In no country have greater obstacles been overcome in the construction of railways and public roads than in Peru, the physical features of which present the most varied peculiarities. The millions that were spent in building the Oroya railway alone would have sufficed to cover many times its mileage on a level plain; and nearly all the railways of the country present evidences of difficult engineering and expensive construction. The lines at present in operation cover about fifteen hundred miles, while those projected and under construction will more than double that mileage. Most of these railways are the property of the state, the Peruvian Corporation having the use and management of them until 1956. Several important lines belong to Peruvian or foreign enterprises, or to private concerns; and in the extension of existing railways, these enterprises play an important part. The branch from Oroya to Cerro de Pasco was built by North American capital; and new lines are being constructed by other foreign companies. The railways which in 1890 were turned over to the Peruvian Corporation for a term of years in cancellation of the foreign debt of Peru, included, in addition to the Central, or Oroya Route, the Southern railway, and the shorter lines from Paita to Piura, sixty miles; from Pacasmayo to Guadalupe and Yonan, the same distance; from Salaverry to Trujillo and Ascope, fifty miles; from Chimbote to Suchiman, thirty miles; and from Pisco to Ica, fifty miles. Some of these lines have since been extended, the Southern railway having been completed to Cuzco in the present year.

The Southern railway covers a distance of two hundred and eighty-five miles, from the seaport of Mollendo to Juliaca, where it divides, the main line going from Juliaca to Cuzco, two hundred miles to the north, and a short branch extending south for twenty-five miles to the port of Puno, on Lake Titicaca. The first section of this railway was built in 1870, from Mollendo to Arequipa, across the arid sandhills of the coast. A journey over this of the road has little to offer in variety of scenery, yet there is a peculiar fascination about its drifting crescents that seem to move with rhythmical undulation like the waves of the sea. Barren and dull as the prospect appears, it is not without interest, because so unlike anything one sees elsewhere. Along the first part of the route, a glimpse of green fields brightens the view as the train skirts the valley of Tambo before entering the Pampas of Cachendo and Islay, where not a blade of grass is to be seen. But the most of the route lies across the Pampas until, within a few miles of Arequipa, the sierra comes into view, and the fertile valley of Vitor is passed, with its plantations of maize and its flourishing orchards. From this point, a new railway is being built to the valleys of Siguas, Majes, and Camaná, in southwestern Arequipa. As the train speeds through Uchumayo, Tiabaya, and Tingo, the dreariness of the desert is forgotten in the smiling gardens of the campiña, and when a curve of the road shows Arequipa’s white towers against a background of green with the snow-crowned Misti just behind, the traveller is ready to believe all that enthusiasm relates in praise of its charm.

Mollendo, the seaport terminus of the Southern railway, is one of the most important cities of the southern coast. As it lies within the arid region, its water supply comes from the sierra eighty-five miles distant, through an aqueduct made of iron pipes, from which half a million gallons of water are discharged daily. This is said to be the longest iron aqueduct in the world. The port of Mollendo is visited by all ships trading on the west coast, and is the chief outlet for an extensive region in Peru and northwestern Bolivia. In order to improve the port, a breakwater is now being constructed along a reef of partially submerged rocks, extending about six hundred feet to the northeast of Ponce Island, which forms the harbor. This breakwater will protect the bay from the heavy surf which formerly dashed over the rocks, and will thus facilitate the working of the launches in loading and unloading merchandise from the ships, besides increasing the discharging capacity of the port. The breakwater consists of a sea wall of concrete on the inner side of the reef, with heavy concrete blocks weighing many tons, placed irregularly to seaward to break the force of the surf. A new landing-place of iron and concrete is also to be constructed.

The railway from Mollendo to Arequipa reaches its highest altitude at its destination, Arequipa being situated eight hundred feet above sea level. From Arequipa to Puno the ascent is much greater, reaching fifteen thousand feet at Crucero Alto, about midway along the route. The first train from Arequipa to Puno arrived at the shore of Lake Titicaca on the 1st of January, 1874. The cost of this railway was four and a half million pounds sterling. Along its route are several bridges, and a tunnel four hundred feet long pierces the mountain about thirty miles east of Arequipa. As the train begins its ascent from Arequipa to Juliaca, the city remains in view for several miles, and the white crest of the Misti flashes in sight several times before it is hidden finally behind the higher peaks of the sierra. After crossing the Chili River, over a massive bridge sixteen hundred feet long and seventy feet above the stream, the train makes a rapid run to Yura, fifteen miles distant, where the most noted mineral springs of Peru are situated, a singularly picturesque resort.

From Yura, the ascent soon brings one to the region of the puna, and here very little vegetation is to be seen. Pampa de Arrieros is as bleak and barren as a plateau at an altitude of thirteen thousand feet always is; and the train speeds along for thirty miles with little change of scene until it crosses the Sumbay bridge and climbs up to Vincocaya and Crucero Alto. From Pampa de Arrieros, a magnificent view of the snow mountain Coropuna is presented, this lofty peak towering nearly twenty-three thousand feet above the level of the sea. The volcano Ubinas comes into view a few leagues beyond Vincocaya, just before the station of Lagunillas is reached. Lagunillas, or “Little Lagoons” is so called from the lakes of Cachipascana and Saracocha, which lie on the boundary line between the Departments of Arequipa and Puno, at an altitude of thirteen thousand six hundred feet, more than a thousand feet higher than Lake Titicaca. There are few signs of human activity at the smaller railway stations of the puna, only a few cloaked figures appearing on the platform as the train stops; but at the junction of Juliaca the scene is one of animation, and many enterprising venders congregate outside the car windows to sell their wares. The Indian women, in their short skirts and mantos, or shawls, and their flat, stiff-brimmed hats, present a curious spectacle to the foreign traveller. Their dress is very sombre, in contrast to the bright colors worn by the Indians of the lower sierra. In Puno, one sees both the Aymará and the Quichua Indians, these two races meeting on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The Aymarás are better sailors than their cousins of the lower valleys, and the native boats, or balsas, that ply the lake are usually owned by Aymará traders. The balsas are made of the reeds of totora which are found on the banks of the lake, and are so lashed together as to make the skiff water-tight and not easily capsized.

A few months after the opening of the railway from Mollendo to Puno, two screw steamers, the Yavary and the Yapura, were launched for service on the lake, having been brought out from England in pieces, which were carried up to Puno with great difficulty and put together in the company’s factory on the lake shore. New steamers have since been added; the Inca and Coya, recently launched, have a capacity of five hundred tons, are lighted by electricity, and provide accommodations for a hundred passengers. The voyage from Puno across to Guaqui, the Bolivian port, is made in a day.

From Juliaca to Cuzco, the journey is one of constant and varied interest. Nature presents many aspects in snow peaks and sloping valleys, and on the plateau are to be seen herds of llamas and alpacas. At the railway stations, groups of Indians offer for sale curiously-shaped objects in pottery, and the brilliantly colored blankets of this region. The jars, water-bottles, and ornaments which they make are often highly glazed and wrought in unique fashion. Horses, bearing cavaliers of the time of Charles V., in full armor, are favorite ornaments, though there are also water-carriers and peddlers with packs on their backs, and market women of wonderful dimensions. Most of these articles are made to be useful as well as ornamental, serving as water-bottles, toothpick-holders, match safes, etc. As works of art these efforts are among the crudest, but they are made by the most primitive process and represent much patience and industry. At Pucará, these venders throng the station platform, Juliaca being more noted for its blanket weavers. The Indians are very industrious, and whatever load they may be carrying is never allowed to interfere with their spinning, which goes on all the time, the bundles being strapped on their backs so as to leave their arms free.

From Tirapata, the headquarters of the Inca Mining Company and an important town of the plateau, the railway crosses a bridge and makes a slight ascent to Ayaviri and Santa Rosa, and a steeper climb to La Raya, which is the highest point between Juliaca and Cuzco. La Raya marks the boundary between the Departments of Puno and Cuzco, and is also the summit of the watershed which divides the Amazon system from that of Lake Titicaca. It is situated at an altitude of fourteen thousand one hundred and fifty feet above sea level. From La Raya, the train descends rapidly to Aguas Calientes (hot springs), Marangani, and Sicuani, two thousand five hundred feet lower, in the valley of the Vilcanota River. Before the completion of the railway to Cuzco, a diligence carried passengers from Sicuani to the ancient Inca capital, and, although the modern method of travel is to be preferred for many reasons, there was something charming in the drive along the old coach road that cannot be enjoyed by the traveller who is being whirled over the route at railway speed.

Formerly, the train arrived at Sicuani in the evening and passengers spent the night in one of the quaintest and most interesting towns of Peru, before taking the diligence to continue their journey to Cuzco. The market place of Sicuani is a glow of color when the Indians fill it with their wares. In the early morning they may be seen coming down the mountain into the town, the men wearing a dress introduced by the Spaniards during the time of the viceroyalty, with knee trousers and a coat of the period of Louis XIV., the women gorgeous in their almillas, or chemises of bright red or yellow; their chamarras, jackets of bright blue or green velvet; their chumpes, many-colored scarfs wound around their waists; and their flat, broad-brimmed hats made of cloth, lined with red and covered with silver braid. They scurry along the mountain road in high glee, their llamas in the lead with heads erect and long straight ears adorned with tassels of red, yellow and green woollen yarn. All the dignity of the procession is borne in the stately carriage of the llamas, whose leisurely movements are never disturbed by anything but fright.

Since the railway has been opened to Cuzco, there is no longer any necessity to break the journey between Sicuani and that city, as was done in the days of the diligence, when a stop was made at Cusipata, “the happy place,” after a wonderful ride along the valley of the Vilcanota, crossing the Checcacupe River and revelling in scenes full of historical interest and romantic charm. The second day’s ride used to take one from Cusipata to Cuzco, past the ruins of Viracocha’s famous temple, and close to the lake of Urcos, where, tradition says, the chain of Huascar was buried when the Inca’s subjects learned that the Spaniards were coming to Cuzco. This wonderful chain of gold, which is said to have been long enough to enclose the plaza of Cuzco three times and so heavy that each link weighed a hundred pounds, has been the object of many expeditions to Urcos. Near this spot, Almagro and Pizarro fought one of their bitterest battles, and in the neighborhood tradition locates many victories of the Incas’ armies in earlier times.

The rope bridges formerly swung across the river have in many cases been replaced by bridges of stone, though a few of the older construction remain and are still strong and serviceable. Ruins of the ancient aqueducts are to be seen, as well as the Incaic andenes of the mountain side. The road passes through deep gulches mantled with green and under the shadow of sheer palisades towering a hundred feet above. Rippling streams pour their silvery tide into the river that winds its broadening course along the valley, and pepper trees, eucalyptus, furze bushes six feet high, and prickly cactus, grow in profusion along the roadside. The present railway follows closely the old diligence road. From Urcos, a branch line has been surveyed to the port of Tahuantinsuyo, on the Madre de Dios River, and another line is projected to connect the city of Cuzco with Santa Ana, the capital of the province of Convencion, in the same department. The immense importance of the railway to Santa Ana lies in the facilities it will afford for traffic in the region of the Montaña that is richest in coca and other valuable products. The law authorizing the construction of this line, prepared by Dr. Benjamin de La Torre, was passed by Congress in October, 1907, and the work is to be completed in three years more.

Not only have the Central and Southern railways been extended and supplemented with branch lines within the past four years, but nearly all the existing railways of the republic have been brought to form links in the general system which the government has planned for the facilitation of traffic throughout the whole country. From the trunk line,—which, when completed, will extend from the border of Ecuador in the northwest to that of Bolivia in the southeast,—branches are being built to the head of navigation on all the great waterways of the upper Amazon. These lines will open up the vast region of the Montaña to the ports of the Pacific, and will multiply the available resources of the country a hundredfold. Products of the interior which have been cut off from the consumers of the coast by the great wall of the Andes, will be exchanged for goods brought to the Pacific ports; and months will be saved in the transportation of articles required for household use in the Amazon valleys. It will no longer be the custom for deputies from Iquitos to travel to Lima by way of Europe and Panamá, as at present, rather than across their own country, because the foreign trip takes less time. One of these branch lines is that previously mentioned as under construction to connect Urcos, on the Southern railway, with the port of Tahuantinsuyo on the Madre de Dios; another is being built from Oroya to the Ucayali River, passing through Tarma and along the present road to the Pichis and Perené Rivers. It is to be completed in 1913. A third line is entirely new, to be constructed from the port of Paita to Puerto Limon on the Marañon River, with a branch to Puerto Yurimaguas on the Huallaga.

All the railways projected and under construction to connect the Pacific seaports of Peru with the Amazon tributaries are of political as well as commercial importance, as they will serve to unite in closer bonds the people of the coast, the sierra and the Montaña, hitherto so remote from one another as to have few interests in common, except such as tradition and sentiment have preserved.

The port of Paita offers many advantages as the Pacific terminus of a railway to the Amazon waterways. From Paita to Puerto Limon the distance is only four hundred miles, and from Puerto Limon to Pará it is nearly three thousand miles. At present, most of the commerce of the Montaña is carried down to Pará over the Amazon and its tributaries, and many of the river routes are even longer than that from Puerto Limon. It is estimated that the railways between the Pacific coast and the Amazon will not only provide much more rapid transportation, but also a more economical service.

The railways of the coast have been extended during the past four years both longitudinally and in the direction of the sierra. From the port of Tumbes a line was recently completed to La Palizada and the landing-place of the port was improved by the construction of a steel pier eight hundred feet in length. The Pacasmayo and Yonan railway has been extended to Chilete and Cajamarca, to afford an outlet for the cereals and other products grown in those sections of the sierra. From Chimbote to Huaraz and Recuay one of the most important of the coast railways has been built. A line is projected to run direct from Cerro de Pasco to the coast, with its seaport terminus at Huacho, the concession for its construction having been given to a North American capitalist. An important new railway connects the port of Ilo with the city of Moquegua; it was completed during the last months of President Pardo’s administration. Along the shore of the Pacific, a railway has recently been completed from Lima to Huacho on the north, and another is under construction from the capital to Pisco in the south.

Not only has railway construction received a great impetus under the energetic and progressive government of the past few years, but the public roads of the country have been extended and improved, new bridges have been built, new wharves constructed in several ports, and greater attention paid to commercial facilities than ever before.