When fully attired, she is a sight to behold. Arrayed in all her finery, she promenades like a queen through the streets of the city; and yet, back of it all, the influence of blood is evident. She may dress ever so elaborately, but the old customs still cling; she still insists upon carrying her baby on her back in good old Indian fashion, and she is not averse to carrying her market basket when she goes to the market to make her purchases. Most numerous among the Indians are the Aymaras, who, unlike the Quichua Indians of Peru, are surly and inclined to hold aloof from the white man. They are seemingly indifferent to the white man’s influence. For clothing, the Aymará men wear shirts and trousers of a coarse cotton material; and over their shoulders is thrown a poncho of heavy woolen cloth. Aside from their poncho, the most attractive part of their costume is a curious woolen head-covering, beautifully embroidered with beads in gay colors. In a climate where it is always cold except at midday, these caps with their long ear-muffs are very serviceable. Women who are wives of full-blooded Indians make no pretension in the way of attire, and they accept without question their social status, which relegates them to an inferior position.
Much of the trading carried on with the Indians is done by barter; they bring their farm and garden produce to the city, and exchange it with dealers for groceries or wearing apparel. Very few of them accumulate money, and wealth is very rare.
Many of their laws are unique, and are no doubt born of tribal customs which have been handed down for generations, and yet are usually rigidly observed. If, for instance, a doctor loses seven patients, Indian law decrees that the career of the doctor must terminate, and that his life must be a forfeit for his failure to save the lives of his patients. After the Indian doctor has lost his sixth patient, he usually departs for some unknown place.
Although the Bolivian capital is overwhelmingly Indian in point of population, in appearance it is decidedly modern. Its streets are paved with cobblestones, but as a rule are clean and kept in good condition. The pavements may be rough, but it must be borne in mind that there are very few level thoroughfares; most of the streets are very hilly, and would be almost impossible to navigate were it not for the cobblestones, which permit men and beasts to maintain a foothold. Municipal laws will not permit Indians to make use of the thoroughfares for their llamas during business hours; they are brought into the city early in the morning, remaining in some patio or courtyard awaiting the evening hours, when their owners drive them home. At sunset one may see long trains of these quaint animals driven through the streets on their way back to the farms. The llama lends picturesqueness to one of the most unusual cities on the face of the globe.