File:Scottish geographical magazine (1885) (14804103523).jpg

Identifier: scottishgeograph21scotuoft (find matches)
Title: Scottish geographical magazine
Year: 1885 (1880s)
Authors: Scottish Geographical Society Royal Scottish Geographical Society
Subjects: Geography
Publisher: Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Geographical Society
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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and other neces-saries for the journey, and at 2 P.M. on the 20th of January 1903 we setout only a day and a cpuarter later than we had intended, which, con-sidering the country and the general habits of the Spanish-American, wasfairly creditable. The cavalcade consisted of a friend and myself, withFrancisco, our arriero, Martino, an Aymara Indian who spoke Spanish,and six mules. We travelled towards the southern end of Lake Titicaca, across theplateau, which is here arid and desolate. The country around the lake A JOURNEY IN BOLIVIA AND PERU AROUND LAKE TITICACA. 253 is in most places cultivated by the Indians, who grow potatoes, barley,broad beans, quinoa—a kind of goosefoot (Chenopodium quinoa), ocas—atuberous form of oxalis, lupins and other plants, with some success ifthe season is favourable. The rainy season in the plateau region occursfrom December until the end of March, and it is only during this periodthat it is possible to grow crops. During the dry season the soil is
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An ancient Stone Figure about 10 feet high at Tiaguanoco. baked by day and frozen at night, so that only the most resistant typesof vegetation are able to survive. The climatic conditions in this region affect the human traveller aswell as the vegetable kingdom, and owing to the dryness of the air it isas well to regard the washing of oneself—an art apparently unknownto the Indian population—as a luxury rather than as a necessity. Thefrequent oiling of ones face and hands is a necessary preventiveagainst burning and loss of skin. 254 SCOTTISH GEOGRAPHICAL MAGAZINE. The climatic conditions also exert a marked influence on the dress ofthe country, which I may briefly refer to here. Owing to the greatdifferences between the day and the night temperatures and the liabilityto rapid diurnal fluctuations, clothing is of thick woollen materials. Theuniversal garment of the men is the poncho—an article like a blanket,with a hole cut in the middle for the head to go through—which is ane

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