The hospitality of the Peruvians is especially seen in their homes, where the stranger finds them thoughtful, courteous, and invariably polite and attentive. One has here a good opportunity to learn the family customs, which are simple and cordial. The houses of Peru are generally of one or two stories, and are built around a court or _patio_, which is usually beautified with plants and flowers and often paved with ornamental tiles, making it a delightfully cool and comfortable place for the family reunion in the evening. It takes the place of the verandah, so popular in North America. The daily routine of a Peruvian family does not differ greatly from that of the Latin people in all countries, where the _desayuno_, or early breakfast, consists of a cup of coffee and a roll, taken in one’s room, sometimes as early as six o’clock, the midday meal, or breakfast proper, being much more elaborate than the same meal in England or the United States, while the dinner, between six and eight in the evening, is more or less the same as in all countries. _Criollo_ cooking, as the preparation of food according to Spanish-American taste is called, has given place in many houses to the French _cuisine_, though one may still enjoy the peppery dishes of native origin in the sierra, and a few choice specialties of traditional excellence retain their hold on the national palate. The after-dinner coffee is usually taken in the _patio_ in summer and in the drawing-room during the season of the _garúa_. In the evening, music and dancing are favorite amusements, the piano, guitar, mandolin, or other musical instruments being among the necessities of every well-regulated home. The foreigner is at once impressed by the refinement and grace which distinguish the people in their home life, and which are evidences of the long inheritance of a cultured race. Travellers have extolled the people of Lima for their intelligence, imagination, and charming hospitality; the _Arequipeños_ are eulogized by Flammarion, who says: “Arequipa is the most agreeable place of abode in South America, not only for the suavity of its climate but also because of the hospitable customs of its people.” The cordiality of the families of Cuzco is no less abundantly proved by those who have enjoyed a visit to this historic city, in which it is the custom to extend charming hospitality to the stranger. It is the same in the other cities of the republic, where a kindly welcome awaits the visitor and every courtesy is shown to the traveller. [Illustration: PARK AT BARRANCO.]