bismuth, borax, and sulphur are found. Alpaca, chinchilla, and wool are other products.
The capital, Oruro, 127 miles south of La Paz, while for years the terminus of the railway from Antofagasta, became an important commercial and industrial centre; in addition it is one of the busiest mining districts. Half of the mining men are foreigners; a large proportion of the ordinary population is Indian. There is also agreeable society, with people quite up to date in Paris fashions. The only other city in the Department is Challapata.
Cochabamba, south of El Beni, east of La Paz and west of Santa Cruz, is sometimes called the granary of the Republic. It is a particularly delightful region, half temperate and half semitropical, with altitude ranging from 973 to 16,777 feet. It possesses immense plains with innumerable herds of cattle, magnificent fertile valleys, rich forests, and minerals.
Cochabamba, the capital, is the city next in size to La Paz, 276 miles distant; with an altitude of 8387 feet it enjoys a delightful climate, an average temperature of 66°, and abundant rain. It has a good club, an American Institute (a school for boys), and the least illiteracy. The recent arrival of the railroad insures its rapid growth.
Potosí is another plateau Department, both east and south of Oruro, bordering also on Chuquisaca and Tarija, and with Argentina south and Chile west. It has for the most part a rather cold, disagreeable climate, the altitude ranging from above 20,000 to a little over 6000 feet.
The name Potosí, for centuries famous as almost a synonym for silver, belongs also to the capital city, at a height of 13,388 feet. In 1650, when New York was a small village, it had 160,000 inhabitants. The city has an excellent mint, built in 1562, also a superb old cathedral, a good library, and a museum. Above the town 32 artificial lakes were constructed of which 22 are still good. The temperature varies from 9° to 59°; it is said that they have the four seasons in one day. Even here potatoes, barley, and beans will grow, but living is very dear. The town has foundries, engineering shops, and 28 smelters. The Department still contains enormous quantities of silver and tin in almost every variety of combination, and more towns that are rich mining centres than any other Department except La Paz. Uyuni is a town of 6000 inhabitants, Colquechaca has a population of 8000 miners; Tupiza, soon to be reached by the railway, is a pretty city in a pleasant valley, 66 miles from the Argentine border.
Chuquisaca, east of Potosí and south of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, is much warmer, the altitude ranging from 255 to 13,450 feet. Here also are mines of the usual varieties and petroleum too, tropical fruits and vegetables of course, and plains with vast herds and flocks.
Sucre, the legal capital of the Republic, altitude 9328 feet, is situated on an arm of the Pilcomayo River. Social distinctions are here more marked, and there is an exclusive circle agreeable to those of the right type. Sucre, Cochabamba, and La Paz are called the most cultured cities. More than 300 miles from La Paz in a straight line and, as it is on the east side of the Cordillera, much farther on horseback, which until lately was the only way to journey thither, except for some miles of staging, Sucre is now more accessible, as will be indicated later.
Tarija, south of Chuquisaca and southwest of Potosí, is with Potosí the most southern of the Departments, now smaller than formerly, since the Gran Chaco has been made a separate Territory. Like Chuquisaca it is on the east side of the Cordillera, the greatest altitude being 12,874 feet. The climate obviously varies from temperate on the west to hot in the lowlands, the productions varying similarly. There are possibilities for all varieties of grain and fruit, as well as for stock raising; the western part lies in the silver region, having gold and copper as well.
The capital, Tarija, 80 miles east of Tupiza, is 250 miles from Sucre and 600 by rail from La Paz, but a few days must still be spent in stage or on horseback. Prospects for speedy rail connection are good when rapid development will follow.
Santa Cruz, north of Chuquisaca and east of Cochabamba is the largest Department of all, and the richest in wild animals and vegetation. This Department, altitude 377-9754 feet, does not reach the great mountains, but far to the east it has a little range of its own, the highest summits of which are just below 4000 feet. Here are forests and prairies, cattle, tropical fruit and vegetables; cotton grows profusely, rice, manioc, coffee, copal, rubber, what you will. Here too is petroleum, iron, quicksilver. The white population is said to be of purer Spanish blood than in most of the Departments, comparatively unmixed; but as the climate is hot the people are naturally indolent.
The capital, Santa Cruz, altitude 1400 feet, 550 miles from La Paz by way of Cochabamba, and 330 from Sucre, was founded, only think! in 1545. It is on two of the main routes running from Bolivia to Argentina and Paraguay. With a population of 20,000, it is quite a city, having a variety of local industries, and being on a favored route for the export of rubber, sugar, and coffee to Europe; but the enormous cost and difficulty of transportation retards its progress. Three hundred and ninety miles east near the Paraguay River is Puerto Suarez, two hours or 11 miles by cart road from Corumbá, Brazil, to which point steamers come from Buenos Aires. A railway too practically reaches Corumbá from São Paulo.
El Beni, the last of the Departments, occupies the northeast portion of Bolivia, being divided from La Paz by the Beni River. With an area of 100,000 square miles the variation in altitude is slight, 465-2800 feet; hence everywhere a hot climate. It has hardly 40,000 inhabitants, mostly Indians. Nearly all the whites are engaged in the rubber industry, though stock raising and agriculture are slightly practised in the higher sections.
The capital, Trinidad, 400 miles from La Paz, with a population of 5000, is the least important of the various Department capitals, though containing many stores and trading concerns for the sale of imported products. Some smaller places are of greater commercial consequence and better known, on account of their location.
Colonias. Of the Territories of Bolivia Colonias of the Northwest is west of El Beni, and north of La Paz. Since the settlement of the boundary dispute between Peru and Bolivia, the area of the territory is given as 81,600 miles. It is similar in character to El Beni, a great wilderness, full of water courses and forests, a land of wonderful vegetation; population 40,000, besides 15,000-20,000 wild Indians, not to mention animals, mostly wild, gorgeous birds, snakes and insects. The swamp fevers, it is said, may be avoided by healthy persons who use proper precautions and live on the highlands where forest clearings permit the free course of the wind. Rain falls from December to May, but May, June, and July are agreeable, with night temperatures 60°-70°. In the warmest months the range is 76°-90° in the hottest part of the day. In September cool south winds bring sudden changes often producing colds.
The capital, Riberalta, 920 miles from La Paz, at the confluence of the Madre de Dios and the Beni, stands on a high bank 65 feet above the water, which the main street faces, an unusually desirable location. Its population, perhaps 4000, is increasing rapidly with the number of trading houses and rubber exporters who own small steamers for river traffic.
Villa Bella, 125 miles below Riberalta, at the junction of the Beni and Mamoré, is on comparatively high land, facing the Brazilian town, Villa Murtinho on the other side of the Mamoré. On account of the favorable location for export, rubber and timber property in the vicinity is especially valuable. The climate is better than in many other sections of the tropical lowlands.
El Oriente. This Territory, uncertain as to area and boundary, is lowland southeast of Santa Cruz, extending to the Paraguay River, north of the region claimed by Paraguay.
The capital, Puerto Suarez, is a small place on a bayou of the Paraguay River facing Corumbá.
Gran Chaco. South of Santa Cruz and southeast of Tarija, of which it was formerly a part, is the Territory of Gran Chaco, where the boundary with Paraguay is still undetermined. Fifty-seven thousand square miles is given as the area. Here are low lying plains, some covered with water in the rainy season (December to March), one or two feet deep; also open forests with palms, willows, cedar, carobs, and quebracho; and hilly sections occupied by wild Indians.
Yacuiba, formerly the capital, which is now transferred north to Villa Montes, is a town 200 miles southeast of Tarija, and still the most important place in the territory. In addition to forest riches, are those of the plains, now harboring wild cattle, and undoubtedly suitable for stock raising.