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THE LAND OF THE QUETZAL
WILLIAM T.BRIGH AM
THE LIBRARY OF
BROWN UNIVERSITY
THE CHURCH
COLLECTION
The Bequest of
Colonel George Earl Church
1835-1910
GUATEMALA
THE LAND OF THE QUETZAL
MONOLITH (A) AT QHIKIGUA.
GUATEMALA
THE LAND OF THE QUETZAL
By WILLIAM T. BRIGHAM, A.M.
LONDON
T. FISHER UNWIN
26 Paternoster Square
1887
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PREFACE.
A BELIEF in the increasing importance of Central
America, both geographically and politically, has
led the writer of the following pages to collect for his
own use and print for the rise of others, notes made
during three journeys in Guatemala and Honduras. He
does not pretend to offer a monograph on Guatemala, nor
to add to the general knowledge of Central America ; but
remembering the lack of guidance from which he suffered
in travelling through the country, would in some measure
save others from the same inconvenience. He seeks also,
with perhaps more ambition, to awaken among Americans
greater interest in the much-neglected regions between
the Republic of Mexico and the Isthmus of Darien.
A land which was the cradle of civilization on this
continent, and whose recently explored monuments are
most justly claiming the study and admiration of arch-
aeologists in Europe as well as in America, has been
strangely neglected by the American traveller as well as
by the American merchant. Since the Travels of Stephens
fascinated the public nearly half a century ago, the people
of the United States have paid very little attention to
Guatemala or its commerce. Even now there are thou-
sands of square miles of wholly unexjDiored territory
between the low Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the Lake of
Nicaragua.
vi PREFACE.
No country on the northern half of the American
continent has a finer climate or more beautiful and varied
scenery, or is a more attractive field for the genuine
traveller. Valleys rivalling the paradises of the islands
of the Pacific ; uplands not unlike the plateau of the
Indian Neilgherries ; forests as dense and luxuriant as
those of Brazil ; lakes as picturesque as those of Switzer-
land ; green slopes that might have been taken from the
Emerald Isle ; glens like the Trossachs ; desert wastes
that recall the Sahara ; volcanoes like ^tna ; and a
pojDulation as various as in that land whence comes the
Indian name, — all these features make but the incom-
plete outline of the Guatemaltecan picture. Then there
is that charming freedom from conventionality which
permits a costume for comfort rather than for fashion,
accoutrements for convenience rather than for show. No
dangerous beast or savage man attempts the traveller's
life, no lurking danger or insidious pestilence is in his
path. The hair-breadth escapes, more interesting to the
reader than pleasant to the explorer, are rare here, and
the rough places and the irritations from which no land
on earth is wholly free, seem softened and vanishing to
the retrospective eye.
Old travellers know how soon the individuality of a
country is lost when once the tide of foreign travel is
turned through its towns or its by-ways ; and when the
ship-railway of Eads crosses the Isthmus of Tehuantepec,
when the Northern Railroad extends through Guatemala,
when the Transcontinental Railway traverses the plains
of Honduras, and the Nicaraguan Canal unites the At-
lantic and the Pacific, the charm will be broken, the mule-
path and the mozo de cargo will be supplanted, and a
journey across Central America become almost as dull as
a journey from Chicago to Cheyenne.
PREFACE.
Vll
In the sober work to which this Preface introduces the
reader, first impressions have been confirmed or corrected
by subsequent experience, and flights of the imagination
curbed by the truth-telling camera ; from the published
maps the most correct portion has been selected, and the
statistics are from the Government reports. Many hun-
dred photographic plates made by the writer during a
period of three years have contributed to the illustrations
of this book, so that accuracy has been secured. Where
the plates are not direct reproductions from the negatives,
the ink drawings have been made from photographic
prints with care. There are no fancy sketches.
W. T. B.
Boston, June 16, 1887.
From an Ancient Manuscript.
CONTENTS.
I . The Kingdom of Guatemala ....
II. The Atlantic Coast and its Connections
III. Across the Continent Westward to Coban
IV. From Coban to Quezaltenango
V. From Quezaltenango to the Pacific
VI. Guatemala City
VII. Guatemala to Esquipulas .
VIII. Esquipulas and Quirigua .
IX. In the Olden Time
X. The Republic of Guatemala
XI. Vegetable and Animal Productions
XII. Earthquakes and Volcanoes .
PAGE
1
25
66
103
148
171
190
201
228
281
323
377
APPENDIX
INDEX .
411
445
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
Monolith at Quirigua (A) Frontispiece
TO FACE PAGE
A Street in Livingston 28
Interior of a Carib House 30
Grating Cassava 32
Weaving a Serpiente 36
El Rio Cuocon 44
CoBAN CuuRcn AND Plaza (tVoni the tower of the Cabildo) .... 94
Frank and his Mare ]\Iabel 106
CiiiCAMAN (two views takeu from the same place before sunrise) .... 109
Valley of the Chixoy 114
Plaza of Sacapulas 118
ToTONicAPAN Valley 138
Lago de Atitlan (from the road above Paiiajacbel) 156
A Street in Guatemala City 177
Guatemala City (from the Church of the Carmen) 178
Santuario at Esquipulas 202
Monolith at Quirigua (E) 218
xii ILLUSTRATIONS.
TO FACE PAGE
Altar-Stones at Quirigua 222
Ethnographic Chart (after Dr. Stoll) 271
A Group of Carib Children 272
Two Carib Boys 274
A Carib plaiting a Petaca 276
A Court Scene in Livingston 318
In the Forest 324!
CoHUNE Palms (^Attalea cohune, Mart.) 330
VoLCAN DE PuEGO (from tlie Cabildo, Antigua) 392
TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
PiGUREs (from an ancient Manuscript) vii
Luciano Calletano (captain at Chocon) 24
Barrack Point, Livingston 27
Entrance to the Hio Dulce 41
Pemale Iguanas 47
Barbecue at Benito 50
Section of Vejuco de Agua 54
Dragon Bock, Chocon 55
San Gil (from tlie author's house at Liviiigstou) 59
Puerto Barrios 61
Sulphur Spring 63
Paddle and Machete 65
Castillo de San Pelipe (plan drawn by P. E. Blaisdell) 69
ILLUSTRATIONS. xiii
PAGE
Making Tortillas 71
Roof-tile (from a sketch by F. E. Blaisdell) 89
In Hotel Aleman 91
Plan of Hotel Aleman (by F. E. Blaisdell) 92
The Cabildo of Coban 93
Interior of tue Church at Coban 94
Pattern of Cloth 95
Quetzal (^Macropharus mocino) 97
Indio of Coban 99
Cuartillo of Guatemala 102
Rope Bridge over the Chixoy 107
Quiche Altar of Tohil (Sacrificatorio) 122
Marimba 123
JlCARA 124
SOLOLA AND VoLCAN DE AtITLAN 132
Church at Quezaltenango 143
Manuel Lisandro Barillas (President of Guatemala) 145
Alcaldes of Quezaltenango 146
Cuatro-Reales of Honduras 147
J. Rufino Barrios (photograph taken in 1S83) 149
Boat on the Lago de Atitlan 153
Washout in the Road 157
Antigua and the Volcan de Agua • . 159
Ruined Church in Antigua Guatemala 161
Railroads for Guatemala 168
Bread-fruit (^Artocarpus incisct) 170
Section of Boat at Amatitlan 174
XIV ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
Chtjrch of the Carmen I79
Spanish Stirrup (of the time of Cortez) 184
Terra-cotta Figurines 184
Indian Pottery 189
Pacaya, Fuego, Agua 190
hunapu from the eastward 191
Mozo ON THE Road 198
Lava Mask in the Museo Nacional 200
Incense-Burner (about half tlie size of the original) 207
Remains at Quirigua (from Mr. Maudslay's plan) 217
Monolith at Quirigua (F) 219
Monolith E (portion of back) 221
IzABAL (fi'om the end of the wharf) 225
Whistle from Las Quebradas 227
Ancient Temple (from an old Manuscript) 245
Indio sacrificing Blood from his Tongue (Kingsborough) .... 246
Ideographs 251
Ancient Incense-burner 251
Stone Ring for Ball Game (at Chichen Itza) 257
A Carib Woman 272
Indian Women, Pocomam Tribe 275
Mozos de Cargo, Quiche 279
Carved Stone Seat (Museo Nacional) 2S0
Arms of Guatemala 281
Rafael Cabrera (from a silver dollar) 288
Matapalo-Tree 326
Attalea coiiune (flowers and fruit) 330
ILLUSTRATIONS. xv
PA.GG
Leaf Tip of Clijibixg Palm {Besmoncus) 332
Indian Plough; a Type of Guatejialtecan Agriculture .... 340
A Primitive Sugar-mill (commou at Liviugstou) 341
Theobroma cacao (chocolate tree) 346-
Castilloa elastica (India-rubber tree) 347
A Bunch of Plantains (young) 352:
Pounding Rice 356'
Growth of a Young Coconut 360
Passiflora Brighami 376'
Congrehoy Peak 384
CosEGUiNA (from the sea) 399
Group (from an ancient Manuscript) 442
MAPS.
Central America 6
Lago de Atitlan 154
Central American Volcanoes 377
Lago de Ilopango 403
Guatemala End of Book
GUATEMALA:
THE LAND OF THE QUETZAL.
CHAPTER I.
THE KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA.
THAT part of the North American continent usually
known as Central America was included by the
Spanish conquerors in the kingdom of Guatemala ; and
while my purpose is to describe the republic of Guate-
mala, — a portion only of the ancient kingdom, — I may
be pardoned if I call the attention of my readers briefly
to the geography and history of all that country which
once bore the name and is still closely allied with the
interests of Guatemala.
Central America should extend from the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec to that of Darien ; from the Caribbean Sea
on the northeast, to the Pacific Ocean on the southwest.
Mexico, however, has taken Chiapas and Yucatan, on
the west and north. Great Britain has seized the east
coast of Guatemala (British Honduras), and the Isthmus
of Panama is included in the territory of South America.
The present independent republics of Guatemala, San
Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, con-
stitute what is known as Central America, — a territory
Z GUATEMALA.
extending between 8° 10' and 19° 20' north latitude, and
between 82° 25' and 92° 30' west longitude. In length
it measures between eight and nine hundred miles, while
its breadth varies from thirty to three hundred miles.
No competent survey has ever been made of this coun-
try, and even the coast-line is not always correctly
laid down on the best charts. Maps have been made
at haphazard in most cases, and very few positions
have been scientifically determined. Government sur-
veys along the lines of proposed canals or railways
have not extended beyond a narrow line, usually in
low regions remote from important centres. Dr. Frant-
zius ^ has published a very excellent map of Costa Rica ;
but most of the so-called maps published by or under
the authority of individual republics are of no scien-
tific value, the course of the principal rivers and the
direction of the main mountain -chains being unknown.
To illustrate the uncertain geography of Central Amer-
ica, let me give the extent and population as pub-
lished by three authorities, — (I.) Lippincott's Gazetteer,
(II.) Whittaker's Almanac, and (III.) the " Geografia
de Centro- America " of Dr. Gonzalez.
I.
Siiuare Miles. Population.
Guatemala 40,777 1,190,754
Salvador 7,335 434,520
Houduras 47,090 351,700
Nicaragua 58,000 236,000
Costa Rica 21,495 180,000
174,697 2,392,974
^ PeteriDann's Mittheilungen, 1869.
THE KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA. S-
II.
Square Miles Population.
Guatemala 40,776 1,500,000
Salvador ..... 7,335 554,000
Honduras 39,600 300,000
Nicaragua 58,170 300,000
Costa Rica 26,040 200,000
171,921 2,854,000
III.
Guatemala 50,600 1,200,000
Salvador 9,600 600,000
Honduras 40,000 400,000
Nicaragua 40,000 (1882) 275,816
Costa Kica 21,000 200,000
161,200 2,675,816
Without surveys and without a proper census of the
Indian tribes no scientific description of the country can
be given. Humboldt's theory of an Andean cordillera
has been disputed, and his mountain-chain has proved
to be a confusing (but not confused) series of mountain-
ridges. Yet it well may prove that the great naturalist
was right ; and so far as we now know from maps and
personal observation, the vast earth-wrinkle which ex-
tends along the western border of our continent is a
mountain-range of definite direction (about E. 20'' S. to
W. 20'' N.) in Central America, and there occupying
nearly the whole width of the continent. If we can
picture to ourselves the formation in those remote ages,
that it is the geologist's task to rehabilitate in thought,
of a vast ridge, not sharp like the typical mountain^
range, but of broad dimensions like the swell of some
vast ocean, we shall have the material then forming
4 GUATEMALA.
the earth's crust bent upwards, and hi unelastic places
broken, and this partly or entirely beneath the ocean.
The rising land as the ages passed would be acted upon
not only by the ocean waves and currents, but by the
torrential rains, which were of a force and frequency
that even our water-spouts of the present age cannot
equal. Cracks were widened, gorges were formed ; and
as the earth approached the present geological age, the
gentler rains only supplied the rivers and lakes which
now occupied the furrows ploughed deeply by primeval
torrents. The rough work was done, the statue blocked
out ; and henceforth meteoric influences were merely to
finish, add expression and polish to the work.
A traveller crossing this territory from ocean to ocean
would sometimes follow the river valleys, then climb
ridges, again traverse a plain, cross a valley, ride along
another mountain-ridge, compassing a volcano, and finally
descend abruptly to the Pacific. His direction had not
changed, but the nature of his path had been wonder-
fully transformed.
Geologists know well that on one of these lines of
disturbance, such as has been described, molten and dis-
integrated material is apt to come to the surface as lava
and ashes ; they expect also to find metallic veins, espe-
cially of the precious metals, and hot springs with vari-
ous minerals in solution, and they infer earthquakes.
All these phenomena are present in Central America in
full force. Immense cones have arisen along the Pacific
slope since the general features of the land were made,
and not only have spread vast deposits aromid their
base, but have blocked up valleys, forming lakes as
Atitlan, built promontories as Coseguina, islands as
THE KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA. 5
Ometepec in the Lake of Nicaragua, and have turned
rivers, changed prevailing winds, and otherwise altered
the physical conditions of the country.
Gold sands from the disintegrated veins sparkle in
every mountain-brook, and the deposits of silver are
no doubt as rich as those of Mexico, Nevada, and Potosi.
Aguas calientes, or hot s^Drings, are found all over the
country, and earthquakes, often severe, are common on
the Pacific slopes.
All along the Atlantic side the rock material is lime-
stone or dolomite, while as one goes westward he meets
andesyte and other forms of trachytic lava, such as
pumice and obsidian. Even among the limestone moun-
tains of the northeast are occasional volcanic deposits,
exactly as might be expected when so extensive an
upheaval has taken place.
Whatever has been the exact process by which this
essentially mountainous country has been formed, we
have at present at its northern boundary the high plain
of Anahuac, extending from Mexico (where it is inter-
rupted by the Isthnnis of Tehuantepec) through Guate-
mala ; of somewhat lower level in Honduras and Sal-
vador ; sinking to almost sea-level in Nicaragua (154
feet) ; and rising again in the Altos of Veragua to about
3,250 feet. This main range has its axis much nearer
the Pacific shore and almost parallel to it, being in San
Salvador distant seventy-five miles, and in Guatemala
(Totonicapan) only fifty. Towards the Pacific the slope
is steep, interrupted by many volcanoes ; while on the
Atlantic side the gently terraced incline is broken into
subsidiary ridges extending to the very shores. In the
oceanic valleys and along the coast are the only low-
6 GUATEMALA.
lands of Central America ; and these contain the wash
of volcanoes, limestone mountains, and ages of vegetable
growth and decay, forming the richest of soils for agri-
€ultural purposes.
In Guatemala the mean height of the cordillera is
about seven thousand, and probably the mean height of
this republic is not less than five thousand, feet. The
Sierra Madre, or Cuchumatanes, in the Department of
Huehuetenango, is the highest land (always excepting
the volcanoes, which will be described later) ; and of the
less important ridges are the Sierra de Chama (of lime-
stone, and full of caverns), which extends towards the
northeast and ends in the Cockscomb Range of British
Honduras ; Sierra de Santa Cruz, also of limestone, ex-
tends nearly eastward, north of the Lago de Izabal and
the Rio Polochic, and south of the Rio Sarstun ; Sierra
de las Minas, nearly parallel to the last, and separating
the valley of the Rio Motagua from that of the Polochic.
Of this range is the Montana del Mico and the peak of
San Gil, near Livingston : the material is no longer lime-
stone, but metamorphic rock, containing mines of some
importance. Last we have the Sierra del Merendon,
which forms the boundary between Guatemala and Span-
ish Honduras ; and with various names it finally ends in
the Montana de Omoa on the coast, — an important land-
mark several thousand feet high.
The mountains of Salvador are all volcanic and shore-
ward of the main chain ; but in Honduras the lines again
repeat the general arrangement of Guatemala, while the
names are man}^, indicating a more broken system. Be-
tween the ranges are broad and fertile valleys, the Llano
de Comayagua being forty miles in length, with a breadth
CENTRAL AMERICA.
THE KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA. 7
of from five to fifteen miles. In Nicaragua the rido-es
slope towards the southwest, breaking abruptly to the
Mosquito coast, and an important part of its territory is
occupied by the lakes of Managua and Nicaragua. From
the broad valley the land again rises towards Costa Rica,
where it attains the height of forty-three hundred feet,
and, owing to the narrowness of the continent, the lat-
eral branches are insignificant. From the table-land of
Veragua the cordillera dwindles to the basaltic ridge of
Panama.
Rivers are, next to mountains, the most important
factors in the physical aspect of the land ; and in
Central America they are abundant, though, from the
broken nature of the country, not of great size. From
the position of the backbone of the land, most of the
watershed is towards the Gulf of Mexico and the Carib-
bean Sea ; even the great lakes of Nicaragua, which are
really on the Pacific side, empty through the Rio San
Juan into the Atlantic, the river taking advantage of a
break in the cordillera. The lower or navigable portion
of the Central American rivers is the only part known ;
the sources of even the largest streams are still un-
explored. So tortuous are the courses that names are
multiplied, and rivers that flow from inhabited valleys
through wild forests again appear in the lowlands as
unknown strangers ; and the river that one traveller
describes as important and navigable, because he sees
it in the season of rain, the next visitor may cross knee-
deep, and know only as a brook.
On the Pacific side may be mentioned the Rio Lempa,
which rises near Esquipulas, receives the waters of the
considerable Lago de Guija (on the boundary of Guate-
8 GUATEMALA.
mala and Salvador), and even after the dry season is of
large volume, thirty miles from its mouth attaining a
breadth of more than six hundred feet and a depth of
ten feet, which is nearly twenty-seven when the floods
of the rainy season occur. If it were not for the bar,
which has liardly a fathom of water, the navigation
would develop rich lands on either bank. The Rio Paz,
the Rio de los Esclavos, and the Rio Michatoya are not
navigable, although formerly the latter stream at its
mouth (Istapa) was large enough within the bar to admit
the construction of vessels of moderate size ; it was here
that the Spaniards fitted out several fleets.
Far different are some of the rivers that find their way
into the Atlantic. Chief among them all is the noble
Usumacinta, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico through
the Lago de Terminos, and is navigable many miles
through a singularly fertile and interesting country, as
beautiful as fancy pictures the cradle of the human race,
— a land seldom visited by white men, and the home of
the unconquered and unbaptized (La Candones) Indios.
The swift Chixoy, the Rio de la Pasion, and the almost
unknown San Pedro unite to form this " Child of many
Waters."
The Belize River, rising in the Montana de Dolores near
Peten and crossing the British colony, is the principal
highway for the commerce of Peten, the pitpans bringing
down huge mahogany bowls, paddles, baskets, and other
Indian g-oods. The Sarstun forms the southern boun-
dary of the British possessions, and is navigable for
small canoes as far as the rapids of Gracias a Dios.
None but timber-cutters disturb its solitudes. The Polochic
is at present the most useful river of Guatemala. It
THE KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA. 9
rises near Tactic, and is a foaming torrent for much of
its course in Alta Verapaz. At Pansos the waters are
navigable for light-draft steamers, except in very dry
seasons ; and not far below, its volume is materially
increased by the Cahabon. It flows through the Lake of
Izabal, and, as the Rio Dulce, empties into the Gulf of
Amatique over a bar of sand. The Motagua is nearly
parallel to the Polochic, and rises near Santa Cruz del
Quiche. From Gualan it is navigable in canoes. Smaller
streams are the Ulua, Aguan, and Segovia in Spanish
Honduras, which are navigable for pitpans. Finally we
have the San Juan, known as one of the elements of the
" Nicaragua Canal " route, but not at present navigable
for boats of any size.
All the rivers of Central America that can be used for
commerce require a special river service ; for wherever
the depth of water is sufficient, the always-present bar
cuts off access to vessels drawing more than six feet.
Should the development of the country warrant it, the
bar of the Rio Dulce could be deepened sufficiently to
admit vessels drawing ten or fifteen feet.
Small lakes are common enough in the northern part
of Central America. The Laguna del Peten is about five
hundred feet above the sea, nine leagues long and five
broad. The Lago de Atitlan, in the Department of
Solola, is sixteen and a half miles long from San Lucas
Tollman to San Juan, and eight miles wide from San
Buenaventura to Canajpu, and soundings show a depth
of a thousand feet. With the Laguna de Amatitlan, this
will be described in the Itinerary. Of Honduras, the
chief lakes are the Laguna de Caratasca, or Cartago,
close on the Atlantic coast, thirty-six miles long by
10 GUATEMALA.
twelve wide ; the Lago de Yojoa, between the Depart-
ments of Comayagua and Santa Barbara, twenty-five
miles long and from five to eight wide ; the Lago de
Cartina, eighteen miles by eight, and the Laguna de la
Criba, fifteen by seven miles. Of all the lakes of Central
America, none is so interesting commercially as the Lake
of Nicaragua. It is large (ninety miles by forty), and the
largest south of Lake Michigan. Of a depth sufficient
for all vessels (forty-five fathoms in places), and con-
nected with the Atlantic by the Rio San Juan, with the
Lago de Managua (thirty-five miles by sixteen), by the
Tipitapa, it has the serious disadvantage of being a vol-
canic basin, whose bottom may at any time be elevated
above the surface, — as in the case of the volcano of
Ometepec. Whether the channel between these two lakes
is permanent, is a matter of some doubt, as travellers
have lately found no water flowing from Managua. The
Lago de Guija, between Guatemala and Salvador, is
seventeen miles long from east to west, and its mean
width is six. Fishes and alligators abound, and its waters
— which are not of the best quality — discharge through
the Lempa to the Pacific. Another lake in Salvador has
attracted attention in late years by a curious volcanic
disturbance in its midst ; Ilopango will be described with
the volcanoes.
With this bare list of some of the prominent features
of the country, we may join a brief account of those
other natural and political characteristics of what was
once Spain's stronghold on this continent that have most
immediate relation to the present inhabitants. Leaving
Guatemala for a separate chapter, the other four republics
may be described as follows : —
THE KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA. 11
Salvado7\ — The smallest in extent, but by far the
most populous, having no less than sixty-three inhabitants
to the square mile. The central part is an upland of a
mean elevation of two thousand feet above the sea, bounded
on the Pacific side by a chain of volcanic peaks ; beyond
these a strip of lowland from ten to twenty miles wide.
Eastward and westward are two great depressions, San
Miguel and Sonsonate, '"the place of a hundred springs"
(centsonatl). The Gulf of Fonseca, fifty miles long and
nearly thirty wide, is said to be the most beautiful harbor
on the Pacific coast. On the southwest side is the prin-
cipal port of La Union, a town of little more than two
thousand inhabitants, and unhealthful, as are all the Pacific
ports. The mean temperature is 80^ Falir. ; and were it
not for the capital commercial facilities of the town, its in-
habitants would be few. Libertad has an open roadstead,
and a population only half that of La Union. Acajutla
lies between the headlands of Remedios and Santiago, and
has but five hundred inhabitants ; as the port of Sonsonate
(distant five leagues), however, it is much frequented, and
is provided with an iron pier, as is Libertad. In 1882 the
first railway in the republic was opened, from Acajutla to
Sonsonate, a distance of fifteen miles ; and work has since
been slowly progressing in the direction of Santa Ana.
Mines of gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, and anthracite
coal are found within the borders of Salvador, the prin-
cipal being those of Loma-Larga, Corozal, Devisadero,
Encuentros, and Tabanco.
The capital was founded April 1, 1528, by Jorge de
Alvarado, brother of the conqueror of Guatemala ; but
ten or twelve years afterwards it was removed to its
present site in the valley De los Hamacas, where it has
12 GUATEMALA.
been many times ruined by the terrible earthquakes to
which this region is especially subject.
The republic is divided into fourteen departments,
twenty-nine districts, and two hundred and twenty-eight
towns.
Departments. Principal Cities.
Santa Ana. Santa Ana (25,000).
Ahuacliapan. Ahuachapan.
Sonsonate. Sonsonate (8,000).
La Libertad. Nueva San Salvador (Santa Tecla).
San Salvador. San Salvador (30,000).
Chalateuango. Chalatenango.
Cuscatlan. Cojutepeque.
La Paz. Santa Liicia (Zacatecoluca).
San Vincente. San Vincente (10,000).
Cabanas. Sensuntepeque.
Usulutan. Usulutau.
San Miguel. San Miguel.
Gotera. Gotera.
La Union. San Carlos (La Union).
The legislative power is exercised by two chambers, —
one of Deputies, the other of Senators ; each Department
elects a senator and a substitute, each District a repre-
sentative and his substitute. The executive power is in
the hands of a citizen elected as President by the people
directly ; should there be no election by an absolute
majority of votes, the General Assembly elects from the
three citizens who have obtained the greatest number of
votes. Three senators are designated as heirs-apparent.
The term of office is four years, without immediate
re-election. The judiciary is similar in order and func-
tions in all these republics, and will be described as in
Guatemala. The organized militia numbers about thirteen
thousand men ; and in case of invasion, war lawfully
THE KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA. 13
declared, and internal rebellion, all Salvadoreiios between
the ages of eighteen and fifty are liable to military
duty.
In 1879 the number of primary schools was 624 (465
boys', and the rest girls'); and these were attended
by 20,400 boys and 4,038 girls, at a probable cost of
$150,000. There is a central university, with faculties
of Law, Medicine, Theology, and Civil Engineering, and
it has branches at Santa Ana and San Miii:uel.
There are six hundred and ninety-three miles of tele-
graph, with forty offices ; and the service is reasonably
well performed by the Government officials. A railroad
between Santa Tecla and the capital, and five hun-
dred and nine leagues of cart-roads, afford communi-
cation ; and there are lines of stages subsidized by the
Government.
In 1879 the imports were $2,549,160.19, and the
exports $4,122,888.05 ; the income $2,914,236.29, and
the expenditures $2,785,068. The funded debt was
$1,945,201, the floating debt $392,777.11, and there
is no foreign debt.
Salvador is essentially an agricultural state, and coffee,
indigo, balsam, tobacco, rice, cacao, sugar, rubber, and
other less important products are produced abundantly
from her fertile fields.
Honduras. — The third republic of Central America
covers an area of about forty thousand square miles.
Its boundaries are seen on the map, and its surface is
diversified with high mountain-ranges, broad and fertile
valleys, vast forests, and plentiful streams. Its climate
is extremely hot on the coast ; but in the mountain
region, as at Intibuca, the temperature is low. Never
14 GUATEMALA.
SO hot as a summer in New England cities, and not so
cold as to check a most luxuriant vegetable growth, the
traveller has an alternation of spring and summer as he
changes his level, irrespective of the astronomical year.
Four hundred miles of Atlantic coast-line, dotted with
river-mouths, bays, and ports ; sixty miles on the Pacific
side, in the secure Gulf of Fonseca, — seem to provide
ample commercial advantages ; and to make these of use
are the following resources : vast jDlains in Comayagua
and Olancho, covered with excellent grass, pasture large
herds of cattle, thousands of which are shipped each
year to Cuba.^ The forests, which occupy much of the
Atlantic coast-region and the lower mountain-slopes
abound in mahogany, rosewood, cedar (Bursera)y logwood
{Hmmatoxylon campeeheanum), brazil-wood (Ccesalpinia
Brazilie7isis), sarsaparilla [Smilax), and other marketable
products ; the principal timber regions being on the rivers
Ulua, Aguan, Negro, and Patuca, — all on the Atlantic
side. In mineral wealth Honduras easily outranks all her
sister republics. Silver ores are exceedingly abundant,
chiefly on the Pacific slopes ; and among them are chlorides
of remarkable richness. Gold washings occur in Olancho,
and are now worked by several foreign companies. Cop-
per deposits are often mingled with silver ; iron exists as
magnetite, — sometimes so pure that it may be worked
without smelting ; antimony, tin, and zinc also have been
reported. Beds of lignite are found in the Department of
Gracias ; and here too are the Hondurenan opals. Fruits
of many kinds are now grown in the neighborhood of
Puerto Cortez, such as bananas, plantains, coconuts,
1 This business is declining, owing to the inferior cattle produced in
Florida and shipj^ed at a cheaper rate.
THE KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA. 15
pines, for which there is a constant demand from the
steamers which come here from New Orleans. Of indigo
little is now exported ; but the production of tobacco is
increasing. Especially fine is the leaf grown near Copan,
rivalling, when properly cured, the best product of the
Cuban valleys ; but the common cigars, which are sold for
eight dollars per thousand, are dear even at that price. In
1879 the importations were valued at about one million
dollars, and the exports twice that amount. In later
years these exports have largely increased. A railroad
of narrow gauge extends from Puerto Cortez to San
Pedro, — thirty-seven miles ; and while the republic is
sadly deficient in cart-roads, it is only fair to say that the
authorities are doing something to improve these very
necessary means, in the expectation that the country is
to develop as it deserves.
The government is very like that of Salvador, and
the administrative departments are : —
Departments. Cliief Cities.
Mas de la Bahia. Coxen Hole (Roatan).
Yoro. Yoro.
Olaneho. Juticalpa.
Paraiso. Yuscaran.
Tegucigalpa. Tegucigalpa (12,000).
Choluteca. Choluteca.
La Paz. La Paz.
Comayagua. Comayagua (10,000).
Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara.
Gracias. Gracias.
Copan. Santa Eosa.
Colon. Trujillo.
Public lands are abundant, and are granted to actual
settlers of any nationality at low rates, provided they
16 GUATEMALA.
will cultivate them. The towns are all small, although
some of them were flourishing sixty years before the
settlement of Jamestown in Virginia. Of the more im-
portant are Tegucigalpa, the capital, in the midst of a
plain some three thousand feet above the sea, and sur-
rounded by a mining region. It possesses a Universidad
Central, founded in 1849 by Don Juan Lindo, then Pres-
ident. Comayagua was founded in 1540 by Alonzo de
Caceres, also in the midst of a jDlain, where still are
visible the monuments of antiquity, — the less perishable
works of a people more energetic than their successors ;
for with the exception of some few churches, little of
the work of the present inhabitants would survive three
centuries of occupation by a foreign invader. Amapala,
on the Island of Tigre, in the Gulf of Fonseca, was for-
merly a favorite rendezvous of the buccaneers, Drake
making it his base of operations in the South Sea. Now
it is no less desirable as a port, having deep water close
to shore. Puerto Cortez, or Puerto Caballos, — as Cortez
called it, from the death of some of his horses here, —
on the north coast, in latitude 15"" 49' N., and longitude
87° 57' W., was selected by Cortez as the entrejjot of
New Spain, under the name of Navedad. For more
than two hundred years it was the principal port on the
coast ; but dread of the buccaneers caused the removal to
Omoa. The bay is nine miles in circumference, with a
depth of from four to twelve fathoms over its principal
area ; and on the northern side, where the water is
deepest, large ocean steamers may come to the wharves.
Omoa, in latitude 15° 47' N. and longitude 88° 5' W..
has a smaller harbor, defended by the Castillo de San
Fernando. Trujillo, an ancient port on the western shore
THE KIXGDOM OF GUATEMALA. 17
of a noble bay, is now growing in importance with, the
development of Olancho, of which it is the natural sea-
port ; but it has no wharf or any sufficient landing-
place for merchandise.
The Bay Islands are small, but of considerable impor-
tance. Roatan, the largest, is about thirty miles long
by nine broad, and in its highest part nearly a thousand
feet above the sea. Guanaja. or Bonaca, the first land
of Central America discovered by Columbus on his fourth
voyage, is fifteen miles from Roatan, and of an extent of
five by nine miles. This group is fertile, and with a fine
climate should prove very attractive to settlers from the
North who appreciate the waste of life in an arctic cli-
mate of eight months each year, when all vegetation
ceases to grow, and man himself can be kept alive only
by artificial heat, where the farmer must toil wearily four
months for the poor produce that is to sustain him all
the '' famine months," and the laborer live poorly all the
twelvemonth, whatever be his work.
The history of Honduras has not been a happy one,
even since its revolt from the Spanish yoke in 1821, and
revolutions have been the rule ; but in 1865 a new Con-
stitution was adopted, with some prospect of internal
quiet. The four hundred thousand inhabitants include
perhaps seven thousand whites, the Spanish population
being mainly on the Pacific side, Caribs along the Atlantic
coast, and several thousand of the mixed races, the great
majority being Indios, known as Xicaques and Poyas.
Perhaps the most adverse influence to the progress of this
naturally rich republic, next to the revolutions, was the
scandalous loan for building the " Honduras Inter-oceanic
Railway " from Puerto Cortez to the Gulf of Fonseca, a
18 GUATEMALA.
hundred and forty-eight miles. This loan, amounting in
1876 to $27,000,000, was as complete a swindle as has
ever disgraced American finances ; but the people of Hon-
duras, although responsible for the debt, had little to do
with its origin, and cannot rightly be blamed for not pay-
ing interest on what they never had any advantage from.
The internal debt is about $2,000,000.
Nicaragua. — Of nearly the same area as Honduras,
Nicaragua is chiefly distinguished by its lower level and
the great lake which offers so inviting a route for an
inter-oceanic canal. The same fertility and genial climate
extend from the Hondurehan uplands into Chontales and
Segovia, where Northerners can enjoy life ; but it is hot
and unwholesome near the sea, especially throughout the
Mosquito Reservation, where the frequent river-floods
and the miasmatic marshes breed an endemic fever very
fatal to Europeans. The mean annual temperature (ex-
cepting the highlands) is about 80° F., falling to 70° at
night, and rising to 90° in the hottest weather. The
seasons, as elsewhere in Central America, are two, — the
wet from May to November, the dry including the winter
months. At Rivas, on the isthmus between the Lago de
Nicaragua and the Pacific, the annual rainfall is about
a hundred and two inches ; elsewhere the summer rain-
fall is about ninety, and the winter less than ten.
Geologically, Nicaragua is no less rich than Honduras
in variety of structure and mineral possibilities. The
volcanic formations on the extreme West are rich in
pumice and sulphur, while across the lake are andesyte,
trachyte, greenstone, and metalliferous porphyries, suc-
ceeded by crystallized schists, dolerites, and metamorpliic
beds, extending, so far as is known, beneath the alluvial
THE KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA. 19
deposits of the coast-region. The Chontales gold mines
have been worked for some time near Libertad, and so
have the silver mines of Matagalpa and Dipilto ; but the
total annual yield of precious metals seldom exceeds
$200,000.
The chief articles of export are cacao, hides, coffee,
and gums, as well as gold and silver bullion ; and in
1880 the exports amounted to $2,057,500, and the im-
ports to $1,475,000. The revenue for this year was
$2,435,000, while the expenditures slightly exceeded it.
All Nicaraguans between the age of eighteen and thirty-
five are in the army.
For more than half a century Nicaragua has been
darkly distinguished above all other countries of the
world by war and bloodshed. Military pronimciami-
entos, civil war, and popular revolts have so exhausted all
the resources of this rich country that it is quiet at last
from utter exhaustion. Could these fermenting repub-
lics be induced to give up their absurd and expensive
military establishments, and expend the money, now
worse than wasted, in opening roads and teaching the
people something besides military drill, the prosperity
of this wonderfully fertile and agreeable region would
be assured. Only their revolutionary habits now stand
in the way of the introduction of foreign capital ; and
are not these habits fostered by the constant military
display which guards the President and judges alike ? It
is certainly foreign to all Northern ideas to have a court
of justice guarded hy military sentinels. Would that this
Eden might be reclaimed, the swords beaten into plough-
shares, and the generals and other officers turn their
wasted energies to agriculture and commerce !
20
GUATEMALA.
Nicaragua is divided into the following departments,
accordino- to the census of 1882 : —
Departments.
Managua .
Granada
Leon ....
Rivas ....
Chinandega
Chontales .
Matagalpa . .
Nueva Segovia .
San Juan del Norte
Mosquitia .
Chief Cities.
12,000
51,056
26,389
16,H75
17,578
27,738
51,699
36,902
2,000
36,000
Managua .
Granada
Leon
Rivas .
Chinandega
Libertad .
Matagalpa
Ocotal .
Grey town .
Blewfields .
7,800
16,000
25,000
10,000
11,000
5,000
9,000
3,000
1,512
1,000
These figures cannot, however, be relied upon for the
population. With a coast-line of two hundred and eighty
miles on the Caribbean Sea, the only port is San Juan del
Norte (Grey town), formed by the northern branch of the
delta of the San Juan ; and this is now nearly choked
with sand. The Pacific coast is bold and rocky, extending
nearly two hundred miles from Coseguina Point to Sali-
nas Bay, and has several convenient harbors, as San Juan
del Sur, Brito, and, best of all, Realejo. Among the
chief cities is Leon, founded by Francisco Fernandez de
Cordoba in 1523 in Imbita, near the northwest shore
of Lago de Managua, whence it was moved in 1610 to
the present site at the Indian town of Subtiaba. Mana-
gua, the capital of the republic, was nearly destroyed in
1876 by a land-slide, but is now^ rebuilt. Granada is the
collegiate town of the republic, and is on the shores of
the great lake. A railway has long been in process of
construction to connect the capital with the ocean. In
1882 the telegraphic system of eight hundred miles was
completed, and eighty-one thousand despatches were for-
THE KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA. 21
warded the preceding year through twenty-six offices.
In 1882 the total attendance at the national schools was
only five thousand, or less than eight per cent of the
whole population. Tlie annual grant for the purposes of
education was $50,000.
The Mosquito coast cuts from Nicaragua a large por-
tion of her shore-line, precisely as British Honduras robs
Guatemala of hers ; and this has been a cause of serious
trouble. This territory, which is about forty miles wide,
had been under the protection of Great Britain from 1655
to 1850, when that very un-American document the Clay-
ton-Bulwer treaty gave England certain rights in her col-
ony of Belize in exchange for such claims as she had to
this coast, and by the treaty of Managua, in 1860, she
formally ceded her protectorate to Nicaragua ; but there
are still several disputed points.
Costa Rica. — The fifth and most southern republic of
Central America has an area of only twenty-one thousand
square miles. The Atlantic coast is low, and the country
is covered with a dense forest, while the Pacific slope is
characterized by wide savannas, or Uanuras. Between
these borders are high volcanoes and an elevated table-
land three to four thousand feet above the sea, — the
latter almost the only cultivated land in the State. The
forests are largely composed of very valuable trees, —
mahogany, ebony, brazil-wood, and oak ; and the usual
tropical fruits grow well. Coffee, however, is the staple
export, being grown extensively in the neighborhood of
San Jose and Cartago; the soil most favorable being dark
volcanic ash, from three to eighteen feet deep. The
amount exported in 1874 was valued at $4,464,000 ; in
1885 the amount is placed at $4,219,617.
22
GUATEMALA.
f ^
/
Ct-'
On the Atlantic side Puerto Limon is the chief com-
mercial town, and on the Pacific, Punta Arenas. In
1871 the Government negotiated a loan in London of
$5,000,000, and the next year another of $12,000,000,
— but from both of them never received more than
$5,058,059.60, — with the avowed intention of building
an inter-oceanic railway between the two principal ports j
but only detached portions have been built, — twenty-four
miles from Alajuela to Cartago, sixty from Limon to Car-
rillo, and six from Punta Arenas to Esparta. The country
is bankrupt, and makes no attempt to pay any part of its
liabilities ; indeed, its revenues, derived from intolerable
duties (even on the export of coffee), monopolies of spirits
and tobacco, national bank, sales of land, and internal
taxes, do not balance the expenditures.
The legislature is composed of a Congress of Deputies,
— one for each electoral district, — holding office six
years, half being renewed every three years. The mem-
bers of the Corte de Justicia are elected by Congress.
'The present constitution (from 1871) is the seventh that
has been in force. The departments are, —
Departments. Chief Cities,
San Jose . . . 45,000 San Jose
Cartago .... 36,000 Cartago .
Heredia .... 30,000 Heredia .
Alajuela . . . 29,000 Alajuela
Guanacaste . . 8,000 Liberia .
Punta Arenas . . 6,000 Punta Arenas
15,000
10,000
9,000
6,000
2,000
1,800
The population is estimated by M. Belly.
Both the northern boundary on Nicaragua, and the
southern one on Columbia, are in dispute.^
1 Guatemala has been accepted (1886) by both Nicaragua and Costa Rica
as referee in the boundary dispute.
THE KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA. 23
I have endeavored to give most briefly the chief mat-
ters of importance relating to the four republics that, with
Guatemala, constitute Central America. I am well aware
that I have turned, that I can turn but little light on
the darkness ; too little is known of the country, beyond
its trade and political relations to the rest of the world.
Volcanoes, earthquakes, and revolutions have popularly
been associated with the whole region, and public taste
has been turned away from such unpleasant outbreaks of
subterranean fires or human passions. The time will
come when these regions, far more fertile and accessible
than those African wilds that for a score of years have
interested, strangely enough, both explorer and capitalist,
will claim the attention due their natural merits ; and
the fertile plains will be the garden and orchard of the
United States, — not necessarily by political annexation,
but by commercial intercourse. All our sugar, all our
coffee, all our rice, all our chocolate, all our india-rubber
ought to come from Central America, where these pro-
ducts can be raised better and cheaper than in any other
country ; and next to these staples, the subsidiary fruits,
as oranges, plantains, bananas, pines, limes, granadillas,
aguacates, and dozens of others now unknown to com-
merce, ought to come to us from Limon, Puerto Cortez,
and Livingston. These are to be obtained in Guatemala
of better quality and in better order than in the West
Indies. Louisiana would then perhaps give up the un-
natural cultivation of sugar, and Florida cease her use-
less striving to raise really good oranges, and both States
turn to the products they are better fitted for raising.
I will ask you to go with me through the republic
of Guatemala, and to see it, so far as you can, with my
24 GUATEMALA.
eyes ; and until that journey is ended, we will leave the
story of the old times, the present system of government,
the ethnology, the volcanoes, the flora and fauna, to
chapters by themselves, even if the unsystematic arrange-
ment should savor strongly of the irregularity of the
land we journey through.
Luciano Calletano (Captain at Chocon).
CHAPTER II.
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS.
\ S the steamer anchors far from the shore at the
JTx. port of Livingston, the traveller sees almost ex-
actly what the Spaniards saw, — earth, sky, and sea, —
so little change have four centuries wrought on the outer
shores of Guatemala. Northward are the picturesque
hills of British Honduras, backed by the blue summits
of the Cockscomb range ; southward the majestic San
Gil, bearing like another Atlas the clouds on his broad
shoulders ; eastward the low Cays, covered with the
feathery coconuts ; before him the shore, here marked
by a long limestone cliff crowned by the palm-sheltered
houses of the Caribs, while farther to the westward
rise the Santa Cruz mountains. The yellow waters of
some great river lave the vessel's sides ; but no break
is visible in the landward horizon.
For a while all is as it was when Hernan Cortez, in
the year 1525, came to this shore after his terrible
march from Mexico. There was even then a little vil-
lage on the high bluff ; and he found two of his country-
men gathering sapotes {Lucuma mammosa) to save the
little colony of Spaniards, a few leagues farther south,
from starving. Waiting in the early dawn for the land-
ing-boats, I cannot but recall the ancient times ; imagina-
26 GUATEMALA.
tion sinks the great steamer into the little caravel, and
the feelings of the conquistadores are mine for the time.
Soon the white sails drop out from the foliage, the canoes
are seen rapidly approaching, and the chatter of Caribs,
both men and women, banishes all day-dreams.
The '• Progreso," once a Buzzard Bay racer, sails rapidly
out and takes on board her cargo, — my friend, his mother,
and myself, and traps of no light weight. Her bows
are soon turned landward, and as she glides along, all
the features of the shore unfold, — the coco-palms of
marked luxuriance, the thatched houses with shining
white walls, the limestone cliff almost covered with con-
volvulus and other foliage, the narrow beach, the canoes
of various size and shape. We turn a point, and the town
of Livingston is before us, and we are in the mouth of
the Rio Dulce.
On the shore the only prominent building is the cus-
tom-house, built before Livingston was declared a free
port ; and in front of this is a low, dilapidated wharf, at
which our tender landed us, the water being not more
than fifteen inches deep. The tides here are less than a
foot, so that shoal-water keeps boats of any size at a dis-
tance, making landing difficult. It was comforting to
know that a charter for a wharf had been obtained, and
that our successors may land with greater ease.
We did not find the heat greater than on the steamer
in the offing, and even the necessary bustle and trouble
in getting luggage transferred to the backs of men did
not cause discomfort. The custom-house and a few
offices occupy the front of an amphitheatre with very
steep sides, above which is the town. Springs burst
from the gravel and furnish pools for the washerwomen,
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS.
27
whose sturdy, yet graceful forms, barely concealed by
their scanty garb, are very attractive. Some stood in
the clear pools, others bent over the washing-stones,
some played with their children in the water, while
others climbed the steep path to the town, carrying a
head-burden of great weight.
■ 1
Barrack Point, Livingston.
Our abode was on the Campo Santo Viejo, the burial-
hill of former days, and right across our path lay the
empty tomb of a son of Carrera, the former President of
Guatemala ; as we passed this we noted the admirable
mortar with which its bricks were laid, — so strong that
no brick can be cut out whole. On this resting-place
of perished Caribs the foreign inhabitants of Livingston
dwell. It is the west end of the town, and overlooks
28 GUATEMALA.
both the river and the native town, where are also the
stores and the hotels.
All descriptions of a growing town must be unsatis-
factory, so rapidly does the population and topography
change ; and a few words may convey all the geographical
knowledge needed. Rolling ground, which might easily
be drained, but is not ; streets generally at right angles,
none paved, and most of them exceedingly muddy in
wet weather ; fences of the rudest form, mostly sticks
bound together with vines ; houses with walls of adobe
or of wattle, in both cases covered with mud plaster
and whitewashed, none of them over one story, but with
high roofs thatched with palm ; yards, but no gardens ;
stores here and there built of boards from New Orleans,
and occupied by foreigners, — French, Germans, Italians,
Americans {del Norte) ; a dilapidated chapel on or
among the neglected foundations of an intended church ;
beyond this the barracks on a beautiful point ; children
of all ages playing in the dirt and merrily greeting
the passer-by with their black, shiny, healthy faces ;
palm-trees, mangoes, sapotes, bread-fruit, oranges, anonas,
bananas, and coffee-trees scattered without order, and
wholly uncultivated, — make the external features of
this place. No vehicles are in the streets, though a
few horses roam untethered through the town. Every
burden is carried on the heads of men or women. The
house-doors are all open ; but the interior is generally
too dark to disclose much of the inner mysteries to the
stranger. Westward from the town lies the new Campo
Santo, and beyond this the almost impenetrable forest.
The situation of Livingston is good, — at the mouth of
one of the finest rivers of the Atlantic coast of Central
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 29
America. The climate is very healthful and agreeable,
and the frequent communication by two lines of steamers
with New Orleans, one line with New York, and another
with Liverpool, make it an important business-centre.
All the fine coffee from Alta Verapaz and the fruit from
the plantations on the Chocon and Polochic is shipped
here ; and the product might be indefinitely increased.
The drawbacks are a bar with only a fathom of water
at the mouth of a river navigable otherwise for many
miles by the largest steamers, no wharves, little enterprise
on the part of the native inhabitants, and a frequent sea-
breeze in the afternoon, which^ sometimes makes landing
through the rough water on the bar unpleasant. The
population is about two thousand, chiefly Caribs ; and
long inaction and complete lack of enterprise have pro-
duced a people poor and careless of riches if obtained at
the price of labor. As in all similar places, there is no
lack of adventurers of the lowest character.
All this matter is not, however, learned at once, and
observation must be depended on rather than report ; for
the merchants of Livingston see the prospects of their
town in very different lights when talking with a mere
visitor or with a possible rival in the small but very
profitable business. As a stranger, I was told that the
place was an el dorado ; that limitless crops grew with-
out urging from a soil of unequalled richness ; that the
climate was salubrious, and eternal summer reigned ; that
business was brisk, and constantly increasing under wise
laws and a favoring government. As a settler, the song
was sung to me in a minor key : labor was not to be had ;
no good lands could be obtained ; the steamers were the
tyrants of the place, and all earnings were eaten up by
30 GUATEMALA.
freights. Then there were the warning cries of those
unfortunate men who wanted to make money in a newly
opened country, but had not the necessary courage and
endurance for a pioneer. They had not met success, and
they had not grit enough to seek it. Micawbers far from
home, they waited for something to turn up.
The process of finding out about the place was not an
unpleasant one ; it was what we had come for, and we
began it the first day at breakfast. While we lodged in
our house on the hill, we took our meals — with the ex-
ception of early coffee and rolls — in the town at the house
of Seiior Castellan ; and they were in genuine Hispano-
American style. Eleven o'clock is the hour for ahrmerzo,
or breakfast, and thus the time for ceasing work and
taking the needed midday rest. Late in the afternoon
came the comida, or dinner, — differing from breakfast only
in the occasional provision of dulces, or sweetmeats. The
menu was constant ; an oily soup, beans black or white,
beef or chicken stew with chillis, fish, bread, and coJBEee,
formed the almost unvarying round. Our waiters were
two little boys, — one the son of our host, the other his
ward. With our coffee we generally had fresh milk ; but
when the supply of this failed, a can of condensed milk
took its place. Not infrequently the sugar also failed ;
and then one of the boys ran to the nearest store and
bought half a pound of a coarse brown kind, and replen-
ished the saucer that did duty as sugar-bowl. No supply
of anything was ever kept in the house.
Our dining-room was dark, — the only light coming
from the open doors at either end. There was but the
earth, hard trodden, for the floor, and the furnishing was
simple enough, — a rough table and half a dozen rickety
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 31
chairs. A tablecloth served also for napkins, and the
dishes were of many patterns, colors, and degrees of
dirtiness. It seemed absurd to call for a clean plate ; but
we did so, to see what would happen. Besides our
own party of four, we had a padre and an Italian as
fellow-boarders ; and a little observation of the habits
of these polite friends helped us much in our new
circumstances.
A large tame duck used to waddle under my chair,
and at last would take bits of tortilla from my hand.
Several mangy dogs and cats had to be driven out when-
ever we sat down to eat ; but the hens were not disturbed,
for they contributed so much to our larder that they
were privileged, and one nested in an old felt hat on a
corner shelf, while another came cackling out of one of
the dark bedrooms that opened on either side. In spite
of all these drawbacks, we liked the cookery, and did
ample justice to it.
As the ancient Romans in their luxury had entertain-
ment for the eye as they reclined at meat, we in our
simplicity had a constantly movmg panorama at our
street door. Stout Carib women, straight as one could
wish, walked by, with every burden, however insignifi-
cant, balanced on the head. Half a pound of sugar or a
dose of salts would be placed above the turban as surely
as would a heavy jar of water or a house-timber. Some
fine forms, both of men and women, made part of this
procession ; and the latter wore garments short at either
end, fastened over one shoulder only, and displaying the
bust perfectly. A soldier came along once in a while,
but only his cap and musket told his class. Boys wrest-
ling but seldom fighting, dogs fighting for a bone, — all
32 GUATEMALA.
helped us to prolong our meal. It was difficult to make
the boys understand that they must not spit on the floor
as they handed us the dishes. A large brick oven in the
courtyard furnished bread for a number of families, and
good bread.
In our walks about the town we were often politely
invited into the houses, and so had a chance to see the
cassava bread making. The tuberous roots of the manioc
(Maniliot utilissima) often attain a weight of twenty or
thirty pounds, and are full of a poisonous juice, deadly when
swallowed. A mahogany board is provided, into which
broken crystals of quartz are inserted, and this serves to
grate the root into a coarse meal, which is washed care-
fully (the starch is partly removed, and settles in the
water as tapioca), and is then placed in a long sack of
basket-work, called very appropriately serpiente. This
ingenious press is fastened at one end to a house-beam,
while on a lever placed through the loop at the other end
all the children of the family sit in turn, or together if
they are small ; and the squeezed mass is dexterously
made afterwards into flat loaves about three feet in diam-
eter, and not more than a quarter of an inch thick, dried,
and then baked. The result is a wholesome and very
nutritious bread, which keeps a long time and is capital
on an excursion. Later on, when our own housekeeping
was in order, we found it made excellent puddings, and
was better than crackers in soup ; while in the woods
it was indispensable. It is also a capital diet in dys-
pepsia, can be eaten in sea-sickness when all other food
is rejected, and serves to fill out the bony outlines of an
emaciated human frame better than anything else. The
clean white loaves can be easily exported, and are very
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 33
attractive. Fine oranges we bought from a tree in the
yard of our cassava-maker at ten for a medio (five
cents).
The fine view from the fort can be seen in the illus-
tration ; but as Frank and I stepped over the low wall
and set up the camera to photograph it, we attracted the
attention of the officer in charge, who at once ordered us
to come to him. A convenient temporary ignorance of
Spanish delayed us until the view was secured and a
squad of soldiers sent to arrest us, when the officer
wanted to know what we were '" telegraphing in the fort
for." With a very few words I exposed his ignorance to
his soldiers, who laughed as heartily at him as if they
had not been quite as stupid as he ; and he begged us to
leave at once. Of this same garrison it is related that
some years ago a French corvette anchored off the point
and fired a salute. The first gun was all right ; but the
second astonished the valiant soldiers, and at the third
they all threw down their guns and fled to the bush, fully
convinced that an attack on the village was intended.
After a while boys were sent out into the woods to tell
these warriors that it was safe to come home. The light-
house here, which all incoming vessels are taxed to main-
tain, consists of a stout pole ; but the lantern has been
broken, and not replaced.
Below this military post is the usual landing-place for
canoas. These are nearly all dug out of single mahogany
or cedar logs, and are not only well made, but of good
form. Some are forty feet long and six feet wide. The
paddles were of mahogany, and the women paddled as
well and powerfully as the men ; both, indeed, seemed
to be quite at home on the water.
34 GUATEMALA.
Some of the incoming canoes were laden with coco-
nuts, others with bananas and plantains from the little
jincas along the coast, and yet others with fish. The
last we noted more carefully, as there is no fish-market
in Livingston, and the fish are always interesting to a
stranger ; for odd and various as may be the fruits of a
new clime, the produce of the sea generally surpasses
that of the land in curious forms. There were some of
the oddest of the Central American waters ; and the man
who first ate them must have been very brave or very
hungry. One of them had flesh resembling beef in color,
and good and substantial when cooked.
Paths about the town are narrow and grass-grown, and
the hooked seeds of a Desmodmm cling to the clothes,
and the thorns of the sensitive-plant {Mimosa pudicans)
scratch the bare feet of the passer ; but worse than all
these, in the grass are tiny insects called coloradia,
which bite the ankles and other exposed parts, causing
red spots and an intolerable itching, — easily allayed,
however, hj salt-water or bay-rum applications. Mos-
quitoes were not troublesome, and we used no nettings ;
nor did we see any house-flies.
A bath in the Rio Dulce was tempered by the dread of
sharks ; and refreshing as the sweet water was, there
was a self-congratulatory feeling on getting safely back
to the huge square-hewn mahogany logs that served for
dressing-room.
To the outward world Livingston is principally inter-
esting as the free port of Guatemala, — the outlet of the
coifee of Alta Verapaz and the fruits of the Atlantic
coast-region. In its early history it was a settlement of
Caribs, — those splendid negroes who were driven from
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 35
the islands of the sea, which still bear their name, when
the Spaniards enslaved or destroyed their fellow-owners of
the land. Its situation at the entrance of the chief water-
way to the interior and the capital soon marked it for a
Spanish post ; but the buccaneers were too powerful, and
before their advance the port of entry was moved far up
the Rio Dulce to Izabal, on the lake of that name, — the
fort of San Felipe blocking the way to these lawless ene-
mies. Not only pirates, but the Home Government has-
tened the decay and disuse of this port, and the banks of the
Rio Dulce were of little importance, except to the mahog-
any-cutters and sarsaparilla-gatherers, for two centuries.
An enlightened Government, in fostering the immense
agricultural wealth of Guatemala, turned the attention of
foreign capital, first to the rich coffee-lands in the neigh-
borhood of Coban, and later to the even richer fruit-lands
of the valleys east of the high table-lands of the interior.
The outlet for all the produce was by the Polochic, and
the shipping-port was Livingston ; so the little village
built by the exiled Caribals (cannibals) has been gradually
occupied by business men of various nations, until now
the population may be nearly two thousand. The shores
are high and healthful, and the anchorage within the
river is secure. Dredging would easily open a channel,
and jetties like those placed in the Mississippi by Captain
Eads would doubtless keep the way open ; for the current
is frequently very strong, but now wastes its strength
over a mile of shoal-water. At present all the ocean
steamers lie at anchor outside ; and consequently the
lighterage is an important business.
In the immediate neighborhood of this port, and acces-
sible by water, are lands pre-eminently adapted for sugar
36 GUATEMALA.
or cotton cultivation ; although now, owing to the smaller
capital required, and speedier returns, bananas and plan-
tains are the chief products. The Government deter-
mined to develop these lands, — which have hitherto
been left to the solitude of their dense forests and the
occasional intrusion of the mahogany-cutter, — and in
1882 declared Livingston a free port, including in its
territory a large triangular part of the eastern coast.
The public lands were then offered for sale at reasonable
rates ; and in consequence, several capitalists from the
United States have purchased large tracts, and are cul-
tivating soil perhaps the most fertile on the continent.
Climatic changes are insensible here, and it may truly
be said that the one season is summer. Never has yel-
low fever or other dangerous zymotic disease visited
Livingston, and the death-rate is about one quarter that
of Boston. The rapid increase of its population and
commercial importance will make imperative the demand
for improved harbor and wharf facilities.
' Ten miles to the south of Livingston is the fine harbor
of Santo Tomas, where in 1843 a Belgian colony was es-
tablished ; and as this unfortunate attempt has given an
ill reputation to all Central America, it is well to state
that failure was by no means due to the insalubrity of
the climate, but to the want of foresight of the projectors
and the abject ignorance of tropical trials on the part of
the immigrants. Landed in an unaccustomed climate, in
the wet season, without shelter, and inadequately pro-
visioned, they lost heart, health, or life itself.
Pioneers and frontiersmen should not be recruited
from shops and counters. The pluck and caution needed
for a struggle with untried conditions, the determination
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 37
to be content with slim comforts and undaunted in the
face of every discouragement, looking always to the final
result, experience shows cannot be found in this class.
They do well enough as eleventh-hour assistants, when
the strong men have felled the forest and broken the
ground and built houses and shops for these weaker but
still useful brothers ; l^ut the first colonists must be of
sterner stuff. Probably, had shelter and good food been
provided for those inexperienced Belgians, there would
have been at Santo Tomas something more to-day than
the memory of their visit.
In 1881 the little town contained but one hundred and
twenty-nine inhabitants, mostly fishermen ; but the con-
struction of the Ferro-carril del Norte, to connect the
capital with the Atlantic, changed for a time the sleepy
hamlet into the busy haunt of contractors and laborers.
The exigencies of the railroad calling for the deepest
water, however, the new town of Port Barrios has been
founded, some three miles to the eastward of the ancient
village. Curiously enough, the Bay of Santo Tomas has
no river ; but it lies between the Rio Dulce and the
Motagua.
From Livingston to New Orleans the distance is 900
miles ; to Belize, 125 ; to Kingston, Jamaica, 800 ; to
Puerto Cortez (Caballos), 55 ; to Izabal, 45 ; to Pansos,
90 ; and to Guatemala City (water to Izabal, and mule-
path thence), 120. The usual steamer time from New
Orleans is six days, including a stop of two days at
Belize ; from New York, ten days, including stops at
Kingston and Belize ; and three days should be ample to
New Orleans, seven to New York, and eight to Boston.
A glance at a map will show that the course as well as
38 GUATEMALA.
the distance between Livingston and New York is ranch
in favor of that route over the better-known one from
Aspinwall to the metropolis ; and when to this saving
of time and avoidance of the dangers of navigation is
added the greater facilities for raising and shipping fruit
which Livingston is now developing, there is great proba-
bility that New Orleans will not long be allowed to absorb
all the bananas, plantains, and pines, or England all the
coffee and mahogany, shipped at Livingston.
The natural advantages of a port and the conveniences
of trade between that and other countries are of small
moment if there is nothing beyond the port; and one must
look well into the interior of the country to see its pov-
erty or richness. Before crossing the republic, the fruit-
lands of Livingston are worthy of exploration. The little
plantations at Cocali, on the coast northward, and those
along the banks of the Rio Dulce, are easily seen, and in
their present condition offer nothing new or especially
interesting. Bananas and plantains are almost the only
product of commercial importance ; for the pines grow
wild, cassava, bread-fruit, mangoes, and sapotes are not
exported, and the coconut is native on the shores.
No systematic cultivation is known in this region, and
the crops grow very much as they did in the Garden of
Eden. Plantation-work consists of clearing the land of
forest (which is done in January and February), allowing
the felled trees to dry, burning in May, and planting in
June. No plough ever furrows the rich ground, and the
hoe is sufficient for the planter's needs, while most handy
for the laborers. As may be supposed, the labor of keep-
ing the crops clear of weeds is considerable, but not so
great as on our Northern farms ; for although the vege-
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 39
table growth is very rapid, the country is as yet free from
foreign weeds. With us the most rapidly growing and
pernicious weeds have all been imported ; and on the
Hawaiian Islands the vegetable growths that have laid
waste thousands of acres of the best pasturage are the
Ian tana, verbena, and indigo, not one of them indigenous.
In the course of years cultivation may bring these agri-
cultural curses ; but at present the Guatemalan planter in
Livingston has only palms, canes, ferns, ginger, and other
easily eradicated plants to contend with.
Indian corn {maiz) is planted in slight holes made with
a stick and covered with the foot, and seed planted on
Thursday has been found four inches high on the follow-
ing Monday. The stalks are sometimes seventeen feet
high, and average three ears each ; only ninety days are
required to mature the crop, which is gathered three times
each year. Upland rice is scattered broadcast on the soil,
and the straw grows six feet high, with generous heads,
yielding the finest rice known ; two crops can be raised
each year. Sugar-cane has been found to yield three tons
of sugar per acre for twenty years without replanting, —
a result unknown in any other sugar-country. At present
there are no mills in eastern Guatemala, and only enough
cane is planted to supply the demand for eating, or rather
chewing.
Bananas have within the last ten years become very
common all over the United States, and every one is fa-
miliar with the imported varieties ; but few are aware that
the varieties grown in the tropics exceed two hundred,
many of them too delicate to bear transportation, and as
far superior to the common sorts as a choice table-apple
surpasses the cider-apple of our New England pastures.
40 GUATEMALA.
The kinds of banana most raised near Livingston are the
same as those of Aspinwall ; but the quality is superior.
Plantains are grown even more commonly than bananas,
and the domestic consumption is much greater. Among
Northern fruit-dealers the banana and plantain are fre-
quently confounded ; but they are as different as pears
and apples. To grow either, simply requires planting of
suckers, which in nine months should bear a bunch of
fruit. The stem is now cut down, and from its base
sprout several suckers, all over three being removed for
planting elsewhere. It is only necessary to remove the
finished stem and extra suckers to insure crops for a
long series of years. No attempt has been made to use
the valuable fibre, of which there is an average of three
pounds to a stalk.
When we turn from what is done here to the consider-
ation of what may be, the interest vastly increases ; and
to this end let the reader join us in an exploration of one
of the rivers flowing from a valley of great extent and
unrivalled fertility, but covered with forest, and unknown
save to the mahogany-cutters and an occasional hunts-
man. The Rio Chocon is almost unnoticed on the maps,
and its source unknown ; but it probably rises in the
Santa Cruz mountains.
In the middle of October, 1883, the "Progreso" was
manned and provisioned, and in the early afternoon we
were on board waiting for the sea-breeze to help us up the
river. The light wind served to carry us across the Rio
Dulce, but no more ; and anchoring, we sent three men
ashore to lay in a supply of plantains, bananas, coconuts,
and sugar-cane. Travelling in the tropics is usuall}^ far
from luxurious ; and our present outfit was no exception
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS.
41
to the rule. Our captain had provided a Jamaica negro
for cook, Santiago, a half-breed, for montei^o, or guide in
the forest, and our crew consisted of Guillermo, an attrac-
tive looking but bad boy, who was always singing about
his corazon (heart), Francisco, and two other men, whose
exact ethnological classification was a puzzle. Our cook,
his oil-stove and canned provisions filled the little cabin ;
but the cock-pit was large, and Frank shared with me
one side, while the captain occupied the other, and at
night we had a canvas awning over the whole. Folding-
chairs served for beds as well, and our traps were put into
the capital water-proof baskets called joeMcas.
Entrance to the Rio Dulce.
Later than usual the breeze freshened, and we were
sailing apparently for the spur of San Gil, which stretches
northward right across the river. As we advanced, the
walls opened, and we entered a gorge far finer than that
42 GUATEMALA.
of the Saguenay ; for the savage cliffs of the wild Cana-
dian stream are here replaced by white limestone preci-
pices jealously covered with palms and vines, until only
here and there could the rock be seen under or through
its richly colored mantle. The river is deep, in places
eighteen fathoms, and, except in the overhanging trees,
there was no place to land on either side for some
distance.
Frank shot at a fine pelican, but only broke a wing;
and although he pursued the wounded bird rapidly in a
little cayuco that Ave had in tow, he did not gain on the
powerful swimmer until a shot from the " Progreso "
killed the fugitive, whose remains measured seven feet
across the wings. Other birds tempted us, but the fast-
waning daylight warned us against delay ; and as dark-
ness fell upon us with tropical rapidity, we came to the
lake-like Golfete, nine miles from Livingston, and an-
chored for the night off Cayo Paloma (Dove Island), the
only inhabited spot on the river. Our crew went ashore
for shelter, and we retired under our substantial awning,
which protected us from the rain which fell in torrents
during the night. We had found no mosquitoes at Liv-
ingston, and there were none here ; so our sleep was not
broken until our boys came on board before daybreak.
Where we had entered this beautiful lake we strangers
did not know ; and even when the direction was ascer-
tained, the opening of the river was invisible. Coconut-
palms and bananas will give a charm to any landscape ;
yet the little Cayo Paloma hardly needed them, so
beautiful was it in itself.
Grand San Gil brushed the clouds from his forehead
and looked down smilingly upon us in promise of a
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 43
fair day as we sailed up the Golfete. A short leao-ue
brought us to a curious limestone rock on the northern
shore, — a regular cube, rising from deep water, and
capped with a pyramid of foliage. So unusual a forma-
tion could hardly have failed to attract the aboriginal
mind ; and there may be on the summit some remains, —
a sacrificial altar, or stele. We did not go near enough
to see any way of access ; but the branches seem to hang
low enough on one side to promise an entrance to an
active climber, and we determined to try it some other
day when we had more time.^
If the entrance to the Rio Dulce was well concealed,
that to the Rio Chocon was still harder to find ; and but
for the rock island, one might try several apparent open-
ings in the hedge-like border of the stream before enter-
ing the canal that sweeps in a semicircle into the actual
river. Two alligators sat, like the porters at an Egyp-
tian palace, opposite each other at the entrance, but
dropped incontinently into the stream before our rifles
were ready, — giving us an unpleasant reminder of what
we might expect should we take a bath in the cool river.
From animal to vegetable was but a glance ; and the
musky odor of the reptiles faded into the fragrance of
a large purple passion-flower, which hung so low that
we slipped into the cayuco, Frank and I, and paddled
from bank to bank in the little mahogany dug-out, pull-
ing down branches and vines, shaking out lizards and
beetles, while humming-birds of almost every bright
color, and butterflies of hues seldom seen in cooler cli-
mates, would hardly leave the fragrant flowers we gath-
^ Another year we climbed the rock and found several interesting plants,
but no human remains.
44 GUATEMALA.
ered. Nothing could be seen beyond the river, for we
were in a green lane bordered by all the tropics can
produce of vegetable life ; and as the day wore on we
felt the weariness of seeing. A little white passion-
flower (P. BrigJiami), with curiously clipped leaves, three
kinds of morning-glory, a crimson abutilon, and a host
of plants whose family alone was known to us, had been
consigned to the plant-press. At first there were no
palms ; but as we ascended the stream, which was in
flood, the banks at last appeared, growing gradually
higher, and only on solid ground could the palms find
foothold. The coliune {Attalea cohune), with its long
clusters of hard oily nuts, came first ; then a small pin-
nate-leaved, graceful, but unknown species ; then an
astrocarya, with dreadful spines and hard but edible
nuts ; and finally, on the rocky banks, slender, long-
stemmed species, and a climbing palm that, like the rat-
tan, attained a length of several hundred feet. Our first
glimpse of the family in full force was at the junction of
the two mouths of the Chocon. Here there is an en-
largement of the river into a lagoon, and the eastern
branch looks as large and easily navigable as that we had
entered. At another time we found this was the case.
Bambus bent their graceful stems in clusters over the
water, and here and there tall reeds in blossom waved
their light plumes against the dark-green trees behind
them.
With the drift floating down stream we noticed queer
green things which were evidently vegetable ; but what
else ? At last we came to some sapoton-trees [Pachira) ;
and it was their fruit, now ripening, — like in size and
appearance to a husked coconut. — that furnished our
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 45
puzzle. The fruits split while on the tree, and drop the
nuts, which are about as large as a hen's egg, into the
water, where they soon germinate, and float about with
expanded cotyledons until caught on some shoal, or at
the bank, where they take root.
Not once all day did we see a place to land ; indeed,
until we had ascended the river several miles there was
no land, so high was the flood. Dense foliage, suitably
defended with spines of palm and the no less unpleasant
thorns of the guilandina and sarsaparilla, hid what might
be disagreeable of animal life along shore ; and as we
could not land, neither could we plunge into the cool
river, — that was already engaged by the alligators.
As the sun dropped behind the trees we made fast to
a large post in midstream, starting a whole family of
little leaf-nosed bats out of a woodpecker's hole in this
dead tree ; and as our comlda was being laid, I explored
more carefully this curious mooring. Water-logged and
stranded on the bottom, some twenty feet below us, it
was a perfect image of life in death ; for every part
above the water was covered with a luxuriant growth
not its own, and yet perfectly in place. On one side
clung three different orchids in seed, a cluster of pepero-
mias in blossom, and a fine cereus, while mosses and
ferns quite covered tlie interstices. We did not at that
time know the naughty habits of the bright little bats,^
^ These were vampiie bats (Phyllostoma sp.) ; and several times afterwards
we saw cattle that had been so severely bitten that the blood was still dripping
from their shoulders the next morning. These little fellows are about the
size of an English sparrow ; and yet they do as much harm as their much larger
relatives of South America. They have ventured into our sleeping-room at
Livingston ; but would generally awaken us by brushing our faces with their
wings, — perhaps because our feet (the part they usually attack) were covered.
46 GUATEMALA.
or we should not have slept so quietly ; as it was, the
mosquitoes were very thick, and only our veils pro-
tected us.
It was a strange bed-chamber. The river, black be-
neath and around us, was silent enough ; for the current
hardly rippled against our boat, no wind moved the
leaves, and only our own voices broke the stillness while
we waited for sleep. Suddenly a sound between a shriek
and a roar burst almost over our heads. '' Tigre," mut-
tered Frank as he felt for his rifle. It was only a lion-
bird ; but its terrible cry was repeated until it seemed to
awake all the nocturnal noises of the forests that stretched
for fifty miles around us. Howling monkeys {Mycetes
ursinus), a shrill water-bird, hooting owls, were all easily
distinguished by our iiiontero ; and we slept more tran-
quilly after his explanation, even though we thought we
felt the rough back of an alligator scrape the bottom
of our boat. I have heard the real tiger's howl in the
Sumatran jungle ; but it was not so terrible as this
wretched bird, nor are the tropical nocturnal noises so
loud and various in any other place where I have been.
So far the country through which we passed was worth-
less for agricultural purposes ; but early the next morning
we came to an elevated limestone ridge, and beyond this
outwork the banks grew sensibly higher, until they were
some twelve feet above the present high water. With
the higher banks appeared the iguanas ; and I made my
first shot, — a large female, — which was picked up, while
three others fell into the water and sank before we could
reach them. It was some time before I learned to dis-
tinguish these reptiles ; for they are nearly of the color of
the branches on which they bask, and until they move,
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS.
47
are to the unpractised eye only a part of the bewildering
foliage. I did not like to be told where to look, so be-
fore the day was half gone I could see an iguana as soon
as a native.
Female Iguanas.
A mouth like a toad's, green, glittering eyes, a large
pendulous dewlap, a row of lancet-shaped spines down
the back, slender claws, and a long, pointed tail, certainly
are not features to make the iguana an attractive pet ;
and yet it is gentle, easily tamed, and there are people
who enjoy its company. Let not the Northern ladies
shudder as they look on this picture ; for do they not
know, are there not among their number those who
fondle and kiss(!) even the deformed pugs and lap-dogs ?
Unlike the worthless curs, the iguana is a most excel-
lent food-animal ; its delicate white meat is not unlike
chicken, and the eggs — of which the female lays five or
48 GUATEMALA.
six dozen — are all yolk, and very delicious/ Being good
swimmers, they drop from their perches over the river
when alarmed, and after a fall sometimes of sixty to
eighty feet the splash is snggestive of broken ribs, or at
least a total loss of wind ; but they scraml)le nimbly up
the banks under the overhanging shrubs, and are lost in
the forest. Like the chameleon, they change color, and
from green of various hues become greenish gray when
taken from the trees. We had much less difficulty than
Columbus and his companions experienced in adding these
" serpentes " to our cosmopolitan bill of fare.
In the afternoon a boom across the river showed the
neighborhood of mahogany-cutters, and a short row
above this brought us to the head of navigation for our
large boat, and we made fast to a tree on the right bank,
where there was no clearing nor any easy way to land,
although we could see that the banks were some ten feet
above the water, and steep. Leaving the " Progreso " in
the cook's charge, we continued up stream in the little
cayuco until we broke a paddle and had to return, — not,
however, until we had made two landings.
Once up the steep and slippery bank, we found the
land level, and in the dense forest there was no under-
growth. It always seems odd to a stranger m the
1 " These serpentes are lyke unto crocodiles, saving in bigness; they call
them guanas. Unto that day none of owre men durste aduenture to taste of
them, by reason of theyre horrible deformitie and lothsomnes. Yet the Ad-
elantado being entysed by the pleasantnes of the king's sister, Anacaona, deter-
mined to taste the serpentes. But when he felte the flesh thereof to be so
delycate to his tongue, he fel to amayne -without al feare. The which thyng
his companions perceiuing, were not behynde hym in greedyness ; insomuch
that they had now none other talke than of the sweetnesse of these serpentes,
which they affirm to be of more pleasant taste than eyther our phesantes or
partriches." — Peter 3Iartyr, decad. i. book v. {Eden's Eiujlish translation).
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 49
tropics, — this entire absence of sod ; but so dense is the
upper foliage that there is no chance for small plants
below, except such as can, like the sarsaparilla, climb
up into the light above, or orchids, like the vanilla,
which cling to, if they do not draw a part of their sus-
tenance from, the tree-stems. The cohune palm (Attalea
cohune, Martins.) was abundant, and by its presence con-
firmed the testimony of the dark chocolate soil to the
exceeding fertility of the land. This palm seems to have
three names applied to as many stages of growth. When
young and stemless, it is onanaca ; in middle age, when
the bases of the old leaves still cling to the trunk, it is
cohune ; and when age removes these scales, the smooth
stem is corozo. I have never seen the manaca in flower or
fruit, but I believe the three are but one species. Other
palms were intermingled with these, — some in blossom,
some in fruit, — but none so common nor so large, both
in stem and leaf. Later on we shall see a picture of the
cohune and its very valuable fruit.
In one place along the bank I measured fourteen feet of
soil of the best quality ; nor was this surprising, since the
valley through which the Rio Chocon flows is a catch-basin
for the detritus of the limestone ranges of the Sarstun and
Santa Cruz mountains, and its form guards against tor-
rential floods which might wash away the rich deposit.
When the summer rains flood the banks, as we found
later, the water subsides in a few hours, owing to the
wide-open lower course of the river.
A gigantic ceiba-tree (Erioclendron) stood not far from
the river, and two of its great buttresses enclosed a semi-
circle thirty feet in diameter, while the projections them-
selves were not half a foot thick. Trees of very various
4
60
GUATEMALA.
kinds throw out these supports. I have even seen a
goyava (Fsidium), which usually has a rather slender
Barbecue at Benito.
trunk, expand most astonishingly into these buttresses
when growing in a rich loose soil. It will, not un-
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 51
naturally, occur to the reader that this must greatly in-
crease the difficulty of felling such trees in clearing land.
The difficulty is met by the woodmen in this way. A plat-
form — called, strangely enough, a " barbecue " — is built
of slim poles, often to a height of fifteen feet ; and balanced
on these frail supports, the cutter swings his long-handled
axe. Of course he leaves a stump as high as his barbecue ;
but the ants {comajen) soon reduce this to dust. I have
since then watched the cutters, and have wondered how
they so speedily fell (they call it ''fall") a hard-wood tree,
with no better vantage than two poles for their bare feet
to cling to.
All through the forest there was a close, damp feeling,
and in some places there was little light. We saw sarsa-
parilla, india-rul^ber, vanilla, and cacao growing wild, and
every step brought some new thing to view ; but it was
less oppressive on the river, where there was sky above us
of the true blue, — so much better to our tastes than the
green canopy that met our eyes as we looked up on land.
While on the river, we saw some curious long-legged
spiders, seemingly plastered against the white limestone ;
and they were very unwilling to move their legs, which
were two inches long. The vejucos from the over-hang-
ing branches were very interesting, as these long, slender
rootlets, if rootlets they be, hung sometimes a hundred,
feet, ending close to the water, but not touching it except
in flood-time, nor do they, like subterranean roots, have
branches or fibrous ends, although sometimes they seem
to be unravelled into separate strands, like a cord whose
form they imitate and whose use they usurp. We often
pulled them and shook the branches from which they
spring, without detaching them. The water was now
52 GUATEMALA.
clear and cool, and everything was enticing us to loiter ;
but the day was closing, and comida awaiting us on the
^' Progreso."
The moon that night was full ; and with no mosquitoes
in the air, we hardly cared to creep under our toldo. The
light filtered through the palm-leaves and sparkled on the
black river as it glided around the bend. We could see
but a few rods either up or down stream, and we almost
wondered how we came there, and should we ever get
away. Far in the distance the howls of the monkeys and
the cries of the night-birds broke the stillness around us ;
but we slept unconscious of the shower that poured on our
toldo before morning.
A very bright, warm morning in the middle of October
is not unpleasant in the temperate zone ; but here it seemed
almost too warm to be seasonable, although the thermome-
ter persisted in indicating 83°. Five of us were in our
little cayuco at early dawn on our way down stream.
The cayuco was not especially crank, but it was loaded to
the water's edge with five solid men ; and as my hands
grasped the gunwales, my fingers dipped in water on both
sides. It was impossible for me to restrain the attempt
to balance, which of course kept the cayuco in a constant
quiver, alike unpleasant to myself and my companions.
Add to this the consciousness that alligators were ready
for us if we did upset, and it will be supposed that the
voyage was not altogether agreeable.
We landed at last, and had a hard scramble up the steep,
muddy bank, as many of the palms were armed with spines
like needles {Acrocomia sp.), and there was little else to
catch by. I was on the watch for snakes, and had my ma-
chete in my hand ; but the first living denizen of the forest
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 53
that met me was a fine blue butterfly [Morjolio), nearly eight
inches across. I could not, and Guillermo would not, catch
it, because he said it was mala por los ojos (bad for the
eyes). It was a " sight for sair e'en." I found this curious
superstition about butterflies common all through the coun-
try, and I confess that following their brilliantly colored
wings in their rapid flight, under a blazing sun, does give
one's eyes a very tired feeling that may explain the origin
of the popular belief. I will not compel any one to follow
me through the forest, nor up the steep limestone ridges
where the corroded rock was worn into fantastic forms
and partly covered with begonias, lycopodiums, and other
plants. We found several circular valleys among those
ridges drained by sink-holes, and often I heard water run-
ning beneath my feet. In some places were little wells,
like the cenotes of Yucatan, containing fish, which pass
from one to another by underground aqueducts. Again
and again I mistook for serpents the huge, green, scaly
creepers that flattened themselves against the trees or
swuuq; from the branches. Slutrorish and insis^nificant
centipedes were not uncommon on the trees ; but noth-
ing except tracks of wild liogs, peccaries, jaguars, and
tapirs indicated that the forest was the resort of trouble-
some animals. The entire absence of any fallen or de-
caying trees or dead branches was a marked feature of
this forest. The insects had eaten all this unpleasant
matter ; and in one place we saw a cavity as large as a
barrel, wdiere the ants had eaten a palm-stump, leaving
only the fibrous roots to keep the earth in place about
the large hole.
Towards noon the air, loaded with moisture and un-
moved by any wind in the forest, became almost unbear-
54 GUATEMALA.
able, and we were parched with thirst. Santiago came to
our aid ; and selecting a rough-looking vine, of which we
could not see the leaves, cut from it a length of some three
feet, and from this trickled a tumblerful of clear, cool,
tasteless water. This vejuco de agua was as large as
a man's wrist, of tender substance and very porous. The
mozos declared that if the vejuco was
cut only once, the juice would all run
up from the pendent end ; so it was
necessary to cut at once above, and
block its retreat. On the palm-trees
Section of wcrc oftcu fouud clusters of nuts of
Vejuco de Agua.
various sizes, some with such hard
shells that even the parrots must have been bafHed. We
cracked several kinds, and found them more woody and
less oily than the coconut. Several mahogany-trees came
in our way, and they impressed me more than the sequoias
of California or the banians and baobabs of India. Rising
with a straight and uniform stem far above the surround-
ing trees, they then spread their dense foliage like a
massive oak above the tree-top plane. Rosewood, palo de
mulatto, sapodilla, ironwood, and many other kinds were
recognized, and our exploration ended for the day witli a
bath on board the boat, in which we dashed the cool river
water over each other. The air was 86°, while the water
was 78°. Our men who had been sent up stream to build
a ehamjya, or native house, returned to us at sundown in
true monkey style, swinging down on to the boat from the
branches of the tree overhanging the " Progreso." The ab-
sence of mosquitoes puzzled us, as it had the night before.
After the rain ceased, the next morning about seven,
we paddled up stream in the cayuco. I have never seen
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS.
55
rocks so curiously corroded ; in some places they were like
fossil bones of mammoth size, then like battered capitals
and fluted columns, always of rather smooth surface,
sometimes quite perforated. In the hollows were ferns,
selaginellas, and sometimes curious sj)iders ; one rock
was just like some monster crawling into the river. On
Dragon Rock, Chocon.
the right bank several small springs trickled in, and on the
other side a swift-flowing creek added materially to the
volume of the river. Still we were getting into shallower
water, and after passing in one way and another fifteen
rapids or corrientes, we came to a huge tree that com-
pletely blocked our way. "With a satisfied feeling, we de-
clined to drag our heavy cayuco over, but beached her on
56 GUATEMALA.
a sand-spit, and waited for the return through the forest
of part of our men whom we had sent to explore inland.
Wild figs of good size came tumbling into the stream from
the trees above ; but they were not to our taste, although
Guillermo said they were eaten when ripe. While we
waited, a large canoe came down from the mahogany re-
gion miles above, and the three Caribs in it dragged it over
the log with great labor. Besides their petacas, they had
mahogany mortars for rice-hulling, and mahogany plat-
ters. In the forest their work is task-work, and they often
have half the day to themselves ; in this leisure time they
carve the rejected butts into various useful articles, which
they sell at the Boca, or mouth of the river. As we re-
turned, we saw another use to which the ever-present
machete is put ; it is in turn knife, axe, adze, hammer,
spoon, back-scratcher, shovel, pump-handle, door-bolt,
blind-fastener, — and now a fishing-rod ! Guillermo ac-
tually split the head of a large fish that was in the shadow
of a rock, — a fish weighing some five pounds !
In the afternoon we inspected the champa our men had
been building. The building process was certainly a novel
one. On receiving our orders, the Caribs held a brief con-
sultation, chattering in their very unattractive language ;
while we knew no more of their talk than we knew of
the intelligent ants, who are equally black, and hold their
consultations unbeknown to us. The result was, however,
that they separated and disappeared in the forest. Soon
we heard the blows of the machetes ; and then they came
straggling back, two with the aucones or main posts of
the house, others with side-posts, rafters, coils of vejucos,
and bundles of manaca-leaves In an incredibly short
time the frame was tied together. The thatching with the
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS. 57
palm-leaves took longer, as it was necessary to split each,
of the immense leaves, which were quite thirty feet long.
These were tied on to the rafters closely, like clapboards,
and formed an excellent roof, only surpassed by that made
of another palm, called confra, found nearer the sea,
which is so durable as to last eight or ten years. Butts
of the mancica formed the sides of the champa ; and then
we had a house large enough for twenty men, with the
labor of five men a day and a half, at a cost of $3.75.
For our purpose it was better than the Palace of the
Caesars.
One morning I explored the tree to which we were
moored. A fine balloon-vine (Cardiospermum) hung in
festoons of fragrant flowers from the branches ; among
them was a humming-bird's nest fashioned as daintily as
usual of the golden down of tree-ferns, and shingled with
bits of lichens. It was not the season for eggs ; but I have
at other times found many nests, with never more than
two white eggs of the size of a small bean. The young
birds, I. may add, are, when first hatched, most amusing
little things, all heads and eyes, and without the long
bill of maturer days. I found also a green grasshopper
[Tropideres), five inches long, and very handsome of his
kind. I wondered if he ate sugar-cane, and other things
one might want to grow if living in the champa.
One day, going ashore to cut some sticks for an
awning on the canoa, I hacked with my machete at a
tall, slim tree very common along the banks, and which
had often bothered me by its curled, dried leaves, cling-
ing to the tree and looking very much like the doves
(qucdm) which were so often on the tree that it is named
for them. This tree, which is botanically known as a
58 GUATEMALA.
cecropia, one of the nettle family, had a hollow trunk
divided transversely by thin partitions, and from this
cavity came a swarm of ants. I had here a chance to
verify the interesting description given by Mr. Belt ^ of
the habits of these remarkable creatures. As he says,
they get into the tree by boring a small hole, and then
eat their way through the many floors of this vegetable
tower ; they do not, however, eat the tree directly for
sustenance, but import with great care numbers of coc-
cidse, or scale-insects, to feed on the tree-juices and elab-
orate a honey-like matter, which the ants eagerly suck
from a pore on the back of these little cows. I tried in
vain to find the queen ant ; but while every cecropia that
I touched was tenanted by ants, never a single female
came to light. There are several small outer doors, for
the disturbed stem is dotted with the pugnacious little
ants in a very short time. What first taught the ants to
farm these dull, inert coccidas ? Other vegetables are ant-
inhabited, but none that I know of afford such spacious
accommodations.
Pleasant as this life on the river and in the forest
was, the time came when we must return ; and it was
startling how many things we saw on our way down which
we had passed unnoticed coming up, — tall reeds with
feathery blossoms more graceful than the pampas-grass ;
palms with bluish green foliage ; flowers of the arum
family more beautiful than a calla ; blue herons ; butter-
flies of the most attractive colors ; fish like glass, that
is as transparent, and about a foot long. Frank shot a
beautiful grossbeak with scarlet breast and metallic green
back, and brought me a fine purple passion-flower ; an-
1 The Naturalist in Nicaragua, by Thomas Belt, p. 222.
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS.
59
other of the party shot an alligator, who turned over,
exposing his yellow belly as he died. Altogether, the
voyage down was more agreeable than the hard run up.
Trees that were bare a few days before were now covered
with white feathery flowers, and others presented masses
of greenish flowers on their flat tops. We sailed and
floated down the Rio Dulce by moonlight, and at early
dawn anchored at Livingston.
San Gil, from Author's House in Livingston.
Opposite the town are lands fertile and capable of pro-
ducing fine crops to an enterprising owner. Frank and
I rowed over several times, once exploring a neglected
finca, where cane, sapotes, cassava, bananas, plantains,
rose-apples, and coconuts were all jumbled together ;
at another time visiting a cacao-plantation farther up
the stream. There is certainly room for a wise invest-
60 GUATEMALA.
ment of capital on these lands on the eastern slope
of San Gil as far as Santo Tornas. And here let me
write of this port, Puerto Barrios, and the Northern
Railroad, although I did not visit them until the spring
of 1885.
Santo Tomas is beautifully situated ; but since the sad
failure of the Belgian colony established there by a
legislative decree of April, 1843, it has borne a bad
reputation, and its inhabitants diminished to the insig-
nificant number of a hundred and twenty-nine by the last
census. Its harbor, into which no large river empties, is
an exceedingly good one, and a wharf might be con-
structed on deep water ; but the authorities, in selecting
a terminus for the projected railway which is to connect
Guatemala City with the Atlantic coast, and so unite
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, chose a place some three
miles eastward from Santo Tomas, where the}' must con-
struct a wharf some three hundred feet in length to
reach twenty feet of water, and where often ships can-
not lie, but must run for Santo Tomas in bad weather.
Add to this that the site of the fine city of Puerto
Barrios is a swamp at present uninhabitable, although
laid out (on paper) in a very attractive way, with
castle, theatre, hippodrome, and all the elements of a
Centro- American city of the first rank. The splendid
mango-trees, with their dark, dense foliage, are abun-
dant in the old village, while here even the palms are
dwarfed.
Arriving at Puerto Barrios late in the afternoon, we
were kindly received by the contractors, and after an
exceedingly good supper allotted comfortable beds in the
large storehouse. We had heard of the cruelty practised
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS.
61
towards the workmen on the railroad, and wished to
know the truth. I of course understood the circum-
stances under which men were induced to go there
to work, and knew that agents in New Orleans and
elsewhere might and did make unauthorized promises
to the shiftless adventurers who sought to better their
Puerto Barrios.
fortunes in a new land. Men from the North cannot
do hard manual work in this climate unless they are
very careful in regard to diet, clothing, and general sani-
tary conditions. If they get wet, and sleep in their wet
clothes, they will have a malarial fever in a newly cleared
country. If they eat improper food, or proper food at
improper times, their bowels will certainly protest. Now,
I was convinced that the contractors did not take these
precautions with their men, that in consequence of this
62 GUATEMALA.
negligence a large amount of sickness resulted, and that
complaints printed in the newspapers of the United
States from the sick men were justified. I have seen the
men who left the railroad and took service on plantations,
and have talked with them, although I have never men-
tioned the subject to the several contractors and overseers
I met ; my opinion is therefore formed from what these
unfortunate men told me.
In the morning we were provided with the only hand-
car the road owns, and began our explorations. I will
not mention the builders of that car, for it was a worth-
less article, and had it belonged to me I should have run
it off the track and down a steep place into the sea. The
road, of thirty-six inch gauge, was graded (in March, 1885)
some six miles, and rails were laid four miles ; but the
thirty-ton locomotive, which had to do the work one of
half the size could do, could run only over three miles, the
track was so uneven. Men were cutting sleepers in the
adjoining forest, and we saw many of mahogany. The
grade is also being pushed from Tenedores, on the Mota-
gua River, to meet this end. No great engineering is
here visible, and the main difficulty seems to have been
in getting suitable foundations for the bridges over the
numerous small creeks. Along the track we saw two
large snakes of the boa family which had been killed by
the workmen. Some five miles from Puerto Barrios we
came to the hot sulphur-spring. It is a pool, fifteen feet
in diameter, close by the track, and pours out a consider-
able volume of clear, hot water, pleasant to drink when
cooled, but while in the pool too hot to put one's finger
in. Bubbles, probably of hydrosulphuric acid, escaped
freely ; but vegetation extended to the very borders of the
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS.
63
pool, and all around the forest was dense. A cool brook
ran near at hand and gave a fine bathing-place as the hot
water mingled with it. We were assured that the men
who drank the sulphurous hot water never had fever.
Sulphur Spring.
From Tenedores the surveyed line of railroad extends
up the valley of the Motagua to Gualan, thence up the
ascent to the high plateau on which stands Chiquimula,
and thence to Guatemala City, where it will connect with
the road now in operation from that city to San Jose, on
the Pacific, five thousand feet below.
Before leaving the Atlantic coast we must again men-
tion the numerous steamship lines from Livingston to
New Orleans, New York, Belize, Puerto Cortez, Jamaica,
64 GUATEMALA.
and England. Communication may thus be had with
the best markets for all tropical products. The lowlands
are amply able to supply New Orleans, New York, and
Boston with bananas, plantains, pine-apples, and coco-
nuts, the latter growing most abundantly at Cabo de
Tres Puntas on Manabique. The climate is healthful
and not too hot, averaging for the year about 80° ; and
as there is no marked change of season, a perpetual June
seems to exist. Capital alone is wanted to develop this
Atlantic coast into the great fruit-producing orchard of
the United States. Sugar-cane grows rapidly ; and so
strong is the soil that rattoon crops have been cut for
twenty years without replanting, and no diminution of
the saccharine yield has been noticed. Sugar can cer-
tainly be raised much cheaper here than in Cuba or in
the Hawaiian Islands.^ One day carries the crop to Belize,
four days to New Orleans, and eight to Boston or New
York. Yet, notwithstanding all these advantages, the Nor-
thern farmer wears out his life in the consumptive fields of
New England, where his crops grow only four months of
the year, instead of settling here, where he can plant any
day of the year (except saints' days, unless he employ coo-
lies), and reap a rich harvest in due season. He sometimes
goes to Florida, which is neither tropical nor temperate,
which is nothing but a raised coral reef with a veneering
of soil, and where frosts cut off his crops every few years.
We often hear of the extreme unhealthfulness of the trop-
ics ; but is it generally known that more persons die of
consumption in Massachusetts than of the most dreaded
1 Should the new product, saccharine, meet with favor, the planting]; of cane
will follow the fate of indigo; and coal-tar will supply the sweet things of
life as well as the flavors and colors. Coal is " sweetness and light " !
I
THE ATLANTIC COAST AND ITS CONNECTIONS.
65
tropical diseases in Central America ? The last time an
official census was taken, Livingston had a population of
a thousand, in round numbers, and the deaths of the
year numbered seven, — one a centenarian, and two
youths who fell from coconut-trees and broke their
necks ; while in Boston the rate for July, 1885, was
28.1 per thousand.
The objection to being among a strange people and
under a foreign government and strange laws may best
be met by following me through the country, where my
oljject was to answer these very objections for myself ;
and if my readers will patiently follow me, I will tell
what I saw, and they may form their own opinions.
Paddle and Machete.
CHAPTER III.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN.
THE last days of October, 1883, promised good weather
for the hill-country, and Frank and I again left
Livingston in the only way one can leave it, — by water.
Our route was as before, — up the Rio Dulce ; but this time
we had no comfortable but heavy '' Progreso." We had,
however, a better craft for our voyage, — a fine native
canoa, cut from a single log of a wood they called cedar
(which it is not) ; its length was thirty feet, and its beam
five and a half. With two masts and triangular sails,
this canoa could show good speed with a fair wind ; but
we cared little for her sailing qualities on the present
voyage. As there were no ribs, and the thwarts Avere
easily removed, we made the after part, which was
floored, quite comfortable with a temporary roof, or
toldo ; our luggage was stowed amidships, while our
captain and two men had their quarters forward when
not rowing or paddling. We had our coffee-pot (as neces-
sary a travelling companion in Central America as an
umbrella in England) and a supply of food for a week ;
although we hoped our voyage might last less than five
days.
The cliffs on the Rio Dulce were as beautiful as ever.
Theirs is a beauty which never fades with the fading
year ; and yet the changes are very marked. I never
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. G7
saw such a river, — a very Proteus, it presented a new
form every time I saw it ; and Frank, who is far more
familiar with its face, tells me I have never seen it in its
glory, which comes in July, when the brilliant orchids
are all aglow. Now a cereus with crimson blossoms
was prominent ; so were the bromeliads, parasites on
almost every tree. But among roses J saw the thorn.
Our Caribs discovered a huge serpent asleej) on a white
cliff far above us. Frank, with a laudable blindness to
all that was not pleasant, could see nothing but a fallen
tree. I saw only a few feet of the head end, which had
a diameter of about six inches ; and I obstinately refused
to fire at the reptile, since he was quite as near as it was
desirable to have him, and should my bullet wound but
not kill him, it was quite possible that he might wriggle
down into the river below. Porpoises were common far
up into the Golfete, where they were pursuing the abun-
dant freshwater fish. A light sea-breeze helping us, we
anchored for the night far above Cayo Paloma. Our
TYiozo, Santiago, slept on one of the thwarts, which he
exactly fitted, being slightly less in stature than the
average New Englander.
Our anchor was up betimes ; and before six o'clock in
the morning we came to San Felipe, — a place we both
had great curiosity to see ; for in the al^sence of any
definite account of the old Spanish fort, we allowed our
imagination to build a very imposing, picturesque, and,
withal, strong castle.
We found that Spanish castles in Guatemala were
almost as unRul)stantial as chateaux en Esjjagne ; and it
was some time before wc distinguished the Castillo de
San Felipe through the mornmg mist. At the outlet of
68 GUATEMALA.
the Lago de Izabal the shores approach each other closely,
— indeed, the channel is hardly a stone's cast broad ; and
on the northern point stands the fort built in 1655 to
protect the then important commerce of Izabal from the
buccaneers.^ It is well built of round (uncut) stone,
and the waves of the lago dash against the walls, which
are gradually yielding to the insinuating roots of many
plants, — even a delicate blue commelyna joining in the
attack that the seventeenth-century pirates began in vain.
The van of this vegetable scaling-party was led by a fine
papaya {Carica papaya), which now towered far above the
walls with its head of ornamental leaves, but which per-
ished soon after ; and we saw only the bare stem on our
return, three months later.
Passing this mediaeval ruin, we came to a slight wharf
of stakes, where we had to undergo a rigid inspection by
the guarcla, who insisted on opening our trunks, in spite
of a slight shower that was wetting us. But we submitted
with better grace on reflecting how little amusement of
any sort the custom-house men could have in this sleepy
looking place ; and when the nonsense was over we sent
Santiago with the coffee-pot, which he was told to have
boiled over somebody's fire. He was also told to get all
the food he could find ; and this useless wretch brought
back, as the total result of his foraging, three eggs !
Coconut-trees and goyavas were abundant, but no fruit
could be found. After this very frugal breakfast, — in
which we did not ask Santiago to join, — we walked to
the little Comandancia ; but the officials were not visible,
1 Its armament was approved by the Royal Seal, Nov. 7, 1658, and an
order of Feb. 26, 1687, provided fur its complete repair. The plan is from a
sketch by F. E. Blaisdell.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 69
and we entered the old fort, as the only other sight in
the dirty little town.
The plan is rather peculiar, but doubtless well suited
to the defensive warfare of those days. The doorless
entrance-ports invited us to enter, and we found a court-
yard of paved and level surface occupying almost the
entire area. At the outer end, commanding the channel,
the bastion was higher than the main portion, approached
by narrow and winding steps, easily defended ; and here
was the most curious part of the whole edifice, — the
gun-deck. There is a law in the Guatemaltecan code
forbidding photographing in military works ; but I have
since wished that T had broken that law then and there,
so that my readers might see for
themselves the clumsy guns, the
carriages with wooden wheels,
the magazine roofed, indeed,
but doorless, — the whole bus-
iness as dangerous to the gun-
ners as to any enemy outside.
Some fine orange-trees were
growing up through the pave-
ment, and their hard green fruit
would be suitable ammunition
for the ancient guns.
There was nothing whatever
to attract the most curious trav-
eller in San Felipe, and we sailed
and paddled on with frequent
calms and showers. We were completely in the hands
of our boatmen, whose knowledge of the lago proved
to be very limited ; but as ours was even less, we suffered
Castillo de San Felipe.
70 GUATEMALA.
them to coast the northern shore, when, as we after-
wards learned, the law directed our course southward to
Izabal, the port of entry, where we should have obtained
a permit to proceed on our voyage inland. Our map in-
dicated the course we selected as the shorter to the mouth
of the Rio Polochic ; but the map was, as usual, wrong.
There was not much to see, as the mist and rain hid
the mountains and hung low on the shores, driving us
frequently under our rubber roof. Whenever the mist
lifted we caught glimpses of the far southern shore, with
the grand wall of the Sierra de las Minas catching the
fleecy clouds on every black pinnacle ; and the clearing
sky attracted us still closer to the northern shore, where
we could see a low wooded country backed by a high
range of mountains, with here and there an opening
through which some stream reached the lake. At two
o'clock we landed at Sauce, on a beach of black sand,
evidently volcanic, scattered with fragments of chalcedony
and agatized wood, — a formation wliich puzzled me ex-
ceedingly, as all this region is supposed to be non-volcanic.
We had no time to follow the beach to ascertain the ex-
tent of black sand, but it reached far beyond the few com-
fortable huts on the shore, — as far, indeed, as we could
go into the jungle inland. In it grew luxuriantly limes,
bananas, mangoes, and other cultivated plants not recog-
nized. Goyavas grew to a large size, but all the fruit was
ruined by worms.
Here first we saw the whole process of tortilla-making.
The maiz was hulled in lime-water, washed in the lake,
and ground laboriously on a stone metatle into a consistent
paste, which is then skilfully patted into cakes from four
to six inches in diameter, round and thick as an ordinary
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 71
griddle-cake. These are then baked on an iron plate
or Gonial, but not browned, and should be eaten hot, and
then the tortilla tastes
like parched corn. The
metatles in Guatemala
were all of very simple
pattern and unornament-
ed, not so well wrought
as those in Mexico and
farther southward, but
serving their purpose
equally well. A woman
who cannot make good
tortillas is in Guatemala
not deemed fit to assume
the duties of housekeep-
ing ; and yet there are few
articles of food requiring
more labor in preparation than this unleavened bread.
Except the Hawaiian j^oi (paste of the Colocasiinn escu-
lentum or Kalo), I can recall no article of diet that de-
mands more physical labor. The inhabitants of the tropics
in both these cases lay aside their proverbial indolence and
earn their bread by the sweat of their brows. For our men
we procured meat in long strips put on skewers and
crisped over the fire, while for ourselves we bought
bananas, limes, and tortillas. After this we continued
our voyage until dark, when we anchored near shore
and enjoyed a very quiet night. At early dawn we
were again under way. The showers continued, and far
away on the Santa Cruz range the rains were heavy,
boding ill for our ascent of the river. The lake water,
Making Tortillas
72 GUATEMALA.
usually quite potable, was now full of a small green alga,
and the cast skins of ephemera were so thick on the
surface that for miles we could with difficulty get a dipper
of clear water.
Twice our Caribs thought they had found the mouth of
the Polochic ; and at last, at high noon, we discovered it,
where we least expected, on a marshy promontory or delta.
Masses of coarse floating grass were attached to the banks
on each side, almost blocking the way ; and the rapid cur-
rent, which we estimated at five miles an hour, made these
grass plots wave as if the breezes were playing over their
tops. Pelicans were abundant and tame ; so were the
iguanas. The air was still, and the thermometer marked
eighty-five degrees, while the water was much cooler, —
nine deojrees. All the creeks in the lowland flowed from
the river, so high was the flood, and we found no com-
fortable landing-place.
At night we anchored in the stream, and the mosquitoes
were very troublesome ; unlike those on the Chocon, these
were black, and had very long and sharp lancets. At
three in the morning we could bear them no longer ;
Orion was in the zenith, and we struck our toldo, the
men slowly rowing on until six, when we anchored for
coffee. As we were eating, a cayuco, covered with a neat
awning of leaves, came rapidly by us on the way down ;
its occupants assured us that there were many vueltas
(bends) and a great current {miicho corriente) before we
should be able to reach Pansos.
Ten miles a day was the utmost limit of our propelling
power, and in crossing the bends to escape the current we
hardly held our own, so strong were the flood-waters. Our
creeping pace gave us ample time to see, but no time to
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 73
stop for, the many curious things on either bank. Close
on the shore were red abutilons, and over them crept
the long-tubed white convolvulus {Ipomoia hona-nox) and
the brilliant yellow allamanda ; high up on the wild fig-
trees were black, long-tailed monkeys, common and tame,
their wonderfully human faces peering down at the in-
truders, the mothers clasping their hairy little babies to
their breasts with one arm, and with the other scratching
their heads in a puzzled manner. One of our Caribs shot
a little fellow before I could prevent him, and the creature
clung, even in death, by his tail. As I had shot an iguana
through the head with my revolver in the morning, I was
called upon to cut with my bullet the provoking tail, that
the Caribs might have a caribal feast. Regard for my
reputation as a marksman, and the memory of a taste of
roast monkey in India, forbade the attempt, and the poor
monkey, like the Tyburn thief, '' is hanging there still."
There was foam on the water, but we heard no water-fall,
— and indeed the flat nature of the country made falls,
cascades, or even rapids, impossible.
We passed another night when the torrents of rain had
no effect on the myriads of mosquitoes and black-flies.
Still all the brooks ran inland, although, as we afterwards
learned, in the dry season these banks are so high above
the water that they are hard to climb. All day long we
saw monkeys along the banks, though high above us, and
the following night we heard the howlers ; but in com-
pensation for that evil had no mosquitoes. By Saturday
(Nov. 3, 1883) we hoped to be well on our road from
Pansos to Coban, but, except the cayuco, we saw no signs
of men or the work of men's hands ; on that morning,
however, we came to a little Jinca on the river bank, where
74 GUATEMALA.
a good sized stream from the river flowed into the yard
and through the house. The poultry had taken refuge on
the roof, and the Indian proprietors waded through the
flood. Luckily the oven, or fire-place, was raised on sticks
several feet above the water, so that the senora could make
us some tortillas, — eight for a real. Eggs were the same
price. Slight as the forage was, it was very acceptable,
as our food was nearly gone, and we were already depen-
dent on the Caribs for their cassava-bread. The river,
these persons said, was falling, so we pushed on with new
courage.
A fine spider-lily ( C7inum) grew on the bank where
we moored our canoa. We noticed that whenever we
made fast to the cane-brake, the black-flies bothered us
far more than when we had trees overhead ; was it not
because the cane did not afford roosts or concealment for
the fly-catching birds and reptiles ? The blossoms of the
cane were very beautiful, indeed as attractive as those we
had noticed on the Chocon. Mahogany-trees were seen
here and there, and we were told that there was much of
this fine w^ood on the Rio Zarco, just at hand. I also saw
a goyava-tree, some eighteen inches in diameter and eighty
feet high. In the afternoon we passed willows (Sauce),
and about five o'clock were startled by an unusual noise
behind us, when a huge three-storied structure came sweep-
ing up the stream, as if in pursuit ; it was the steamer
" City of Belize," a flat-bottomed stern-wheeler. As the
current was very strong and the channel narrow, we has-
tened to make fast to a large fig-tree overhanging the
stream. Before, however, our arrangements were made, the
steamer was upon us, and her surge, added to the current,
tore us from our mooring and swept as under the tree.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 75
Our masts caught in a branch, and we were turned on
our beam-ends. For an instant our situation was critical.
Our weather-rail was six inches under water, and we
were clinging to the other side as the water came pour-
ing in ; then the mainmast slipped, and we righted, all
hands bailing out eagerly, while Frank held by some
branches and prevented a repetition of the disaster. If
the canoa had upset, our journey would probably have
ended there, as our photographic supplies would have
been ruined, and there would have been little chance for
us in that deep, rapid river, with no banks, and no trees
that offered food, even if they gave us shelter from the
alligators ; and these too would have shown themselves
as soon as the disturbance caused by the steamer had
abated. Our Carib captain was as frightened as we were,
and with the little English he knew, exclaimed as we
anchored for the night : '' D — d good boat ; would n't sell
her for h — 11! " The persons on the " City of Belize "
must have seen us filling, but they did not stop to see if
we drowned.
All night we had mosquitoes, but no rain ; and to our
wakeful excitement was added the horrible noises of
tigres, wild hogs, monkeys, alligators, and other animals.
We were getting tired of the river, and our voyage
seemed interminable. Early in the morning we passed
the mouth of the Rio Cahabon, where the steamer had
anchored the night before, and soon after I shot my first
alligator. He w\as a large one, and my ball struck him
just behind the foreleg. He jumped clear of the water,
turned over, and fell back, tingeing the river with blood.
We thought we had counted twice the seventy-two
vueltas in the fifty miles between the mouth of the river
76 GUATEMALA.
and Pansos ; but this port still fled before us, and it was
nearly dark before I smelt human habitations. Not
one of our company had ever been there before ; but the
Caribs were greatly amused at my assertion, and I think
Frank smiled in his sleeve at my scent. But I certainly
smelt them, and kept the men rowing, and blew the
conch-shell, as the law requires on approaching a port;
and at last, long after dark, the lights of the steamer fast
at the wharf appeared, and we were soon alongside.
We had been a week in our canoa, and five days
without landing ; but our troubles were not yet ended.
The stupid soldiers flatly refused to allow us to land
our traps without a permit from the comandante, and
insisted that we should go with them to the Comandancia,
nearly a quarter of a mile away. I started with Santiago,
over a road worked into pasty mud by the ox-carts from
Coban. It was raining and very dark, and the almost
naked soldiers tried to light the way with splinters of fat-
pine, called here ocote. At last the road ended in a black
pool, into which the barelegged soldiers waded. But I
declined to ^-o farther unless thev carried me ; and it
almost made the night bright to see the look these apol-
ogies for men gave each other and the stranger who
weighed twenty pounds more than their united weights.
It ended as it should have begun ; and Santiago went
on with one guard to explain matters, while with the
other I returned to the steamer. The officers of the
steamer had kindly invited us to sleep on board ; but
the soldier on guard refused to let us pass the plank,
so I pitched him into the river, — the proper place for
all such stupid military men, — and went on board un-
opposed. Soon word came that we might sleep where
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, AVESTWARD TO COB AN. 77
we pleased. Mosquitoes were as bad here as anywhere
on the Polochic; and while Frank slept on the dining-
table without a net, I had a very dirty bed and a net
full of mosquitoes and other things ; so in the morning
we could not decide which had had the least comfort.
With light usually comes a more cheerful feeling ; and
a good breakfast, to which the officers of the steamer in-
vited us, made us feel at peace with all men, and I even
took the trouble to ask if the soldier I had pitched into
the river was drowned. The rain having ceased, we
started for the town, ferrying ourselves over the creek in
an old canoa half full of water.
As the comandante had not recovered from his over-
night debauch, we went about the little village to do
some necessary shopping and arrange for our journey
to Coban. The town was small, but neat and attractive.
A clear brook ran over a limestone bed, and in one place
it fell over a ledge into a pool where washing is done
both of" persons and garments. An old Spaniard was
bathing here, and, although half a dozen women were
washing clothes or soaking maiz in the same limited
bath-tub, he invited us to join him. Near by, a man was
dressing an oxhide by pegging it to the ground and then
salting the inside.
At the Comandancia we found, not the chief, who was
still too drunk, but two very polite officials, with whom
I had a pleasant chat ; I then wrote my name, resi-
dence, and all the titles I could ever lay claim to, as well
as those of Senor Don Francisco, my " Secretario." The
impression was so marked that our lawless neglect of
Izabal was overlooked, and we were given a full permit to
land our luggage. Once more we returned to the river, in
78 GUATEMALA.
order to dismiss our Carib boatmen, and on the way we met
an intelligent ladino who spoke English (indeed he had
been to London) ; and he, acting as our interpreter, greatly
assisted us in shopping and in our preparations for the
long journey before us. In his garden were some goyava-
trees [Psidium) ; but the fruit was unripe, and we found
that our new friends eat the goyava as the Chinese eat
pears and other fruits, — quite hard ; salting it, however.
Santiago found horses for Frank and myself, and at the
Comandancia we procured Indian mozos to carry our
luggage. This was our first experience of a system that
we found very convenient throughout the country. By an
order from the Comandancia, Indios are obliged to carry
burdens, as in the present case, precisely as their Northern
brothers have to serve on a jury, and do it for three
reals (37^ cents) a day, — quite equal here to the fee the
law allows an intelligent juryman in the North. They
cannot be sent beyond their district, nor made to carry
more than four arrohas (100 lbs.). In many cases they
carry six arrobas without complaint, supporting their
burden by a raw-hide strap (called meco/^aZ) over the
forehead. The person hiring pays to the authorities, with
whom the men are registered, a real a head. I provided
four of these men to carry our luggage to La Tinta ; but
Santiago cut down the number by half at the end of the
first stage. Our experience with these mozos de cargo
was pleasant, as they usually kept up with our horses
on the mountain-roads, and took good care of the par-
cels intrusted to them. Each one carries a palm-leaf
umbrella (suyacal), which also serves for bed at night.
I have employed dozens of these bearers, and found only
one of whom I could complain ; and he was not with me
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 79
on the road, but sent with our mozo Santiago, — which
mio-ht be an excuse for him.
o
There is no posada in Pansos ; and after getting our
breakfast at noon in a little shop which was papered with
pictures from " Harper's Weekly " and " Puck," we decided
to spend the night at Teleman. After some difficulty in
getting permission for our guide to leave town, — the
comandante being still drunk,^ — at two o'clock, mounted
tolerably, Frank and I, with our boy Roberto, left Pansos.
The pleasure of being again on horseback after the dull
inaction of our canoa voyage was so great that I was
willing to overlook any deficiencies in my mount. As
Roberto stopped a short distance from the town to make
a slight addition to his wardrobe, we went on alone for
a while ; the road could hardly be missed, it is so worn
by the bullock-carts used to bring coffee from the
plantations of Alta Verapaz. The beautiful vegetation,
healthy and luxuriant, drew our attention from the
muddy road, which became worse as we got farther into
the forest. Many fine clear brooks crossed our path,
and as we came out of the woods the valle}' of the Boca-
nueva lay before us. Two piers of masonry stand on
opposite banks of this river ; but the iron bridge lies on
the shore at Livingston, and there seems to be no very
strong attraction between the iron and the masonry.
The absence of a bridge was no great hardship, for not
only was the river shallow and easily fordable, but there
was a most curious vine-bridge, built of vejucos, perhaps
a hundred and fifty feet long, hung from two convenient
trees and approached l3y ladders. It was old, and one
^ I may add that soon after our arrival in Coban the Jefe politico dejiosed
this unworthy comandante, punishing him with various indignities.
80 GUATEMALA.
side was broken down ; so it required care and courage
to cross it. It was very similar in construction to mod-
ern wire suspension-bridges, but wholly vegetable, there
being not a particle of metal about it.
A few miles farther brought us out of the wooded to
the cleared land, where is the hamlet of Teleman, famed
for its delicious oranges. Although nearly sundown, and
cloudy, the thermometer stood at seventy-eight degrees.
We found lodging at the house of Don Pablo, a line-looking
old man with a heavy gray beard. His little home was in
the midst of orange and coffee trees close on the road, and
only a light rail kept the too familiar cattle out of the
house. We had no long time to look around before dark ;
but our comida was good, and the coffee grown there was
very fine. The hospitable Don Pablo pointed to a pile of
oranges on the floor and told us to help ourselves, which
we did freely. Another Spaniard came in soon after we
were settled, and I had the best chance I had ever had to
exercise my "book Spanish." I surprised Frank, and
myself as well, obtaining from these two agreeable men a
great deal of information about our road and the country
generally. The room was certainly as strange a one
as I had ever slept in, — a table in one corner, with a
mahogany bench fifteen inches wide before it (on this
bench a small child slept all night, without pillow or
covering) ; two hammocks ; a bedstead with mosquito-
netting ; piles of coffee, oranges, and other small matters ;
a shrine of tinsel containing two images, before whose
dingy holiness a sardine-box lamp burned luridly ; meat
in strips hung from the roof. The chickens had all gone
under the bed for the night ; and when it was time for
the featherless bipeds to roost also, our host and his women
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COB AN. 81
retired into the dark inner room, after assigning me the
bed and Frank one of the hammocks, while the stranger
took the other and soon settled himself comfortably.
The bed certainly was not luxurious, and the pillow had
seen better days; but I rigged up a cleaner head-rest with
a towel, and was comfortable enough. Not so Frank, who
was unused to hammocks ; and before I was quite asleep
I heard his whisper, asking if there was room to take
him in ; and as the bed was large, his hammock was
deserted.
We were up at four ; and as it was still quite dark, the
sardine-box lamp was again lighted, and we drank the
delicious coffee grown in Don Pablo's garden, while a
little muchacha drove out her chickens from under the
bed. The clouds promised rain ; but we had none
all day, in spite of the predictions of both host and
(jfuide.
We crossed two aguas calientes. One of them was steam-
ing in the cool morning air ; but their temperature was
very little above that of the atmosphere at midday. Cacao-
trees were very common, though we saw none cultivated.
Here we first saw in abundance some of the convolvulus
blossoms for which the country is noted. One was of a
pale rose, another a deep blue, with hispid calyx and a
corolla five inches across, while a third was of flesh-color
and satiny texture, covering the trees near La Tinta.
We arrived in that village about noon, and after some
delay found a house where they would cook us an
almuerzo. Our menu comprised good white rolls, broiled
meat, fried plantains, frijoles, fried eggs, and good coffee,
— all which we relished exceedingly ; and we were not
less satisfied with the price, — two reals each. The house
6
82 GUATEMALA.
contained only one room, a stone cooking-bench ^ at one
end, and a row of box-like beds along one side. Under
these several hens were sitting, and two or three dogs
tried hard to get into a bed, while a colt kept putting
his head into a window, and finally upset the corn-box.
There was not much to the town, certainly. The school
had thirteen pupils, — some bright enough ; but the
church was an insignificant shed. Pasturage was good,
and we noticed a very large proportion of bulls by the
roadside ; these were qviite as gentle as the cows.
In the afternoon we crossed, on an iron truss-bridge
covered with a thatched roof, the Polochic, now a shal-
low but still wide stream. I wished for my camera here,
— as I had several times since I left Pansos ; but we
were effectually parted until our mozos should overtake
us at Coban. We had been assured by the blind ladinos
that there was no interesting scenery on the road. We
were now constantly ascending, and we passed many
Indios of the Poconchi tribe, — clean, good-looking, and
dressed in white, with fanciful designs of darker colors
sewed on.
1 Owing to the heavy duty, iron stoves are seldom seen in Guatemala;
but a structure of stone, where that material is at hand, elsewhere of sticks
covered with clay, is reared to the height of about two feet. Its size depends,
of course, on the wants of the household ; but large or small, the form is
always the same. Three suitable stones, forming what would correspond to a
pot-hole in an ordinary stove, are embedded in the clay-top of this house-altar,
and the long slim sticks that furnish fuel serve also as poker, shovel, and
tongs. There is no chimney, but the smoke and steam escape by the many
cracks in the walls or by the windows. On one stone tripod a comal for tor-
tillas, on another an earthen pitcher of cofiee, and on another a stew-pan
(cazuela) of frijoles, is the usual kitchen arrangement. Answering its purpose
as Avell as a costly stove, it may be built for a few reals; and if an oven is
needed for bread, a stone and earthen dome built over such a table-like hearth
makes a capital one, not unlike those so common among the Canadians and in
other half-civilized countries.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 83
We arrived at Cliamiquin early in the afternoon, and
found the hamlet consisted, as far as we could see, of
two very inferior houses and as many sheds. A fine
grove of mango-trees, but no fruit ; a hen-house built in
the second story only, and accessible by ladder ; palms,
with the withered leaves still clinging to the stem
(cultivated for the nuts, but dreary looking) ; limestone
cropping out on the neighboring hills, — comprised the
distinctive features of the place. Our room was new and
clean, lined with banana-leaves, and the hard earth floor
was of course uncarpeted. The furniture was simply a
table and a bench ; but frugal as the furnishing was, our
dinner surpassed it, — a few tortillas, four eggs, and some
nasty coffee for two hungry men ! We had our own
candles, or we might not have seen how little it was.
Perhaps our hostess did as w^ll as she could, for the
twenty-five dogs that besieged our room while we ate
were evidently half starved.
All through the country the dogs are very ill condi-
tioned, and I several times remonstrated with their
owners for what seemed to me cruel treatment ; for
althousrh I detest this unclean brute, I do not like to
see him suffer. But I was always assured that tlie
dogs were underfed, not on account of cruelty, but to
make them good hunters and scavengers. It certainly
made them useless for the only purpose besides hunting
that dogs seem to have been created for, — human
food. Guatemala canines are certainly a contrast to
the juicy little poi dogs of the Hawaiians (which
are fed only on poi, sweet potato, and milk), or the
excellent dogs always hanging in the butcher-shops in
China.
84 GUATEMALA.
Here let me speak of the atrocious coffee that we
found in this place and elsewhere as we went on. The
berry, which is of fine quality, is burned, not roasted,
and when pulverized, boiled for hours, and then bottled.
This nasty mess they call esencia de cafe, and mix it
with boiling water at the table. It was generally served
to us in patent-medicine bottles, with a corn-cob or a roll
of paper for a stopper. It had not the slightest taste of
coffee, but reminded one of the smell of a newly-printed
newspaper.
We were on our way next morning at half-past five,
and found the road much washed by the severe rains of
the night before. On our right, across the valley, was
a fine cascade spattering over the limestone rocks, and
now we came for the first time to home-like pine-trees.
Begonias of two species grew in the clefts of the road-
side rocks, and in a house-yard was a fine Eiq^liorbia
Poinsettii. As my horse had hurt his foot at Teleman,
I walked much of the way, so our progress up the hills
was not very rapid ; and we were by no means expecting
it when a turn in the road between two hills brought us
abruptly into San Miguel Tucuru.
This interesting town, of some three hundred inhabit-
ants, had no posada ; but we found a capital casa de
hosjyedaje, kept by a senora of African descent married
to an invisible ladino. The house was of fair size, built
of adobe, and well plastered. A black Saint Benedict hung
in effigy on the wall, — the forerunner of a host of black
saints and holy people whom we saw both in sculpture
and painting as we advanced through this ancient do-
main of the Spanish missionaries. Our senora had a
calentura, — the national excuse for not doing anything
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 85
or going anywhere ; but for all that she got us a good
breakfast. Our horses were used up, and our boy could
get no others. An appeal to the alcalde brought one
poor horse ; but all our further efforts were answered by
manana (to-morrow), — that word so hateful to an active
man, but universal here. As we had a very comfortable
house to pass the night in, we made ourselves easy, and
started to explore the town. On our way in I had seen
an attractive spring a short distance from the road, and
I went alone to explore it, taking a calabash I had just
purchased for a drinking-vessel. A well-worn path led
across a meadow, and a sudden turn brought me upon a
party of women in exceedingly slight apparel, bathing
and washing in a little pool into which the spring emp-
tied through a spout. These naiads were most of them
young ; but one old woman, a foul-visaged hag, scowled
savagely upon me, while the others giggled as I quietly
handed my calabash to the prettiest, and asked her to
give me a drink of water, which she caught from the
high spout with skill and without hesitation, although
the action exhibited her form in all its beauty. How I
wanted my camera !
Stuck in the muddy road was a train of ox-carts, and
the oxen from seven or eight were yoked to the head
cart ; and when that was dragged out of the slough to
a camping-place, the next and all the rest were treated
the same way. We wandered about town between the
showers, saw lime-kilns, a lead-mine, and several pot-
teries, and at last came to the church, — a more consid-
erable building than we had yet seen in Central America.
The door was tied with a leather shoestring, and there
was no resident priest. The images seemed, to our
86 GUATEMALA.
unaccustomed eyes, most horrible ; but they must have
appeared in holier form to the poor worshippers, for
marigolds and amaranths were strewed before them, and
Yotive candles burned on the floor. The ancient name
of this town was Tucurub (meaning "town of owls");
but the Spaniards re-christened it by one of the saints
called Michael, — which I do not know, but apparently
not that one whose churches in western Europe are usu-
ally perched on some almost inaccessible pinnacle, as at
Le Puy in France, St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall,
etc. Only one man in the town could speak English,
and he could give us very little information about our
road. Indeed, all the way we were in that delightful
condition of travelling without knowing exactly what is
coming, and constantly meeting the unexpected. The
rain at last came down in earnest, and drove us within
doors. A Boston boy who has a fine coifee estate in
the neighborhood came in as we were at dinner and
initiated us into the mystery of tortillas tostadas. Cer-
tainly by toasting, the tough, clammy, cold tortilla is
made even better than new.
At four in the morning our boy Roberto lighted the
candle and waked us up. We had settled our score the
night before, and so did not disturb the family, but com-
pleted our toilet on the doorstep, as we saw to the sad-
dling of our horses, by the light of the solitary candle.
It was so dark as we rode away that we could not see
the road, and blindly followed our guide's white horse.
A gate across the road gave us some trouble, as we could
only feel it. By daylight the scenery must be fine ; but
as the noise of rushing waters, and a blacker streak by
the road-side, alone indicated the torrents and harrancas
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 87
at hand, we were troubled rather than pleased by these
picturesque properties. We came to an ox-train camped
in the middle of the road ; and but for the glowing em-
bers of their camp-fires we should have had great difficulty
in passing.
As the gray dawn brightened over the mountains, the
numerous white cascades attracted enough attention to
keep us from the drowsiness we were both falling into
from the darkness, cold, and dampness, and the slow gait
of our horses. Fire-flies were still sparkling when it was
light enough to see the road.
It was quite early when we came to Tamahii ; and as we
entered the little town (1,517 mhabitants), which is twelve
leagues from Coban, we saw a shrme with images as hor-
rible as any of the idols of the ancient Polynesians. Most
of the houses had tiled roofs, and looked neat and comfort-
able. At one of the best we stopped for coffee ; and while
the preparations for our meal were going on, Frank and I
went up to the church hard by. The door was tied with a
rope, and we found little of interest within, except images
closely resembling East Indian idols, and around all a
flavor of mild decay. Our hostess — for always it was
the senora who managed the hospitalities and took the
pay therefor — gave us rolls and fried plantains with our
good coffee, and the table and bench were of some choice
wood, darker and harder than mahogany. Fine roses
blossomed in the yard (it was November), and cotton-
dyeing and weaving, the principal industries of the town,
were carried on in nearly every house. Lime-burning and
tile-making also employ a goodly number of the people.
As we rode into the country, we passed many clumps
of a fine arborescent composite some twenty feet high, —
88 GUATEMALA.
one of the giants of this great and widely spread family.
Crimson lobelias (like cardinal-flowers) with red stems,
crenulate leaves, and a very unpleasant odor, were com-
mon. The road was badly gullied, and the nightly rains
had made the Polochic, which still kept at our side, an
angry looking torrent quite unfordable. The grades of
the road were good, and showed engineering skill and
constant care ; but for all this my horse broke down
before noon, as I had expected, and our boy, after some
consultation with the drivers of a mule-train we passed,
captured a stray mule for me and turned the horse
loose. All the horses here seem so feeble, and many
of the mules so sore, that I seriously thought of cap-
turing one of the powerful bulls feeding peaceably by
the path, and riding him in true African style ; but
Frank earnestly dissuaded me, so we had to walk half
the time to save our wretched hacks.
Through the mud we rode into Tactic, four leagues
farther on, at half-past one o'clock. The barometer
recorded 4,650 feet ; but this was not high enough to
insure dry roads at this season. The town, of some
thirteen hundred inhabitants, seemed prosperous ; the
houses were of a better class than any we had yet seen,
and the gardens were full of fruit-trees and vegetables.
Tree-abutilons, both pink and crimson, were covered with
blossoms, and peach-trees bore both blossoms and unripe
fruit. The roads were quite too muddy for foot-travel,
except in native undress. The corridors of the houses
generally had carved posts and lintels, and the central
tile of the ridge was usually fashioned into a cross, with
two lambs or doves as supporters. The casa munieijyal
was a noteworthy building. In gardens we saw fine
Roof Tile.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 89
coffee-trees, and were told that here there are three
blossomings in May, and as many harvestings in Decem-
ber ; the first and third
are small, while the sec-
ond is large. Roses were
even finer than at Ta-
mahu ; and a little girl
gave me a bunch of a
kind much like the old-
fashioned cabbage-rose. Most of the inhabitants are
Indios of the Poconchi tribe.
The fa9ade of the church is ornamented with dumpy
statues of saints, and the main altar is elaborately carved.
We noticed a picture of three men in the flames of Sheol,
— whether Hell or Purgatory we could not tell ; one wore
a tiara, another a mitre, while the third had on a plain
four-cornered canonical cap. In front of the church we
bought twenty ^oco^es (Spondias sp.) for a medio. There
are several varieties of this plum-like fruit, and the red
is larger and better than the yellow. When quite ripe,
the rather tender skin contains a juicy yellow pulp
around a rough stone. From the fermented juice chicha
is made, — much used as a mild intoxicant, not unlike
thin cider.
As we rode out of town we saw that the suburban gar-
dens were much overrun by squash and bean vines.
Maiz stood fifteen feet high ; far up on the hills we saw
cornfields {milpas), having in their midst dwelling-houses
almost in the clouds, and seemingly built like swallows'
nests against the steep hillside. The campo santo, or
cemetery, was surrounded by adobe walls, and seemed
utterly neglected. We had seen in the church, and now
90 GUATEMALA.
found by the roadside, a fine red and yellow orchid, and
another pure white one, as well as the cardinal-flower.
All day there had been showers ; and when we arrived at
Santa Cruz, long after dark, we were wet, in spite of our
ponchos and the water would run into our boots.
There was no posada, so our boy declared, and we had
to try the cdbildo for the first time. The Escuela por
JSfinos, or " school for ninnies," as Frank persisted in
calling it, was placed at our disposal ; but the floor was
bare, hard concrete, and we had no mats, while there was
no chance to hang our hammocks. It was not inviting ;
but one of the attendants kindly brought two mahogany
settees from the court-room, and this was so hard a couch
that one might be pardoned for going to .bed with boots
on, — and mine were so wet that I feared I should not get
them on in the morning if they once came off. We
needed food quite as much as a bed, and at last found
rolls and coffee at a little shop near at hand. At four
o'clock in the morning there was an earthquake, which
did not wake Frank, though it jarred my bed as though
some one had run against it in the dark. This shock
was felt, as we afterwards found, at Coban, San Cristobal,
and for miles around. Slight earthquakes are said to be
common enouorh here, but we saw no evidence of severe
ones.
In the morning at half-past five, while Roberto was
saddling the horses, we visited the church and found many
curiously carved and gilded altar-pieces. After perform-
ing our ablutions in a puddle in the road, left by the last
night's rain, we got our coffee and hastened on our way,
as it was Friday, and we still had twelve miles to ride to
Coban.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COB AN. 91
This city, although at an elevation of 4,500 feet, is
surrounded by much higher hills; and from the pass
over which the road winds, the view of the surrounding
coffee-region is very fine. The streams were m flood,
and some of the lower plantations were under water.
Near the town we
saw the method of
raising coffee-plants
under frames cov-
ered with dried
ferns. Crossing a
good bridge, we
came up a paved
street, and soon
after ten o'clock
rode into the Hotel
Aleman, where we
had a very comfort-
able room and two
beds with sheets
and pillow-cases, —
the first we had
seen since we left
Livingston ; and we
were not now com-
pelled to sleep in our clothes. Our breakfast was the
best we had found since we had been in the country,
and consisted of soup, sausages, frijoles necjras, wheaten
rolls, fried plantains, tortillas tostadas, tomato salad, fried
potatoes, and good coffee. The potatoes here are native,
seldom larger than an English walnut, and very mealy.
In the patio of the hotel bloomed roses and violets.
In Hotel Aleman.
92
GUATEMALA.
As this Hotel Aleman was the first house of solid
masonry we had entered since our arrival in Guatemala,
we examined it with some curiosity. Externally it was
very plain, — white with stucco, of one story, and roofed
with red tile. Windows were few, and the large door of
two valves was generally closed in a rather inhospitable
manner to an outsider. Once within the portal, however,
the scene changed wonderfully. Before us was a court-
yard [patio), into which the house opened. Directly in
r:xj I
APOSENTO □ B n
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APOSENTO
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CORREDOR
S A L A
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Plan of the Hotel Aleman.
front was a plain building, used as kitchen (cocina) and
stable ; on the left was the garden (huerto) ; on the
right, the corridor, on which opened the sala, or parlor,
an apartment or two, and the dining-room (comedor). In
the corner was a large concrete tank to catch rain-water.
Our own apartment was at the left of the entrance, and
was quite large, with tiled floor and separate corridor.
A curtain was suspended between two of the pillars to
shade the dining-room, and hammocks could be swung in
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 93
every direction when needed. Birds hung in cages, and
flowers in baskets ; and the neglige air of everything, ex-
cept the neat little Indian women who did the household
work, added to the comfortable feeling the place inspired.
We walked up a paved street an eighth of a mile to
the casa municipal, and, passing an arched gateway in the
clock-tower, entered a spacious plaza, with the cabildo on
our left and the foundations of the new palace on the
The Cabildo of Coban.
brow of the hill opposite. Directly before us was the
church and connected buildings, — once a college of priests,
since confiscated by the Government, and now used as
a music-school, blacksmith's shop, and for other purposes.
The main part of the Plaza was paved ; and here were
congregated several hundred Indios, mostly of the Quekchi
tribe, buying, selling, and bartering. We bought twenty-
five fine granadillas (fruit of the passion-flower) for a
medio, and as many jocotes for the same price. Deli-
94
GUATEMALA.
cate straw hats, woven in two colors, were three reals
and a medio ; cotton napkins (servilletas) of native
weaving, two reals ; palm-leaf umbrellas (suyacales), such
as every mozo de cargo carries, one real. There was a
fair supply of raw cotton, cacao, brown sugar, tallow,
soap, and blankets.
Interior of the Church at Coban.
The church was very large and interesting ; but the
front was disfigured by two distinct main entrances, and
the bell-tower was too low for the church. Within,
there was the simplest architecture imaginable, — plain
timber posts, square, with a slight chamfer, with pillow-
block capitals and stucco bases; an uneven tiled floor;
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 95
and side altars of poor design, sometimes painted to
imitate marble. On one of these altars a famished cur
was eating candle-ends ; on another were the three cruci-
fixes of Calvary, — the repentant thief being a young
man of personable form and features, while the other
was a bald-headed, bearded villain ; a very impressive
object-lesson we afterwards saw in many churches. A
fair St. Sebastian was the only picture of tolerable
merit.
We called on the excellent Jefe politico, Don Luis
Molina, who received us very politely, although our call
must have been a great
bore to him, as he spoke
no English, and my
Spanish was very lame.
The Indian women in
the streets all dress alike,
— in a skirt of indigo-
blue cotton, generally
figured in the loom ; and
their lono; and abundant
black hair is carefully
bound in red Ixmdages
(listones) reaching near-
ly to the ground. Their
stature is below medium
natured. The blue cloth is woven in rude looms, sev-
eral of which we inspected, and the thread is dyed
in vats of masonry in the house-yard. The threads
are dressed in the loom and dried by a few coals in a
potsherd placed beneath the warp. A border is woven
at each edge, and also in the woof, at intervals, to mark
Pattern of Cloth.
they seem modest and good-
96 GUATEMALA.
the length of a dress-pattern. A common design is
given on the previous page, — the lines being light blue
on dark. The lines of light filling are carried outside the
selvage, and of course are easily broken ; otherwise the
cloth is coarse and strong, in widths of a vara, or thirty-
three inches. The weavers were very obliging, and
pleased to have us inspect their work.
The soil here is a rich red loam, and coffee grows bet-
ter than elsewhere in the country. Coffee-trees, well-
trimmed and loaded with crimson berries, were in every
garden, and violets and strawberries were in blossom.
The domestic architecture was certainly not imposing,
but it was substantial, and perfectly suited to the climate.
Houses were generally but one story in height, built of
masonry and covered with stucco, around a patio to-
wards which the tiled roof inclined, covering a wide
veranda as well as the house. The windows on the
street projected slightly, and were protected by strong
iron grills. Many of the streets were paved, and drains
and culverts provided to remove the rain-water. As
there is no aqueduct, water is brought from springs or
caught from the roofs during the frequent rains. We
were told it had rained incessantly for the last ten days,
and the wet clouds still rested on the surrounding hills,
giving a slightly gloomy aspect to the otherwise fine
views in all directions. The meat-market was outside
the Plaza, and a single glance was enough ; but the gen-
eral market was so attractive that, after a quiet night's
rest (we were of course far more wearied by sight-seeing
than by any day's travel), we turned our steps thither in
the early morning. In our search for mules we came to
the blacksmith in the cloisters. He was an American
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 97
{del Norte) ; and it was said that when he
was drunk he could shoe a mule better than
others could in their soberest moments. He
had been drinking when we found him ;
but he gave us some information,
took us to his den hard by, where
his family consisted of a native wife
and a black monkey, and gave
Frank the skin of a quetzal (Pha-
romacrus 7nocino). This skin was
so beautiful that it put us on the search,
and we found a senora who had a mod-
erately large collection of these and other
bird-skins, which are brought in by the
Indios from the mountains of Alta
Verapaz.
The quetzal (pronounced kezal) is
the national emblem, and is decidedly
a bird of freedom, as it never survives
captivity, even when taken in earliest
life. In ancient days none but the
royal family could wear the beau-
tiful plumes. At present the In-
dios bring the skins from the
mountains in considerable num-
bers, their value depending on
the length of the tail-plumes,
which sometimes exceeds three
feet. As the female is very
plain, without the beautiful tail
of the male, she escapes the
hunters, and consequently pre-
Quetzal.
98 GUATEMALA.
serves the species. The wmg-co verts and tail-feathers of
the male are of a superb peacock-green, changing to in-
digo, the inner breast scarlet, and the wings very dark.
We went to the campo santo, on a hill westward of
the town, which is reached by a flight of a hundred and
sixty concrete steps ; the whole was built at the cost of
one pious man. Several shrines on the way up made
convenient resting-places for those who used those steps,
— like the Golden Stairs at Rome for knee-worship and
penance. Tn one of these shrines was a lamp of native
make, in form of a bird with many necks. The chapel
on the top was small, and the doorway so low that
I struck my head violently in coming from the dark
interior.
Except the noble pine-trees on the top, there was
nothing attractive in this last resting-place. Some grave-
diggers were making merry over a small and shallow
o-rave they had just finished, and we gladly turned from
the calvario to the fine views town ward. At night the
regimental band gave us some agreeable music (perhaps
national airs, certainly unfamiliar tunes) ; and as the
music died away in the distant streets we fell asleep, to
be awakened at day-break by the drums and fifes calling
the men of military age to the regular Sunday inspection.
We were present at the roll-call in the Plaza ; and of
all absurd military sights, this was the chief ! Soldiers
in every costume and of all sizes stood in line, much as
they arrived at the rendezvous, and solemnly answered
to their names. Would that I could present a photo-
graph of this "Falstaff's Regiment" to my readers!
After coffee Frank and I went to church. The Indian
women were all kneeling on the tiled floor, and formed
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 99
the bulk of the worshippers. A few men stood or knelt,
with striped blankets thrown gracefully over their shoul-
ders. Mahogany benches between the side altars gave
us an opportunity to sit comfortably and study the in-
teresting scene
before us while
we listened to
the very fine or-
chestra (consist-
ing mostly of
Germans), which
occupied benches
in the midst of
the nave. Far
away in the loft,
over the door, a
bass drum and
fife, and still far-
ther out of doors
rockets and ex-
plosions, accom-
panied or empha-
sized the music.
The sacrament
of the commu-
nion was being administered to worshippers, — apparently
in both kinds ; the wine in a sort of sop, while the wafer
was carried by an attendant. All through the long
service the women remained devoutly kneeling on the
tiled floor.
After church the market was more active than usual,
and we spent the time before almuerzo in lounging
Indio of Coban.
100 GUATEMALA.
through it. In the afternoon we were made happy by
the arrival of Santiago and our mozos, with our luggage
in perfect order ; and not long after the Jefe Don Luis
called, and assured us that we should have all the mozos
we needed to carry our luggage onward. We had de-
cided to take the unusual road to Quiche, about which
even the Jefe could give us little information, and we
found no one else who knew more ; so we decided to send
our heavier luggage direct by Salama to Guatemala City,
while we took with us only one mozo to carry those
things we needed by the way.
In the evening we turned again to the church to hear
the vesper service. The spacious edifice was dimly
lighted by the candles on the altars and pillars, and men
and women knelt all over the rough floor. A choir of
female voices was singing as we entered, and soon the
officiating priest was conducted by candle-bearing acolytes
to the altar. The responses by the choir and orchestra
(organ, violin, flute, and violoncello) were very impres-
sive, the musicians often joining their voices to the music
of their instruments. The Indian drum, made of hides
rudely stretched over the hollow trunk of a tree, boomed
from the remote part of the church, and bombs and
rockets exploded outside in a most effective manner. A
black-robed young priest entered a confessional near where
I was sitting, and a veiled female at once knelt at the
side, while others in the immediate neighborhood moved
quietly out of earshot. The whole service was very sol-
emn ; and the clouds of incense from the swinging cen-
sers of the Indian boys partly concealed the tinsel and
tarnished gilding of the uncouth altar, and even cast a
a:lamour over the huge doll, which, most gaudily dressed,
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 101
represented the Queen of Heaven. The decaying church,
so painfully out of repair by daylight, was covered with
respecta])ility, even with sanctity, by the shadows of
night. One cannot Imt feel with sadness that the offices
of a religion held so sacred here in centuries gone by
should be so lightly regarded, and that the church build-
ings reared by so much labor and often unselfish devotion
should now be cared so little for, even in this State of
Verapaz, where the Church gained an ascendency over
the Indios which the iron-clad and iron-hearted Conquis-
tadores had never done.
Monday was spent in photographing views in the neigh-
borhood and hunting for mules. Of these we agreed to
take three for our use all through the country at a charge
of $150 ; but when we unsaddled them at our hotel we
found they all had sore backs, and accordingly sent them
home. In the evening I went with the postmaster (a
Kentuckian) to an examination at the Colegio de Li-
bertad. Three ladino lads did most t)f the reciting in
arithmetic, botany, zoology, and history; and a certain
doctor took the role of chief examiner, — evidently quite
as much bent on displaying his own knowledge as that
of liis pupils. I had to ask a few c[uestions, which were
understood and promptly answered.
In the morning we visited the Government storehouse
for aguardiente. The inspector wanted us to taste the
fire-water, which was so strong that it seemed to blister
the tongue. The sale of this liquor is a Government
monopoly, yielding a very considerable revenue.-^ A
distiller at this place has a license, for which he pays
four hundred dollars j)er month ; and he must furnish a
1 In 1882, $1,266,042.43, or about one fifth of the total revenue.
102
GUATEMALA.
minimum of sixty-five bottles ^;er diem, paying twenty-five
cents a bottle for all over this amount. All the product
is brought to the public store, where it is tested at 50° ;
and the retailers send in their written orders for the
number of bottles they require. The estancas (or drink-
shops) pay forty dollars per month. The unfortunates
who drink take a small tumblerful at a time.
I bought a mare — yegua colorada — for sixty dollars ;
and as all bills of sale and receipts must be in Spanish,
we, with the help of the postmaster, composed the fol-
lowing simple affair on stamped paper : —
Saben : Coban, 13 de Novr. de 1883.
Que yo Miguel Reyes vicino de Coban, Alta Verapaz, he
vendido y veudo a Don Guillermo T. Brigham una yegua
colorada con el liierro del margen en la suma de sesenta
_^ pesas en efectivo. En constancia firmo yo el A-eudidor.
The paper is not only stamped, but also water-marked,
and is for sale at the principal shops. As the stamps are
changed every two years, the Government has to redeem
all stamped paper on hand at the end of each biennial
period.
Cuartillo of Guatemala (enlarged three times).
CHAPTER IV.
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTEN^ANGO.
BY Wednesday we had captured two mules ; and
these, in addition to our mare, — all being well
shod, — enabled us to leave Coban accompanied by a
capital mozo de cargo, who carried my photographic outfit.
Santiago rode one mule, I the other ; and Frank had the
mare, who was a little wild at first, but soon became
very tame and attached to us by kind treatment. After
trying to get away for three days, we started early in
the morning, and nearly forgot to look at the barometer,
which was my constant companion ; but after we were
in the saddle the little dial was consulted, and the needle
indicated an elevation of forty-four hundred feet. No
barometer was needed to mark the elevation of our spirits
on getting on the road again. As far as Santa Cruz
we retraced our steps. Our mozo kept up with us, car-
rying our photographic and cooking utensils easily. And
now this little town, in the early morning, was far more
attractive than when, wet and hungr3^ we came to it be-
fore. On this visit there was more to eat, and from a
tree by the wayside we bought twenty-five oranges for
three cents, and also some good bananas. Our breakfast
was very satisfactory, although eaten in a dirty house full
of filthy children. At two we started on a good road
for San Cristobal, where we arrived in an hour and a
104 GUATEMALA.
half. This little town, of some four thousand inhabi-
tants, is surrounded bj hills of great beauty ; but the
Laguna is an insignificant body of water. As there is
no posada, we rode into the Plaza, and had a capital
room assigned us in what was once a monastery, — now
confiscated to public uses. Our comida was obtained at
the house of an aged seilora to whom the polite coman-
dante conducted us. We found that Thursday and
Sunday were the principal market-days, that the town-
clock chimed the quarters, that there were unworked
mines of silver and lead close at hand, and that the
maguey grew abundantly there. We also watched the
process by which the rotted leaves are macerated and
washed in the brook which flows through the town, and
we saw the resulting pita spun into
cords for hammock-weaving.
The priests' kitchen was roofless ;
but the great cooking-range was in-
tact, being built of brick, with per-
haps a dozen pot-holes of graduated
sizes, — the largest being cut from
the corners of four tiles, the smaller
ones from the edges of two. Besides
this range, which occupied the middle
of tiie kitchen, there were two large cooking-benches.
The road to our next stopping-place was remarkal)ly
good, and the scenery very fine, — the road winding
along the side of a mountain and overlooking deep val-
leys in which the night-clouds still lingered. By the
wayside we saw a cascade of calcareous water, which
petrified twigs and leaves in its reach. By eleven o'clock
we rode into a sugar-plantation belonging to President
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 105
Barrios, now in the cliarge of an old schoolmate of his,
Juan Prado. There both sugar and coffee were culti-
vated, and much fine imported stock kept. It was but
one of the many fincas belonging to the President, where
he has endeavored to improve the agricultural stand-
ard of his country and the native stock as well. The
cane was of the ribbon variety, and of fair quality; but
the mill was simply a vertical twenty-inch iron roll-
mill turned by four oxen. There was but one open
kettle, with no clarifier ; and the inspissated syrup was
run into wooden moulds and cooled into very dark hemi-
spherical blocks {panela), — a form of sugar much in
demand among the Indios.
Seiior Prado received us most hospitably, and set be-
fore us bananas, anonas, and limas, or sweet lemons ;
then brought us large glasses of a warm liquid made
from rice and sugar, — not at all to our taste, although
a favorite drink of the mozos. The buildings at the
President's finca were neither pleasant nor convenient ;
but a large roof, substantially framed, was being walled
in with hewn pine-planks three inches thick, each plank
representing an entire tree. In this building men were
grating off the juicy pulp of the coffee-berry in rude
machines ; after this pulping the berries are washed ,
and spread in the sun to dry.
We here learned that we could not cross the Chixoy
(pronounced cMsoy) River that afternoon, as the wire
suspension-bridge had been swept away the last year, and
the man whose duty it was to haul travellers across on
ropes would not be there so late in the day ; we were con-
sequently obliged to yield to the importunities of our host
and stay over night at Primavera. To entertain us, in
106 GUATEMALA.
the afternoon Seiior Prado took us to a mound which the
new roadway had just grazed ; and together we dug out
fragments of fine pottery and bits of human bones much
decayed, — the lower third of a left femur and a frag-
ment of a pelvis being the most distinctly human. Some
earthen vessels had been found here and sent to the
Museo Nacional in Guatemala City. The bones were
mingled with charcoal and ochre, and often cemented
together like lime concretions or fulgurites.
We each had a tumbler of warm milk as a " stirrup-
cup " when we said our adios to our kind host in the morn-
ing, and soon after six we were on the road again. Here,
as so often again in the republic, we found that the road-
bed was undergoing active repair. The primitive method
of removing large rocks and ledges greatly interested us.
Fires are kept up on and around these obstructions ;
when thoroughly heated, these are left to cool, or the
cooling is hastened by water. In either case the ham-
merers have easy work.
The narrower road led among pine-forests, where
many of the trees had been girdled and were slowly
decaying, — the comajen being unknown at this elevation.
Men were cutting timber for the President's house and
for a new bridge. A mortise is cut in the end of each
log, to which the drag-ropes are fastened. We passed a
pleasant village in the valley below us on our left, and after
about nine miles of poor road we came to a rapid descent
of twenty-two hundred feet, so steep that we were obliged
to lead our mules almost to the bank of the Chixoy,
where the pier on the side nearest us had been under-
mined in the last flood. The path ended on a narrow
rock shelf, where was fastened a rude timber frame, from
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO.
107
which two small and well-worn ropes stretched nearly
two hundred feet to the remaining pier on the farther
bank. A hundred feet below was the Chixoy, foaming
over its rocky bed. This we might see to the best
advantage ; for one by one we sat in a sling hung from
Rope Bridge over the Chixoy.
a rickety traveller, and, launching from the cliff, slid
rapidly down the slack ropes, and after sliding back at
the middle, were hauled up on to the remaining pier.
From this structure we descended a rough ladder to the
shore, which was sandy and strewed with bowlders and
other remains of the action of higher waters. Dizzy as
108 GUATEMALA.
our own passage was, it was safe enough compared to
the crossing of our animals. By the help of Indios, we
stretched a rope across, and finally swam all our mules
safely. Santiago and the bridge-keeper swam splendidly
in the rapid current, and the latter was a fine muscu-
lar, lean specimen of manhood. Frank and I swam in
as far as we dared, and landed the soaked and frightened
animals. The bath was cool, and for the first time we
had no thought of alligators. While I photographed the
bridge, Frank went to the hamlet of Jocote to get eggs
and tortillas, and Santiago boiled our colfee. Beautiful
butterflies were hovering over the rounded pumice-stones
strewed along the banks ; and on a rock were fine
Achimenes, the Dorstenia (which resembles l^otanically
a fig turned inside out), and a wild Marty nia.
Starting again in the early afternoon, we found the
way led up and down through the valley, until we were
seven hundred feet above the river, which in one place
quite disappeared beneath the limestone ledges, to reap-
pear some distance beyond. On either side the steep slopes
were covered with coarse grass ; and there were many
small, compact aloes, with broad leaves and dried flower-
stems here and there. Among the rocks were maguey-
plants and a few palms, — these last seemed quite out of
place in this high, dry country. Under the pine-trees
the sod was green, and in the small lateral valleys clear
brooks improved the pasturage ; and here at the head of
each larger gulch we found the deserted camps of the
mozos de cargo.
After many turns we came at six o'clock to the village
of Chicaman, just as the rain began to fall. This hamlet
is on tlie north side of broken hills, and overlooks the
FROM COB AN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 109
Chixoy valley, — here of great depth, but narrow and
windmg. We found a picturesque little house, where we
slung our hammocks in the best room, eating our huevos
and tortillas on a shrine sacred to the black " Lord of
Esquipulas." This shrine is usual in houses far from
any church ; and here it was embowered in leaves, flow-
ers, and fruit, — among the latter citrons of a large size
and the showy yellow fruit of a solan um. We were
nearly four thousand feet above the sea, and the night
was cool, — a comfortable ending to a day altogether too
short to hold properly all the fine weather, beautiful and
changing scenery, and delightful journeying crowded into
its twelve bright hours.
Before the sun had melted the clouds in the valley
below us, we were on our horses and slowly climbmg a
steep ascent of eight hundred feet. I had photographed
the house, and, turning the camera on its pivot, obtained
a view of the cloudy valley below : these views are be-
fore the reader now. A league brought us to another
Santa Cruz, — a village pleasantly situated, and about
the size of Chicaman, consisting of perhaps ten houses.
There we saw by the roadside some fine oranges ; but
when Frank rode up to the house with his " j Buenos
dias, senora ! ^ Tiene usted naranjas?" he was met by
" No hay " (there are none). That phrase we heard
altogether too frequently on our journey. In this case it
simply meant that the senora had no oranges in the house ;
but she added that we might for a medio pick as many as
we wanted ! We tried the several trees, and filled a pillow-
case with the fine fruit, — half a bushel for five cents !
We had little need of guides, for the camino real had
few branches between towns ; but soon after leaving^ Santa
110 GUATEMALA.
Cruz we found a branch on our left which puzzled us a lit-
tle, as our map gave no indication of its existence. But
we kept on almost a league, riding through a pine-forest
on a nearly level road, — which proved to be the right
one, although the choice was guess-work. Grass grew be-
neath these noble trees, and herds pastured in this park-like
region. It was most interesting to see the acorns inserted
by the birds in the pine-bark, precisely as I had often seen
them in the forests of Nevada and California ; but with all
my watching I could not catch the birds at work. The
acorns that I dug out, although frequently dry and appar-
ently abandoned, were free from worms. The common
species of pine {Pinus macro^jhylla) had "needles " fifteen
and a half inches long ; and the Indios were gathering
them to strew the floors of the churches, — a more fra-
grant carpet than the rushes of our ancestors. We fre-
quently came across artificial mounds, which, according to
Santiago, " were where houses had been." At ten o'clock
we halted at a little village which we were told was Uspan-
tan (our wretched mozo Santiago, who pretended to be
guide, but knew no more than we about the road, led
us into this mistake) ; so we unsaddled and waited for
almuerzo, with little to amuse us except two turkey-
cocks, one white, the other dark, inseparable companions,
who followed us wherever we went, and at last were
driven nearly wild by their attempts to converse with us.
Not until two o'clock did we arrive at the true UsjDantan,
and then very unexpectedly ; for seeing some women at
a spring washing, in a wild place where no houses were
visible, we turned a low ridge, and found ourselves in
the midst of a considerable Indian town. The church,
which we did not enter, had huge buttresses at the apse,
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO. Ill
— doubtless a precaution against earthquakes. We saw
a great deal of pottery, and anona-trees were on all sides ;
but the full-grown fruit was not ripe. We felt so provoked
at our waste of time at the first village (whose true name
we never learned) that we did not care to stop here, but
rode out of the town through a deep artificial ravine.
San Miguel Uspantan has some nine hundred inhabitants,
who weave cotton from the lowlands and wool from their
numerous flocks ; and it is from the mines near by that
all the silver was obtained for the vessels of the church,
— so says tradition. Ruined walls and broken aqueducts
attest the former importance of the place under the
Quiche rule.
The road became a mere trail until we came to Pericon,
— a village of two hundred inhabitants, whose only indus-
try is wool-dyeing ; and from this we climbed the pine-clad
hills to a height of over seven thousand feet, where we
came suddenly uj)on a fine view of Cunen, directly west,
but several leagues away, across a valley twelve hundred
feet deep. I wanted a photograph ; but the sun was in
our faces, we could not spare the time, the day was almost
done, and we had a difficult descent before us. Although
we did not delay, it was long after dark when we rode
into Cunen and found the Plaza, where we were assigned
a good room in a confiscated monastery or church build-
ing. We had a mahogany bench fifteen feet long and
sixteen inches wide for our bed, and a good table and
several chairs abundantly furnished our apartment. We
had our own candles and coffee ; but no other food was
to be had except some ears of green corn which we had
picked by the way for our animals, but which we were
fain to eat ourselves when Santiago had scorched them by
112 GUATEMALA.
the embers of the mozos' fires in the Plaza. Although the
corridor was full of mozos who were to pass the night
here, there was no noise whatever. We closed our door
at six ; and as soon as our notes were made, fell asleep.
The poor Indios had no politics to quarrel over, and we
had the satisfaction of a day well spent ; so there was
peace and harmony beneath our roof of tiles.
Every day the vegetation changed, and we might have
constructed an itinerary of floral landmarks ; to-day it
was a fine pink dahlia far surpassing in vigor of growth
and blossom any of the cultivated varieties. In such a
climate, however, this plant did not provide for hiberna-
tion in its tuberous roots, of which it had none. Acres
of fragrant Stevia perfumed the air, while Bouvardias
and bright Compositse brushed against us on either side
of the narrow pathway.
Twelve hours of solid rest were not too much ; and
while in the early dawn our hestias were being saddled,
I strolled into the church, which is much smaller than
its ruined predecessor at its side. In Central America
the roofless walls of ancient churches usually, if not
always, enclose a campo santo, and here the early Cune-
nans slept their last sleep among the crumbling relics of
their work. In the modern church were two large mer-
maids of the genuine Japanese type, carved as supporters
to the altar.
In the cold, misty morning we started without cof-
fee, and at once began to climb a long ascent ; for
Cunen seems to be built on a platform on the mountain
side. On our left was the finest waterfall we had yet
seen, and on the banks were red violets. The sum-
mit of this pass was nearly seven thousand feet, and
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO.. 113
a sudden turn on a sharp ridge brought us to another
region and a different climate. The transition was
astonishing, for only a few rods behind we had left the
rainy season. Before us was a vast valley bounded by
forest-clad mountains and grassy buttresses ; but near and
far no sign of human habitation. The path we were on
was the only token of man's presence, and that looked
more like the dry bed of a mountain torrent than a
public road. Broad-leaved agaves were very common,
some crowned with golden blossoms on immense stems,
some dead after flowering, still others wantonly hacked
by the passer-by, — so we thought, in our ignorance, until
the too-frequent mutilation of the tough stems showed
a labor that could not be purposeless ; and then we
remembered that these '■' century plants " flower but
once, after years of growth exhausting their entire sub-
stance in that supreme effort, and leaving a withered
stem and shrivelled leaves, to be swept down the hillside
by the next storm. Foiled in its attempt to flower by
the decapitating machete of the mozo, the plant lives on
for a longer period, furnishing fibre and drink from its
leaves. Anona-trees grew at the very summit of the
pass, although we were assured that frosts sometimes
occurred. Oaks of two species were abundant, and
laurels were in blossom. A rancho built by the road-
side, a sad travesty of the Dak Bungalows of India,
gave us at least a chance to boil our coffee.
A long and rough descent brought us to a pine-forest,
whence at an elevation of six thousand feet we again
looked down upon the valley of the Chixoy. Among the
pines and oaks I photographed the view. The little
white-housed town of Sacapulas on the hillside above the
8
114 GUATEMALA.
right bank of the light-green river which did not half fill
its bed ; the cultivated fields around ; far in the distance
the volcanic cone of Tajumulco, — the first we had seen,
a token that we had left the limestone mountains of
the Atlantic, and were looking on the fire-fountains of
the Pacific coast, — all these and so much more in this
grand view before us. We hardly noted the contour, the
lines, the masses, — all that we could trust to the ivory
plate that should carry it away ; but the vivid colors in
that clear atmosphere, the marvellous tints of forest, sky,
and river, no photographic art could carry away, and we
must enjoy it now by ourselves. The town was five
miles away, and three thousand feet below us ; and the
descent was very difficult, owing to the sharp bits of
quartz in the path. In the valley we came upon the
huge cylindrical cacti (Cereus) used in fencing. Jocote-
trees were abundant, but the small yellow fruit decidedly
inferior. Sugar-cane grew to some extent in gardens,
but fruits and vegetables were scarce. On the trees and
fences hung a light-blue convolvulus, — the most attractive
color I ever saw ; and this with a smaller white one
brought the number of the /' morning-glories " we had
found so far to ten species.
Women were bathing in a spring near the road ; the
men seem never to bathe in public. Over the river was
a bridge of six piers with simple hewn logs laid be-
tween them, no plank or rail of any kind, although
the bridge was high and the current, even in ordinary
stages of the water, very strong. As our bestias did
not hesitate, we of course crossed with them. A short
distance up stream were two brick and stone arches of
a more ancient bridge extending from the town side.
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 115
Several piers of the bridge we were crossing had fallen ;
but the masonry was good, and they generally held
well together, forming bowlder-like masses, on which new
piers had been built : in one case this process had been
repeated. No doubt the bridge will soon break down
again ; and two wire cables are stretched from cliff to
cliff to provide transit in case of accident. "We went up
a steep paved street to the Plaza, where Senor Placido
Estada, the comandante, assigned us quarters in the
cabildo, and exerted himself to find us a boarding-place.
Whether the climate was favorable, I know not ; but we
were always very hungry when we were where food could
be got : where it was wanting we did not care for it.
Here we did full justice to the seiiora's cinnamon-
flavored chocolate whipped to a froth.
The church was small, and, like that of Cunen, ]juilt at
the right of an older and much more extensive edifice
now shattered by earthquakes and used only as a burial-
place. We climbed the bell-tower and found one bell
with the date 1683, another with that of 1773 ; all
were bound to the supporting crossbeams by raw-hide
thongs. The chief ornament of the Plaza was an ancient
Ceiba-tree {Eriodendron) of immense size and tradi-
tionary antiquity. Below the terrace of the Plaza was
a court, in which a fountain of odd design furnished
water for the town. Animals were fed here over the
gravestones that paved the court, and Frank remarked
that in an earthquake country people chose stable ground
for their graves. Our photographing attracted such
a crowd that we walked away to the ruined bridge.
Originally this was nine feet wide and about two hun-
dred and fifty feet long. Its age we could not learn; but
116 GUATEMALA.
a large sand-box tree {Hura crepitans) seven and a half
feet in circumference had grown up in the very midst of
the paved approach, tearing up the stone floor with its
slow, irresistible power, and another large tree of the
fig family was persistently fingering the cracks in the
ancient wall. The tiles used in the arches were thin like
those in old Roman structures, and the mortar was gen-
erally harder than the terra-cotta. Frank sketched the
bridge, and we followed in thought the river until it
became the E-io de la Pasion, then as the Usumacinta
(the ancient Rio de los Lacandones) flowing through the
richest land and most genial climate, by the ruins of the
ancient cities of the earliest men, and among the vil-
lages of the unconquered tribes to the shores of that
Bay of Campeachy where Votan gave his laws to the
children of the forest.
Even in this retired spot we became an attraction to
the unemployed on this Sunday afternoon ; and we slowly
sauntered back to the cabildo, measuring on our way the
trunk of a dead ceiba-tree forty feet in circumference
above the buttresses. A game of ball was going on under
the tree in the Plaza. Wooden balls five inches in di-
ameter, not very round, were shoved about with paddles.
In the evening two young men, at the request of the co-
mandante, played on the flute and guitar for us a number
of Spanish airs.
In all these towns the carcel, or prison, is simply a room
in the cabildo with grated windows and door, and separate
rooms are often, but not always, provided for women. We
saw but few occupants in the prisons of the towns we
passed through.
We made exceedingly comfortable beds of the public
FROM COB AN TO QUEZALTENANGO, IIT
documents in the register's office, and I must confess
to reading one of these marriage-records, which, as
usual, was entered with great particularity, filling a folio
page. Comfortable as this " marriage bed " was, we
were in the saddle the next morning at five o'clock ;
and leaving our adios for the kind comandante, followed
the river bank for some distance in the mist. Not half a
league from the town we came to a ruined church of con-
siderable size, evidently shattered by earthquakes. Our
path led directly through a campo santo, and even over
the graves, which were usually covered with tiles crossed
and edged with white paint.
We crossed the dry bed of a river, — certainly at some
seasons difficult to ford, — and came upon a good level
path extending along the river side for a mile ; and then
by a sudden turn we climbed out of the valley up a steep
hill of decomposing rock, coming to a grassy plain on the
top. There we met Indios loaded with pottery, — some
with huge cdntaras of red clay so large that two made a
load ; others with twelve fifteen-inch spherical pots, all of
good workmanship.^ The water by the roadside was all
whitish, and not inviting. The highest part of the pass was
6,250 feet ; only a few hundred feet below it we found a
1 The uses of pottery in Central America are almost universal ; it supplies
not only water-cisterns, flour-barrels, ovens, stoves, wash-tubs, baths, coffee-
pots, stew-pans, but dishes, lamps, floors, roofs, and aqueducts. Some made
of white clay is exceedingly light, and the patterns are often very tasteful.
The tinajas (water-jars) and cdntaras are also light, but very strong, while the
caziiclas, or flat pans, and the coffee-pots are ([uite fire proof. I have seen a house-
wall built of pots not unlike a Yankee bean-pot in shape, the niouths opening
into the house being " pigeon-holes " for the human inhabitants ; while those
opening out of doors were the nesting-places of pigeons and hens. The roof-
tiles are not in great variety, usually semicylindrical or conical, and seldom orna-
mented ; floor-tiles are large, square, and not very thick. The porous water-jars
suspended in a current of air keep their contents refreshingly cool.
118 GUATEMALA.
beautiful liliaceous plant, and some of the mozos we passed
carried superb clusters of a purple orchid which we after-
wards found parasitic on trees. Another valley and an-
other steep gravelly slope to nearly eight thousand feet,
and then we had a view over a vast extent of mountainous
country. No lake or river relieved the thirsty landscape,
though rain-clouds hung on the horizon and dropped their
showers in the far west. Corn was in tassel ; and where
we rested at noon on a high plateau, 7,825 feet, we found
it in milk. There we saw the maguey used as a hedge-
plant, — and a very impervious fence it made. From this
high land there was a gradual descent towards the south.
Far away to the left we saw the church of San Pedro, sur-
rounded by its little adobe village, and soon we caught a
glimpse of the still-distant Santa Cruz del Quiche, high
enough, but seemingly in a valley, for mountains like the
hills about Jerusalem guarded it on every side. The
soil near the road was very thin, and covered what
seemed to be indurated tufa. Deep pools of water were
formed in this hard substance.
As we came at last, after a hard day's ride, into the un-
interesting town, we found the streets all carefully named,
as Avenida de Barrios, salida por Mejico (Barrios Street,
the way to Mexico), — which was as useful as it would
be to put a sign on the corner of Broadway, " Cortland
Street, the way to Philadelphia." All the inhabitants
seemed to be in the Plaza, listening to a band and watch-
ing some fair acrobats who tumbled on mats and swung
on a horizontal bar. After waiting some time before the
locked doors of the Hotel del Centro, the proprietor came
home and let us in. Tough meat, frijoles, bread, and tol-
erable chocolate were all we could get ; and the vile dogs
.JMMMmM.-—
FROM COB AN TO QUEZALTENAXGO. 119
were even more troublesome than usual. Our beds were
made up in the dming-room, and we had pillows and
sheets again, — the only good things this posada afforded.
The morning was overcast ; but Frank and I walked to
the campo santo, nearly a mile from town. High walls
of adobe surrounded it, and a locked gate kept us out ; but
we peered in over the heaps of white lilies [Lilium can-
diclum) and marigolds offered at the entrance, and saw
masonry tombs of very bizarre forms, some painted white,
others red and blue, or blue and white, in checks. The
meadows all around were intersected by wide ditches
which we had no little trouble in crossing, the bare legs
of the natives rendering bridges quite unnecessary. When
one was beyond our jump we threw in the washing-stones
on the bank until we had enough for stepping-stones.
Returning to town, we paid our respects to the Jefe poli-
tico, Don Antonio Rivera, who is a young man exceedingly
polite and obliging, and we found practice made it much
easier to converse than when we met the Governor of Co-
ban. Don Antonio showed us fine specimens of the woods
of his neighborhood which had been prepared for an exhibi-
tion in Guatemala City; but he could not tell us the
names, and sent for an old Indio who was better informed.
This Indio also served to show us what the Jefe evi-
dently considered a very amusing garment, — his trousers,
which were in the usual black woollen jerga, cut up in
front as high as mid thigh, so that they can be rolled up
behind when the wearer, girds up his loins to work.
Cloths of various kinds were brought in for our inspection,
and the prices given. These seemed high, for the material
is only a vara (thirty-three inches) wide, and is sold in vara
leng:ths. Not satisfied with showiDs: us all that the market
120 GUATEMALA.
afforded, the kind Jefe furnished ns with a guide to the
ancient city of Utatlan, or Gumarcaah, and a mozo to
carry my photographic kit.
A walk of three long miles westward brought us to a
great disappointment. It is human to like what one has
not got ; Americans have an extreme respect for ruins, and
we were no exception to the mass of our countrymen.
Stephens has described the remains of this powerful city
of the Quiche kings, and has figured the very sacrificial
altar of Tohil down whose steep sides were hurled the
quivering bodies of the human victims. Three centuries
and a half is a long period for people of a new country to
look back over ; but that time has passed since the Con-
quistadores destroyed the citadel and moved the inhab-
itants to the site of the present Santa Cruz del Quiche.
Forty years ago the towers, faced with cut stone, the altar,
some houses, and even the outer walls, were in good pres-
ervation ; but all these have since been torn down, and
the neatly cut stone removed to repair a miserable mud
church in the town. These blocks of travertine were
generally of uniform size, 18x12x4 inches ; and mingled
with them were blocks of pumice cut to one third of this
size. The Plaza was still paved with a smooth layer of
cement exactly an inch thick, not unlike the chunam of the
East Indies, and entire, except where the modern vandals
had cut through it in search of foundation-stones which
they are too stupid to cut from the quarries much nearer
the town. Five towers are plainly visible still, though
now but insecure piles of rubbish, the casing having dis-
appeared. In several there are small cavities not large
enough for rooms, but sufficient to serve as ladder wells,
and under one our guide assured us was the entrance to a
FROM COB AN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 121
long tunnel extending to the distant hills ; but when we
insisted upon his pointing out the place, he utterly failed.
Not an arrow-head could we find, although plain pottery
in fragments was abundant.
The whole fortress was built on a promontory sur-
rounded, except at one narrow neck, by steep barrancas
several hundred feet deep ; and to the rivers at the bottom
there were probably tunnels from the summit, as the
ancient Indios were very expert in underground work. It
is from these tunnels, most likely, that much of the pum-
ice-stone was obtained. Across the barranca towards the
town are the remains of three fine watch-towers, from
which a good view of the entire fortress, as well as of the
surrounding country, may be obtained. Remains of other
similar towers were seen far up the mountain slopes on
either side, and from these the warders signalled with fire
or smoke the approach of hostile visitors.
At the beginning of the present century the palace of
the Quiche kings was in such a state of preservation that
its plan could be easily traced, even to the garden. But
unfortunately a small gold image was discovered in the
ruins ; and this determined the Government to search
for treasure, which tradition has always located in the
ruins of Utatlan. In this search the palace was utterly
destroyed ; and hardly a wall would have been left stand-
ing had not the Indios, indignant at the wanton destruc-
tion of their once famous capital, become so turbulent
that explorations were no longer safe. In 1834 a commis-
sion from the capital made a full and careful report on
the condition of the ruins, and on this report Stephens
largely rests in his interesting account of Quiche. Even
in 1840, at the time of his visit, he found many traces
/
122
GUATEMALA.
which are now gone, especially the Sacrificatorio, which
was a quadrilateral pyramid, with a base of sixty-six
feet on the side, and a height, in that mined condition, of
thirty-three feet. One side of this awful relic of human
misery was plain, though bearing traces of painted figures
of animals ; but the other three sides were supplied with
steps in the middle, as may be seen in the illustration,
taken from Catherwood's sketch. These stejDs were only
■S 1 1. jfe.
Quiche Altar of Tohil (Sacrificatorio).
eight inches wide on the tread, while the risers were
seventeen inches, — a proportion that must have made
the descent very awkward for the priests if they were
as corpulent as the more modern monks.
We met on our return a marimba, carried by two men,
while the three players followed, beating out clear and
agreeable notes. A frame between seven and eight feet
long and twenty-nine inches high, supports on cords
thirty strips of hard wood, beneath each of which is
TROM COBAN TO QUEZALTEXANGO.
123
a wooden resonator duly proportioned for tones. The
music was always attractive, and just now it drew a long
2^V:
^\-
j
j
~-3^
1
IS^r
'■'ii4||||iiiiii.. m 11
BwPwtil II l/K^
\j^W, ';:Ju
M
',\a
Marimba.
procession in honor of the gymnasts of the da}^ before,
who followed the marimba on horseback.
In the Plaza we bought jicaras, or calabash ^ chocolate-
^ Calabashes are of great importance and of universal use as household
utensils. Some varieties are long and slim, and these, split lengthwise, make
124
GUATEMALA.
cups, — three for a medio. Other interesting things for
sale were small crabs dried on spits, dried shrimps of
large size, raw cotton white and brown, floss silk, cloths
both cotton and woollen, fresh
and preserved squash, bread,
sugar-candy, and eau sucre
colored pink, tin-ware, pot-
tery, ropes and bags of pita,
leather sandals, sugar-cane,
coconuts, baskets, and cheap
foreign wares. In this town
of six thousand inhabitants
there are very few manufac-
tures. We saw a woman
boldly eating the game she
caught in a little girl's hair.
"^'"'*' I had before seen aged Ha-
waiian women engaged in this fascinating pursuit ; but
they always seemed ashamed to be seen by strangers.
Not so the Quiche woman ; the wretch even held her
hand out for us !
To the fountain in the midst of the Plaza men and
women came for water. The latter all carried their water-
jars on their heads, while the men always slung them on
their backs. Convicts were at work on the streets, or
carrying stone for the church. They were chained in
pairs, having shackles about the waist and ankles. The
ladles ; the very spherical onef? make boxes, flat ones form bowls and platters,
while those of the shape illustrated become chocolate-cups. The black color
is permanent, although scarcely penetrating the hard surface ; it is made by a
bean that I have not been able to identify. Calabash-cups, although very
light, are strong and durable. I have one, given me by Don Eamon Viada of
Trujillo, which is as delicate as porcelain.
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 125
cabildo was the most important building in the town, as
the parish church had so decayed that the walls of the
entire nave had had to be removed. The new construction
of adobe, with trimmings of stone taken from the ruins,
will not last many years. The whole town looks dingy,
and even dirty, owing to the universal use of adobe. The
roof-tiles are not so well made, nor so carefully kept in place,
as in some of the smaller towns ; but, on the other hand,
some of the streets are paved, there are some side-walks,
subterranean street-drains, and street-lamps or candles.
The Quiche Indios of the present day are not so good-
looking as the Mayas. The women are badly dressed,
and not neat ; the men wear slashed trousers, loose
jackets, closed in front and put on like a shirt, and
in cold weather a narrow blanket, or poncho, with fringed
ends. Some of these ponchos are figured, and most
of them have a border, more or less elaborate, woven
at each end. These Indios are small of stature and light
limbed, with scanty but common beards, round faces, and
small hands and feet ; they are by no means as modest as
those of Alta Verapaz, and evidently unused to seeing
strange white men. Women carry their babies on the
back while washing clothes at the fountains or by the
streams. At home hammocks serve well for cradles.
Vegetation is not free from pests here, for we saw
black warts on the oaks, and smut ( Ustilago segetum) on
the corn. The corn-stalks are of the size and appearance
of our field-corn ; but the juice is much sweeter, and
Frank considered it quite as good as that of the withered
sugar-cane brought up here from the coast. Everywhere
marigolds {calendula) scent the air, and bunches of them
are wiltmg at every altar in every church.
126 GUATEMALA.
The fiesta is in commemoration of the Conquest, — so
we were told ; and it was rather curious to see the de-
generate Indios decorating their houses and holding high
holiday far from the memory of the horrible tortures
inflicted on their ancestors in this same conquest. Red
flags hung from every door and window, — fit emblems of
the bloody event !
The excellent mozo Ramon Ghisli, who had come with
us from Coban, was now ready to return. We would
gladly have engaged this capital fellow to go with us
all the way, but it was impossible ; so I gave him extra
pay, and with his carcaste ^ full of onions he started back
on his long journey. Our mules were not very good, so
we decided to send them back and get others here.
Ramon had kept well up with the animals, had helped
bravely in crossing the Chixoy, and had yielded implicit
obedience to Santiago, who persisted in ordering about a
man worth three of himself. Ramon got safely home,
and delivered the mules all right.
A little alcalde in green spectacles exerted himself to
find animals for us, as we were anxious to get away,
since the hotel was full of dirty children and even dirtier
dogs, and the food far worse than anything we had
' It is well to explain that the framework used for carrying small articles
on the back is called kataure by the Caribs, and carcaste by the Indios of the
interior. Ramon carried in his not only all my photographic apparatus, —
the camera and box of plates being carefully wrapped in water-proof mate-
rial, — but also our cooking utensils and his own luggage. After he left us we
found so much trouble in hiring suitable carcastes that we purchased one for
a few reals and fitted it up with pita cords, which served our purpose very conve-
niently. When a desirable view presented, a whistle brought the mozo to our
side, and from ten to fifteen minutes only were required to unpack, set up,
expose one or two plates, repack, and remount our animals. It may be interest-
ing to state that in all this long journey, where plates were carried in this way,
not one was broken, nor was a piece of the apparatus damaged.
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENAXGO. 127
hitherto found. We had rain that night and the next
day ; but our new horses were brought in fair season.
When we came to settle the bill we found the wretched
landlord had charged seven dollars, given the bill to his
wife, and hidden himself. Finding expostulation with the
senora of no effect, I despatched Frank to lay the case
before the Jefe, while I tried abuse ; this had the desired
effect of bringing the landlord from his hiding-place. I
called him a ladron (robber), and, to the intense amuse-
ment of the many bystanders, described the meat he had
set before us as ^mula solamente (nothing but mule). The
boys caught the phrase, and we heard it shouted at
the poor man until we departed. The Jefe sent the
comandante and two soldiers to bring the " robber " to
reason, and mine host thereupon told us to pay what we
pleased. The comandante suggested three dollars as the
proper price ; but we gave him four, and soon after nine
o'clock we scraped the mud of this town from our feet.
The road led down immense barrancas, where we saw
deposits of pumice some eight hundred feet thick. Min-
gled with this layer were large blocks of lava, seemingly
ejected from some crater eruj)tion ; but where was the
crater ? We passed a little hamlet marked San Sebastian
de Lemoa on the map ; but all the people had gone a
fishing on a lake near by, whose borders were swarming
with ducks. Four leagues from Quiche we came to Santo
Tomas Chichicastenango. This is a neat, attractive little
village, hardly as large as its name is long, with clean
streets, a fountain and eucalyptus-trees in the Plaza, and
an ancient church. Close at hand are the ruins of an
older town, which we, to our regret, had no time to visit.
At the cabildo we were politely received, and our beasts
128 GUATEMALA.
of burden, both biped and quadruped, unloaded. The
Jefe had telegraphed to Santo Tomas for horses and a
mozo, and we were assured that after almuerzo these
would be ready. In this faith we strolled about the
town. The church, as usual, attracted our attention ; and
here for the first time we saw the Indios burning in-
cense, which seemed to be gum copal, or precisely the
same material their ancestors used in idol worship. Mari-
golds were strewed all over the floor, and the odor was
oppressive, even without the incense and innumerable
candles. The altar was covered with plates of beaten
silver of no very good workmanship. An image of a
man on horseback, with a beggar by his side, excited our
curiosity, which was not destined to be satisfied, although
our mozo declared it was Santiago (Saint James). We
pushed our explorations outside the church, and climbed
by an external staircase to the organ-loft, which was
floored with hewn boards not otherwise smoothed. An
ancient organ, hardly larger than an ordinary davenport,
stood in the midst, wholly apart from the bellows, w^hich
were worked by a suspended lever much as an ordinary
forge-bellows. The keys were deeply worn by long use,
horny fingers, or both, and they covered two octaves and
a half ; the stops were simply strips of hard wood pro-
jecting from the side of the case, and beyond the reach
of the organist.^ The locks on all the doors were of
1 There were many similar organs in the old churches, — some, indeed, re-
moved to the lumber-rooms ; but they were so securely fastened together that
I could not get at the internal mechanism without too much disturbance, and
I concluded that the instruments were imported entire. No modern organs of
any size were seen outside of the metropolitan cathedrals ; and yet even a large
organ is very easy to transport. One little instrument that I tried was not in
tune, but the pipe-tones were good. In the old church at Trujillo Frank
found a modern French cabinet-organ of remarkably sweet tones.
FROM COB AN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 129
wood, and most primitive in design. All the worship-
ping Indios seemed very devout, chanting their prayers
in their native tongue to the bare wall or a door-post,
and they paid no attention to us as we passed them,
although outside they generally bowed respectfully.
In a little shop at a street corner we found our
almuerzo (there is no posada) ; and a very good one it
was. Our hostess was a very respectable woman, whose
house was well furnished (sewing;-machine and rockino--
chairs among other comforts), being quite a different per-
son from the one who in our own country would occupy
her position, — a rumseller. While we were waiting, two
half-tipsy Indios came in, drank a small tumbler of aguar-
diente, and soon settled themselves quietly on the side-
walk for a drunken sleep, undisturbed by the passer-by.
Our way from Chichicastenango ^ led out over a narrow
ridge or series of ridges, with deep barrancas on either
side. The road was good, and hedged part of the way ;
but our animals were of the poorest kind. My little
horse went slowly, and at last his legs seemed to collapse,
and he came to the ground, leaving me standing over
him. He was not worn out, he was a '' trick horse."
For miles Frank and I walked on, leading our bestias.
It grew very dark and misty ; lightning flashed in the
distance, and the trees were dripping with dew. With
^ In stumbling over this crooked name, it occurs to me that it would be fair
to my readers, who are perhaps less familiar with Indian names, to state
briefly how they are pronounced. G is always guttural ; ch is like tclie ; h is
strongly aspirate ; j is pronounced like h ; x is sh ; u is the French ou ; v is
equivalent to w ; and the vowels have the Italian values. Of the Indian
names the signification is not always known, but there are certain terminations
common enough and well understood ; as tepee, a mountain or high thing, in
Alotepec, Quezaltepec, Coatepeque, Olintepeque, Jilotepeque. Those who are
curious in these matters will find another note in the Appendix.
9
130 GUATEMALA.
every desire to get on to Solola, we agreed that in
the darkness it was unwise to travel, and we looked
anxiously for a camping-place, although the muddy
ground, dripping bushes, and threatening sky gave no
hope of a comfortable night. Twice we were misled by
the gleam of fireflies, whose glow is so steady that we
mistook it for light in a distant house. As we could find
no safe place for a camp, a high bank on one side and a
seemingly deep ravine on the other bordering the narrow
cart-road, we walked on in the utter darkness until we
almost ran into two ox-carts with a squad of white-
coated soldiers, who told us we had lost our path in the
dark, and were on the road to Totonicapan, and a long
league beyond Encuentros. We returned with them to
the latter place, where we found comfortable lodgings in
the house prepared for the expected visit of the President.
We occupied his room, which was temporarily furnished
with plenty of Vienna bent-wood furniture, and decorated
with a full-length, life-size painting of President Barrios
and a small portrait of his wife. Two bedsteads of the
box variety were quite bare, as His Excellency always
carries his bedding, and we did not. After some excel-
lent chocolate, but no other food, we spread our blankets
and slept.
How cold that Thursday morning was when we started
at daybreak ! The thermometer marked 46° at half-past
six o'clock, and we were at an elevation of eight thousand
feet. We had a fine carriage-road for our travel to-day,
on which I used Frank's mare, while he tried his luck
with my ^^ trick horse." For a while all went well, and
Frank made the little beast go ahead, while I stopped to
pick up some lava fragments in one of the cuttings ; and
FROM COB AN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 131
SO when Frank's turn came I could see perfectly how
odd it looked to have a horse collapse under his rider.
Along the road were elder-trees (Samhucus) pollarded like
our willows ; as, however, they were not shady, but in
the way of fine views, we voted them a nuisance. It was
down hill all the way, and as we approached Solola the
view of the Lago de Atitlan and the volcano was dis-
appointing. We had surfeited, perhaps, on the glories of
landscape, and had expected something finer, with an im-
mense lake, several volcanoes of more than average size,
and a town whose white houses and red-tiled roofs were
almost concealed in trees and flowers. However critical
we might be, we were glad enough to see the town, and
not less to find a posada, where we had a room to serve
as store-room and bedchamber. We at once sent back our
miserable horses ; and after reporting to the comandante,
as in duty bound, ^ we strolled through the Plaza, send-
ing Santiago in search of bestias for our next stage.
Here we first found the ripe fruit of the sapote (Lucuma
inaimnosa), and did not like it. The outside was brown,
rough, and leathery; the meat reddish, surrounding a
smooth nut, and the whole flavored with cinnamon. Some
sapotes were as large as a coconut, but generally they
were not half that size.^ The Plaza was full of people
^ It is the duty of every person to whose house strangers come to pass the
night to report to headquarters the name, where from and whither bound, so
that we could be tracked all over the republic from the central telegraph office
in Guatemala City, — often very useful.
2 There is no little confusion in the nomenclature of the sapotes, or sapodillas.
What is usually called sapote in Guatemala does not belong to the genus Sapota,
but to an allied genus Lucumafand is known in the West Indies as themammee-
apple. The true sapote has several seeds; the mammee only one. An allied
genus contains the star-apple {Chrysophylhim cainito). The sapoton, or big
sapote, does not even belong to the Sapota family, but is a Pachira.
132
GUATEMALA.
buying and selling. Mule-trains came in and went~out,
and it seems that this is the great wheat-market. This
grain [tingo) is small and round, and the Government offi-
cials weighed each bag, which should contain six arrobas,
or one hundred and fifty pounds. Fat-pine (ocote) is
also an important article of commerce here, as it is the
principal source of candle-light among the Indios.
Solola and Atitlan.
The church is large, but of no architectural preten-
sions ; and among its contents we noticed several strange
things. A figure of Christ, with glass eyes and long
human hair, wore a crown cocked over his left eye like
a drunken man. On the wall of the nave was a water-
color drawing passably done, representing a young man
falling headlong over a precipice, while through a sort of
Lutheran window, or peep-hole, in the sky a rather young
female is trying to catch him with a long vine. The
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 133
legend states at length that the youth, in passing along
the edge of the terrible precipice above the Lago one dark
night (when he had been to his club), mistook the gleam
of the water for the path, and forced his horse over. As
he fell, he breathed a prayer to the "Mother of God," and
she opened her window and jerked him up again with a
grape-vine. In testimony whereof he offers this tal^let,
etc. Near the main entrance was a large altar-piece,
with a deeply sunken cruciform panel containing a very
realistic crucifix, — glass eyes, sweat, long hair, and blood-
drops, indeed, everything that could make it disgusting
to a civilized being ; while from the five wounds pro-
ceeded skeins of crimson thread, — that from the side
being much thicker, — and all these knotted together in
a mass, black with the kisses of the worshippers of the
blood of Christ. On one side of this panel were painted,
life-size, Roman soldiers mocking the suffering Saviour ;
while on the other was a Guatemaltecan general, in full
uniform, weeping at the sad sight, and using such an
embroidered handkerchief as the nuns make at the pres-
ent day. Just behind him was an attendant who had
caught off his wig on the point of his lance. This last
feature Frank interprets differently, and thinks the bald
head is a shining casque, while what I call a wig is a
flowing plume. With all due deference to his younger
and brighter eyes, I submit that such a helmet was never
a part of the Guatemaltecan uniform ; and even if made
of such close-fitting shape, would not have been painted
flesh-color. Unluckily I did not take a photograph, to
settle, if possible, this important dispute.
Frank was busily asking every one he met about
mules ; and we had not found any when, late in the
134 GUATEMALA.
afternoon, he met a gentleman walking alone in the
public garden near the Plaza. He asked the oft-repeated
question in Spanish, when, to his surprise, the person
asked him if he spoke English. This proved to be the
Jefe, Don J. M. Galero ; and when told who we were
and what we wanted, asked us to come to the Jefaturia
in the evening. As Senor Galero was high in favor with
the Government and beloved by his people, our very
agreeable visit was interrupted by a serenade to his Ex-
cellency ; and after he had promised to send us his own
mules that very night for our journey to Totonicapan,
we took our leave.
The public garden especially interested me, since all
the flowers (except an orange-tree) were such as I might
find at home ; ^ but times and seasons were sadly mixed.
Pinks and gladioli, sunflower and white lily, all blos-
somed together. The fountain was painted blue and
white, — the national colors, — and sadly disfigured the
garden, which otherwise was not laid out with any
taste.
Our apartment in this only hotel in Solola was com-
pletely fire-proof ; walls, roof, and floor were brick or tile,
and several of the floor-tiles were deeply impressed with
dog-tracks (made, of course, before the kiln), — much re-
sembling the fossil footprints in the red sandstone of the
^ Sweet peas and geraniums in abundance, carnations, marigolds, campa-
nula, yarrow, pinks, sweet-williams, chrysanthemums, iris, scabious, abutilon,
poppy, princess'-feathers, fuchsia, linaria, Lilium candidum, peach, evening-
primrose, gilliflowers, amaryllis, gladioli, alyssum, larkspur, brugmansia,
mignonette, sunflower, adenanthera, willow, lialsams, dahlia, spider-lily,
canna, hollyhock, eucalyptus, ragged-lady, roses (4), yellow sweet-clover, as-
paragus, Hydrangea hortensis, blue African lily, lupine, Boston-pink, wool-
pink, cypress, sedum, agave, chelidonium, euphorbia (long-leaved), and
broom.
FROM COB AN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 135
Connecticut valley. A low table, one chair, a hard-wood
table called a bedstead, furnished this room ; and there
was one door and a single wmdow, — the latter, with its
iron grating, suggesting a prison-cell. It was clean and
quiet, and good enough. It does not require long travel
m the tropics to teach one that the less unnecessary fur-
niture in a house, the fewer lurking-places for cockroaches,
centipedes, scorpions, snakes, and other disagreeable ten-
ants ; and comparative emptiness decidedly reduces the
temperature of a room. During the night my hammock
broke down ; and the sympathy Frank expressed as he
was half-awakened by the noise, would have been very
soothing had he not fallen asleep again in the midst of
it, leaving me sitting on the floor. He continued his
sympathy in the morning, when the dreadful jar was
almost forgotten.
Early next morning we were on our way, mounted bet-
ter than we had been ; for we left Frank's mare with
Santiago to rest for a week, and with the Jefe's mules
we rode briskly on to Argueta, — a small hamlet with a
deserted convent or monastery, in front of which flowed
a clear cool brook, and near by was an ingenio moved by
water-power. We got our almuerzo here, early as it
was, for we were warned that we should find nothing to
eat until night. From Argueta the road was very hilly,
and we climbed until my barometer said 10,450 feet.
Wheat abounded everywhere, and there were- fenced
threshing-floors of beaten earth. The mozos we met car-
ried packs of woollen blankets and redes (nets) of pottery ;
several had pine-boards hewn smooth, three feet wide by
eight long. In the trees were flocks of bright-green par-
rots. So many little streams had to be crossed that we
136 GUATEMALA.
often wondered if they were not, many of them, parts of
one rivulet winding in devious way among the foot-hills.
Except in the ravines, where we had to zigzag down and
up while the toiling mozos patiently climbed the banks
too steep for horses, the road was generally over a good
country for road-building. In one place, however, we
had to climb a stairway paved with stone set on edge
and walled with masonry. In places earthen pots were
built into the walls to collect water for the wayfarer,
and tiles were used to cap the masonry. This extended
more than a mile, and took us up just a thousand feet
by the barometer. We could not learn its age nor the
builders ; but it is old, and some of the mozos attributed
it to the Jesuit Fathers. It is much out of repair, and I
fancy that most of the travel over it is on foot. The views
were fine all the way ; but we knew our journey was
long, and the daylight all too short to permit us to wait
for our mozos to come up with the camera. Indeed, I
hardly cared to reduce to black and white the glorious
colors the light was painting on every side. The greens
of the forest faded into the blues of the sky as in the
turquoise, gold and silver glittered from the streams,
and the very gray of the rocks seemed to be richer and
more varied than usual.
On the hill-sides were ancient potato-fields only culti-
vated by digging the tubers^; and this process has gone
on for years, — the Indios digging at the bottom of the
slope as potatoes are wanted, leaving enough for seed,
and arriving at the top by the time the rains begin. As
the small stems were quite dead and dried up, we could
not ascertain the species of this aboriginal potato ; but
it was certainly not the common potato of cultivation
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 137
[Solanum tuberosum). The Inclios declared the potatoes
had never been planted, but their ancestors had dug them
from the remotest time, — en todo tiempo, senor.
Around us on the mountain-top were spruce-trees of im-
mense size, four feet in diameter, and pines two feet larger ;
and beneath these giants of the forest flocks of black
sheep were feeding, watched by shepherdesses not many
shades lighter. As black cloth is much worn by the Indios,
they cultivate the black sheep rather than pay the dyer.
Cactus on pine-trees, crimson sage, and a minute violet
not an inch high, were novelties by the roadside. Not a
few of the pine-trees had been hacked with machetes until
a considerable niche was formed in the stem ; and the pitch
dripping into this receptacle was then fired to light a camp.
We found no villages on this road, but we were seldom
out of sight of some herdsman's hovel. Late in the after-
noon we came to the brow of the cliff that bounds the im-
mense valley of Totonicapan on the east. The sun was
low on the horizon before us, but I was absorbed in the
beauty of this grand view. On our left a waterfall dashed
over the rocks ; below us were the white walls of the In-
dian City we had so greatly wished to see ; roads and
streams traversed the valley ; and the whole surface, as
well as the slopes far up the hills, was cut into numerous
fields of wheat and maiz of many shades of green and
brown. Far in the distance smoke rose over Quezalte-
nango, and the broad highway between was plamly visible
for many miles. My mozo was close at hand, and in ten
minutes I had two photographs caught in my box ; after
which we began the very steep descent.
We found lodffina: at the Hotel de la Concordia. Our
little room contained three board bedsteads and one wash-
138 GUATEMALA.
stand. Usually we had no wash-stand, but either per-
formed our ablutions at the courtyard fountain, or else
had our valet Santiago pour water over us from a
calabash.
As we had a letter to the Jefe, David Carney, I went
at once to present it, in order to get our animals for the
next stage as soon as possible. We found his house, — a
fine one, the best in the town, with beautiful roses in the
neat courtyard ; but the Jefe himself was a dumpy little
Indio, stupid and fat, who could say little else than " Si,
Senor." After some delay he promised us two mules
in the morning. In his parlor I noticed a fine piano,
evidently in use ; and there was a decided air of comfort
about the house, — probably due to the lady rather than
the lord.
That night was very cold, and in the morning at seven
o'clock the thermometer told forty-five degrees, and the ba-
rometer stood at 8,860 feet. As usual, we went to church ;
this was the largest and cleanest we had yet seen, but
the images, including an Indio-colored Christ, were perhaps
more hideous than ever. The church has now the old
Plaza (north of the new one) all to itself, and in addition
a very large paved courtyard, with square chapels in the
outer corners. In this courtyard we found a troop of In-
dian women conducting some mummery which required
veils and candles, both of great size. Some of the poor
women were so tipsy that they could hardly care for their
candles, which were perilously near to setting their neigh-
bors' clothes on fire. After various marches and counter-
marches, songs and responses, the performance ended in
a loud explosion. Of all the Indian towns, Totonicapan
is supposed to be the most Indian, and the people are
1^1 Pf, ■'
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 139
thorough idolaters still, with hardly the dimmest idea of
the Christian religion. They moreover dislike foreigners,
as we found to our cost. The fountain and sun-dial in
the old Plaza were both much out of repair, and in the
Plaza Nueva the fountain supported a traditional Indian
fresh from the shield of Massachusetts. Made originally,
as other men are, without clothes, he had been girt with
stucco, — doubtless because of the cool weather and his
damp station.
Generally the streets were paved, and drained in the mid-
dle. They intersected at right angles; and as the houses
had few outside windows and the courtyard gates were
almost always closed, the town had a very dull, deserted
look. We did peep into some doors and windows, in a
way I should hardly tolerate in any other barbarian ; and
by one of these window-peeps we discovered a weaver
at work, who invited us to enter. The loom had two
harnesses worked by the foot of the weaver, and twelve
more pulled by a boy at the side; the bobbins were wound
on bits of small bambu. It was a long way back in the
series of the evolution of a modern carpet-loom, and yet it
did its work exceedingly well, if slowly. This art of weav-
ing has been practised in this city from most ancient
times, and the Indios declare that the same utensils have
been used, without essential modification. All the looms
we saw were on one pattern, and they could hardly have
been simpler. I bought for four dollars a large woollen
bed-cover woven in elaborate design, which kept us warm
while we were in these highlands.
We called on the Jefe again as he was marrying several
couples, and he repeated his promise to procure mules for
us before one o'clock ; so we left him for a while and
140 GUATEMALA.
strolled about town and found a potter at work. He
used both white and dark clay, and his wheel and kiln
were similar to those in use with us. At two the mules
had not arrived, and we declared the Jefe a liar. Frank
must have called on him twenty times, besides the visits
of ceremony we made together three times a day. After
a while two alcaldes came to our room and begged us to
go to the cabildo and inspect the mules they had captured
for us. Another failure ; for there was not one fit to
carry our burden. Then they brought two to the hotel,
— one a pack-mule that refused to be saddled ; then a
mozo came quite drunk, and wanted a dollar to carry our
baggage to Quezaltenango. We told him to go to the
diablo, and he went ; and so the day wore away.
On Sunday morning we went to the Plaza, captured a
mozo without the intervention of the authorities, and
started on foot for Quezaltenango. The weather was
clear and cool, like a fine October day in New England ;
and there was white frost on the lowlands. At first we
dropped rapidly down, and then came to a fine carriage-
road, in some places a hundred feet wdde. Except the
steep descent at the city limits, and an equally steep
ascent about half a league beyond, the road was level,
and bordered with agaves, some now in bud.
Just before we came to Salcaja we had a fine view of
the plain where Alvarado fought so desperately, was
wounded, and finally conquered the brave mountaineers.
Though conquered then, they certainly need another
Alvarado now. A pale mist covered the distant city,
but above it towered the volcano Santa Maria, — a cone
as regular as those of Solola. Northward we saw San
Cristobal and San Francisco, — two pleasantly situated
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO. 141
towns. We crossed a river which flows into the Pacific
at San Luis ; so the backbone of the continent was passed,
and we were on the slopes of the setting sun. We or-
dered our ahnuerzo in a little shop, and as we waited
for it we watched the customers, — among them mozos,
mostly for aguardiente, women for eggs, spices, chillis,
and cord. Beggars came also, and among them an idiot
girl (the only one of this class we had seen in the repub-
lic) ; one received a drink, another a handful of red pep-
pers, and others food.
Before one o'clock we were in Quezaltenango, having
walked six leagues in four hours and a half, excluding
stops. The Hotel de Europe proved very comfortable,
and the table was good. The Cerro Quemado (Burned
Mountain), just overhanging the city, was a more attrac-
tive volcano than the loftier Santa Maria ; and I longed
for time to climb to the broken crater from whose l3lack-
ened sides the huge lava-stream had descended towards
the city (the ancient Exancul), turned suddenly when
almost upon the outer walls, and then stopped forever.
The market-place was very attractive ; for besides the
bustle of the builders, who were piling up the cut and
sculptured stone of the most imposing public edifice I
have seen in Guatemala, the many cloth-merchants exhib-
ited their brilliantly colored merchandise to great advan-
tage. This is the centre of the trade in native cloths ;
and many beautiful and durable fa^brics are woven here
and in the neighborhood from cotton and wool. The
stone generally used in building comes from the vol-
canoes back of the town, and is a light-brown lava. The
Plaza is double, — one half bounded by the church of San
Juan de Dios, the stone penitentiary, and shops ; and its
142 GUATEMALA.
space is occupied by a garden surrounded by a wall of
carved stone and provided with stone seats. A pond in
the midst has a pavilion, or band-stand, on an island.
The other half of the Plaza is paved, and used as a
market-place ; here are the new buildings for the
Government.
Near by the hotel I saw a sign, of which I made a
note, thinking to profit thereby ; but Frank saw it more
clearly than I did, and knocked all the romance out of it.
To my first glance it read, " Collection of Young Ladies,"
COLEGIO N^^E SENORITAS
but to the critical eye of my fidiis Achates it was simply
a National Seminary of Young Ladies ; so we did not
venture to explore it.
The church of San Juan de Dios was large, and the
facade ornate, — worthy the principal church in a city of
twenty-five thousand inhabitants. The old organ, of four
octaves, had been recently painted ; and in the two towers
hung seven bells, — three bound to the beams with raw-
hide, as usual, the others on yokes. The cloisters adjoin-
ing this church ^ were interesting, from the multitude of
curious paintings they contained, mostly of Scriptural
histories ; and in them Christ was always represented as
a shaven monk, with the girdle of the Cordeliers. In the
old lumber-room of the church were the remains of an
ancient organ, and heads, bodies, and arms of saints, —
not relics, but the membra disjecta of the dolls that are
put together and dressed up on holy-days. We had often
seen similar places, which Frank called " property-rooms ; "
^ It was here that the Vice-President, Flores, was torn to pieces by women
in the last days of the Confederacy, when the Church was in power.
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO.
143
in one we found boxes of wigs and beards, and in another
a figure of Christ with permanently bent legs, and staples
^^?*»iiiii>ii
|:il'i
Church at Quezaltenango.
in his ankles to strap him on to the mule on Palm
Sunday 1 It was both amusing and pitiful to see the
trash used for religious purposes.
144 GUATEMALA.
We went to the National Institute and saw very good
dormitories for the young men who study here. In
preparation for an expected visit of the President,
lanterns were hung along the colonnades, and blue and
white (the national colors) met the eye on every side.
There was something homelike in the narrow, crooked
streets, — so different from the tasteless rectangles of
most other Guatemaltecan cities. Then, too, they were
clean, well paved, and provided with sidewalks, — in
some places, where they were very steep, with bridges
over the gutters, which in rainy weather must be tor-
rents. Street-lamps and letter-boxes, plenty of foun-
tains (and the water is cold and excellent), gave an air
of civilized comfort very agreeable to us. The houses
were well built, and usually had the window and door-
jambs of sculptured stone. There were plenty of win-
dows, and the gates were often ajar, revealing flowers
and fountains in many courtyards. Peach-trees were
in blossom, and also bore half-ripe fruit. In the suburb
Cienega is a picturesque washing-place, or lavadero,
where an artist has many a chance for sketching the
Indias.
We saw more tokens of Sunday observance than we had
yet seen in Guatemala. Towards sunset the military band,
of twenty-five instruments, played for some time in the
garden ; but it was more amusing to me to see the people
with their obsolete European costumes and Sunday man-
ners than to listen to the music, which Frank said was
good. Especially effeminate boys wore very high heels,
to give them a standing in society they could never attain
otherwise. The garden was not so good as that at Solola,
but contained, in addition to the list of that place, clean-
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO.
145
der, daisy, wall-flower, pink-catcbfly, bachelor's-buttons,
flax, and Canterbury-bells.
A city of nearly twenty-five thousand inhabitants —
the majority Indios — has grown up gradually on the ruins
of the ancient Xelahu, until it is only second in impor-
tance to Guatemala City. Its port is Champerico, from
Manuel Lisandro Barillas.
which a railroad extends some distance into the interior
(to Retalhuleu, 1884), and will one day enter the city.
Abundant water-supply, schools of various grades, — in-
cluding a night-school for artisans, — a good hospital,
female orphan asylum, convenient public buildings and
a suitable penitentiary, a bank, public lavatories, and
the hot springs of Almolonga, are but some of the
10
14G
GUATEMALA.
attractions of what was once the capital of the province
of Los Altos.
We had letters to the Jefe politico General Manuel
Lisandro Barillas ; but he was so occupied in preparation
for the visit of the President that we thought it best not
to add to his occupations by calling on him. On the
Four Alcaldes of Quezaltenango.
death of President Barrios, General Barillas succeeded to
the Presidency ; and so satisfactory was his administra-
tion that at the next election he became President by
popular vote.
Monday morning was quite cold and misty ; but we pho-
tographed the church, with the kind co-operation of the
FROM COBAN TO QUEZALTENANGO.
147
resident curate, Padre Felipe Sora, who lowered curtains,
opened doors, and did all he could to help us. When we
took the exterior we attracted a great deal of attention ;
and fortunately the chief alcalde, who had assured us
that we could get no inozos that day, as it was a fiesta
in honor of the President, noticed our performances, and,
being a personable man, was seized with a strong desire
to have his ritrato. He offered to get us our mozo if I
would only photograph him ; so I bade him to the hotel,
explaining to him that the portraits could not be seen
until I returned to the North, and that I should charge
him a dollar for each picture. Honest soul ! he agreed to
all this ; and on his way he joined to himself three of his
colleagues. I sent them the result months after, and in
due time the silver dollars were scrupulously returned. In
the mean time our alcalde Florencio Cortez provided our
mozo, and we started to walk back soon after two o'clock.
We both hoped to see this pleasant city again.
Cuatro Reales of Honduras.
CHAPTER V.
FROM QUEZALTENANGO TO THE PACIFIC.
/^UR little mozo was only fifteen years old, and liis
^-^ load was so heavy that we had to wait for him
at every turn in the road ; until, after helping the poor
little fellow for miles, Frank took the load himself.
As we reached the high ridge where there is the last
view of Quezaltenango, we noticed that all the mozos —
of whom there were many on the road — looked back
at the city and removed their hats, as if in salutation.
We did not reach the hotel at Totonicapan until nearly
eight o'clock ; but we had no trouble in the clear night, —
except in trying to get a drink at a way-side fountain,
into which we nearly tumbled headlong.
The President arrived in the morning with a cavalcade
of thirty riders and several large mule-wagons. The
Plaza was deserted, and the streets almost empty. All
the Indios kept within doors, and evidently were not anx-
ious to honor the chief magistrate. The usual nuisance
of soldiers, however, was there ; and it was very amus-
ing to watch them fire the guns in the Plaza for a salute.
To obtain animals was our first desire, and we tele-
graphed to the Jefe of Solola, who had promised to send
his mules ; but he answered us that he could not, as he was
called away, with all his attendants. So we seemed to be
imprisoned in this Indian city, and I resolved to apply at
FROM QUEZALTENANGO TO THE PACIFIC.
149
headquarters. Not expecting to meet the President out of
Guatemala City, I had no letters with me, nor even any
suitable attire for a visit of ceremony ; but there was no
alternative, and through one of his attendants I obtained
an appointment for the evening. In the mean time we
wandered impatiently about the town. In the church, over
J. Rufino Barrios.
the main altar, we saw, what had before escaped notice,
three life-sized figures representing God and Christ kneel-
ing to and crowning the Virgin Mary, over whose head a
dove hovered. God had a white beard and hald head,
while Christ's hair was black. Neither this Quaternity,
nor anything else we noticed in the service of religion
here, surprised me; though the shudder of disgust was
150 GUATEMALA.
stronger than when I stood on the threshold of the
sanctuary of Kali, near Calcutta, and saw the hideous
idol with its gory lips and necklace of bleedmg human
heads.
In the evening the President received me very politely
in the sola where we had called on the Jefe. I stated
my case, while Frank looked in at the window. Senor
Barrios was much better looking than he appears in his
portraits ; he was not a large man, but muscular, and
with a very determined and intelligent face. His little
daughter, who had been educated in New York, acted
as his interpreter ; and never, among the scores of in-
terpreters I have had in many countries, have I found
so capital a one. Once only my Spanish failed me ;
and instantly the little girl repeated in idiomatic, con-
cise English, her father's question. I told him I had
more important business with him at the capital, but
that at present I wished only the privilege of hiring or
purchasing bestias for our journey to Solola. He at once
summoned the stupid little Jefe and asked him why he
had not furnished us as we requested. " No hay " (there
are none), replied the Indio. " Then make some before
to-morrow, or you shall suffer for it ! " said President
Barrios ; and told me to let him know if they were not
furnished us in the morning. Next day the Jefe offered
us his own mule ; but his wife, a perfect shrew, declared
it should not leave town. If I had liked that Jefe bet-
ter, I would have wished that the mule might run away
with his wife and break her neck. At last he got us
two good horses, for which he would take no pay, as we
were amigos del Presidente. A mozo was included in this
arrangement, and we started him at noon, we following
FEOM QUEZALTENAXGO TO THE PACIFIC. 151
soon after two. We shook off the dust from our feet,
and were glad enough to leave Totonicapan, where we
had found the Indios so impudent and disobliging that
at one time I feared I should have to shoot some of them
with my revolver in driving them from my door.
After the first steep ascent of twelve hundred feet, we
rode rapidly over the level plateau ; but with all our
haste we could not get to those steep and difficidt stairs
before dark. Luckily we overtook two ladinos, who rode
with us ; and we consequentl}^ were saved by their guid-
ance the discomfort of a camp in the cold night. At
Argueta we were put into a large room in the deserted
monastery, where we had some excellent coffee. In the
middle of the room we made a fire of the fat-pine that
we had gathered in the mountain in preparation for camp-
ing out, thus taking off the chill which is very decided in
these high altitudes ; and the clear burning chips of ocote
did not smoke us out.
- We were up at five next morning {muy temprano) ;
and although it was still dark, got our coffee and started
for Solola. In the corridor of the monastery was a large
pile of an odd-looking corn, the kernels shaped like rice-
corn, but yellow, and much larger. Six grains, which I
brought home, were planted in Worcester County, Massa-
chusetts, and they all grew, — some to a height of seven-
teen feet, with a diameter near the ground of three
inches. The season, however, was not long enough for
them to ripen.
In the pale dawn we saw the distant volcano of Fuego
smoking. We rode on briskly in the cool morning, get-
ting to our hotel at eight. Certainly this was the best
and fastest ride we had in Guatemala. We took no time
152 GUATEMALA.
to rest, but at once proceeded to photograph the town.
After almuerzo we climbed down to the Lago de Atitlan
by a path about twelve hundred feet in perpendicular
descent. It was a league and a half from, town to shore.
We were in another climate. Oranges, sugar-cane, avo-
cados, limes, jocotes, and other fruits that cannot bear the
cold of the town above us, flourished here. Walled on
every side by vast cliffs, and overshadowed by high volca-
noes, there were yet fertile valleys opening on the Lago here
and there. Streams of considerable volume pour into it
over rocky beds, or dash foaming down the high cliffs.
Ten miles across was the ancient town of Atitlan, famed
in legend and history. We stood in one of those mysteri-
ous places seemingly below the rest of the world, for w^e
could see the water fall into this valley ; but no human
eye sees the outlet, nor are the waters, as in the valley of
the Dead Sea, chiefly evaporated. The surface is evi-
dently of nearly the same level at all seasons. In the
opinion of some observers it is not improbable that this
valley was an ancient crater, in the midst of which the
volcano of Atitlan has risen, — much as Vesuvius has
sprung from the ancient Somma ; but the more probable
origin of the lake is that the rising volcanoes dammed
up a valley. In the lava are many cavities, and possibly
through these the surplus waters flow, to reappear in the
many copious springs of the southern shore. We were
minded to try the truth of that strange assertion of Juar-
ros that the waters are so cold that all who venture in
have their limbs frost-bitten and swollen. The water w^as
clear and sweet, and we waded out some distance before
there was depth enough to swim. From the sandy bottom
rose abundant bubbles, — probably of carbonic acid, as
FEOM QUEZALTENANGO TO THE PACIFIC.
153
they had no smell. It was a most refreshmg bath, — cool,
but not so cold as the old historian reported. A new ex-
perience, as we stood drying on the shore, was a shave
with pumice-stones, which abound here. A little care is
needed to avoid taking the cuticle away with the hair ;
but these stone razors are admirable substitutes for Shef-
field steel, and are always sharp. Water-fowl were
abundant, and very tame. A good survey of this lake
would be of great geological and antiquarian interest;
and we will speak of its depth and formation in a later
chapter.
Boat on the Lago de Atitlan.
We should much have liked to cross the lake to the
ruins on the other side ; but the sight of the only boats
on the lake, as well as our limited time, deterred us. I
have never before seen boats constructed on these lines ;
the handles on the stern seeming necessary to lift the
large, clumsy craft out of the water.
Oh, the hot climb up that hill to Solola ! We started
at half-past one, and did not get back until six ; and were
then so tired that, soon after comida, we fell asleep, in
spite of the music and rockets within a few rods of our
bedroom. The decencies of life are much neglected here,
as elsewhere in Guatemala, and our only washing-place
was the veranda-rail, over which we leaned while Santiago
poured a calabash of water over us. Those who have
154 GUATEMALA.
travelled in Central France will have some idea of the
privies of Central America, where they exist in any form,
— indeed, if it were not for the hungry dogs, who act
as scavengers, the streets would be in a most disgusting
condition.
'y\ ' ikSSfW^'/^y^'
Sketch Map of the Lago de Atitlan.
All this day the mountains were clear ; but on the mor-
row the clouds came down again. We called on the Jefe
to say our adios, and found that neither he nor his secre-
tary could tell us the names of the immense volcanoes
before his very eyes every time he went out of his house-
door. However, he called in an old Indio, who pointed
out the distant Fuego, Agua, and Pacaya, and the nearer
Atitlan, San Pedro, and Santa Clara. All these volcanoes
FROM QUEZALTENANGO TO THE PACIFIC. 155
have been duly baptized into the Church, to induce them
to act as good citizens and christianos.
The Jefe had promised me his mule, and Frank was to
have the horse of the alcalde, as his mare, Mabel, had a
sore back from the breaking of the tenedora, or crupper,
on the journey to Solola. We secured for a dollar and
twenty-five cents two mozos to take our luggage — much
increased in weight by the cloths we had purchased in
Quezaltenango — as far as Antigua, and at noon we
started. Frank's little mare was a character. She took
the saddle all right ; but when he tried to bridle her, she
rose on her hind-legs and proposed a boxing-match.
Frank very naturally declined, as he had no fists to match
hers ; and as Santiago and the mozos had been sent ahead,
we hardly knew what to do, until an old Spaniard kindly
came to our aid and taught us a trick. He tied some
rope around the creature's left ear, — a proceeding to
which she made not the slightest objection, — and insert-
ing a stout stick and twisting the rope so as to have a
firm hold of the ear, I was able to keep her down while
Frank put on the bridle. She was perfectly still as long
as her ear was in limbo, and did not seem to suffer ; but
it was useless to try to hold her by oncaie force or by
the nostrils. Every time she was bridled we had to go
through the same process.
"VVe first rode down a very steep grade, sixteen hundred
feet, to Panajachel, — a pleasing village a league and a
half from Solola. Here are cultivated fields on the
borders of the lake far surpassing anything of the kind I
saw elsewhere in the republic. They are completely irri-
gated by the water of many brooks, some of which make
cascades by the wayside. Panajachel is the garden of
156 GUATEMALA.
Solola ; with about twelve hundred inhabitants, it has,
besides its agricultural advantages, various minerals and
especially fine clays. Hot-springs come to the surface on
the lake shore. The road was being repaired, and we
had to travel slowly, — glad, however, of the excuse for
loitering, as the views of the lake and valley were not to
be lightly passed by and forgotten. Then came a long,
slow climb of fourteen hundred feet to San Andres
Semetabaj, — a town of seventeen hundred inhabitants,
which showed us as its only attraction a ruined church
with a remarkably fine dome ; even Sir Christopher Wren
never designed a finer. On this long climb we lingered
to photograph the last view of the Lago de Atitlan and its
volcanoes. The sun was in our faces, and shone over the
silvery waters with the effect of moonlight. The three
black giants — once so terrible, now so solemnly grand —
kept back the surging sea of cloud from the Pacific
that seemed struggling to climb their sides and reach the
lake. Not a boat, not a human being, was visible as we
looked our last on the beautiful lago and turned to a road
quite unlike any we had travelled before.
And now every day brought a quite new experience,
as not merely the flowers and vegetation, but the very
physical aspect of the country changed ; and, strangely
enough, the night was the entr'acte. To-day we were
crossing the immense wrinkles of the earth, while from
Chichicastenango to Solola we had travelled with them.
As we went up and down, the light faded ; and we still
had three " wide rivers to cross," as well as many leagues
to ride. As we passed the camps of the mozos de cargo
the bright light of their fires dazzled us and made the
road some way beyond seem much darker. We came at
FROM quezaltp:naxgo to the pacific
157
Washout in the Road
last to a plain. Here the good resolves never to travel
in this country after dark, made when we lost the road
at Encuentros, were renewed and strengthened ; for every
now and then we saw in the dim gray path what looked
like ink-puddles, but, to our horror, as we were about to
ride through one, we found it to be the head of an im-
mense barranca w^hich was gradually
eating its way into the plain over
which the road extended. The walls
of this barranca were perpendicular,
and apparently thirty yards deep ; and
it was only one of a dozen intersecting
our path. I have never since then
passed a dark spot in the road at night
without thinking of those awful abysses
lying in wait to entrap the unwary
traveller. Evidently few here travel after dark. In
places were hedges of agave, and we saw here and there
a house ; while the barking of dogs became more frequent,
and we at last, about half-past nine, rode into Patzun.
"We had no little difficulty in finding where the posada
was ; for Santiago, who led Mabel, did not like to leave
the road, and the burden, as usual, fell on Frank, — who,
fortunately, was well able to bear it. The inhabitants
were all in bed ; but he at last aroused a man to direct us,
and we found a good posada, with a comfortable room,
clean beds, and hot chocolate.
We slept long, and did not get our early meal until
eight. Santiago added to his disrepute by failing to find
any sacate (green fodder) for the animals, while Frank
found a supply at once. We always had to buy or pay
separately for our sacate and corn ; seldom was either to
158 GUATEMALA.
be found in a posacla. While our bestias were feeding we
went to the church, which had a curious campanile deco-
rated (?) with sculptured angels at the angles. Inside,
there was a wedding, — the couple kneeling within the
chancel-rail under one red shawl. The officiating priest
seemed to be an Irishman. As we rode out of town we
passed a public fountain, to which excellent water is
brought from a distance of several miles by a very
ancient aqueduct. The fountain was of the usual form,
— a column more or less ornamented rising in the midst
of a circular or polygonal basin, which catches the water
falling from one or more spouts near the top of the
column. From this common basin horses drink and
women dip water, the spouts being quite out of reach.
The Indios place their water- jars on the edge of the large
basin and conduct the water by a bambu j)ole just long
enough to reach from the spout to the jar.
At eleven o'clock we reached Patzicia, but did not stop
even to examine the ruined church. The evening before
we had noticed a long cliff some ten feet high, — evidently
caused by a comparatively recent subsidence ; and here
we saw other evidences of earthquakes in remote ages
before the present town was built. On the trees by the
road was a beautiful yellow bignonia, and in the yards we
saw fine double pink and white dahlias growing as trees, —
fifteen feet high, and with stems eight inches in diameter.
Chimaltenango, the head of this Department, did not
interest us, and we did not linger.
The road was level, but winding and dusty. We were
approaching the volcanoes Agua and Fuego, which kept
changing their relative position in a very puzzling manner.
Several small hamlets — San Lorenzo, San Luis, Pastores,
FROM QUEZALTENANGO TO THE PACIFIC.
159
and Jocotenango — served as milestones on our way.
Near the last place we discovered a man on fire in the
road ; and it was no easy matter to extinguish the confla-
gration. Tobacco did the mischief, and aguardiente pre-
vented the senses of the poor Indio from working fast
enough to save much of his clothing ; and as we rode
away we saw his companions stripping the smoking rags
Antigua and the Volcan de Agua.
from his singed body. About dusk we came to the Hotel
del Commercio in Antigua, the capital of the Department
of Sacatepequez.
Early Sunday morning we went to the Plaza, and from
the second story of the cabildo photographed both the
great volcanoes Agua and Fuego. Directly before' us
were the ruins of the palace of the Viceroy, the arms
of Spain carved in the stone, which still stands firmly, a
century after the terrible earthquake which shattered the
rest of the building and ruined the whole city. On the
160 GUATEMALA.
left stood the roofless cathedral, and dotted thickly over
the plain were other ruined churches, — eighty, it is said,
— which looked as if recently demolished. We had our
hestias saddled, and rode over to Ciudad Vieja, distant
about a league. This was the second city founded by
Alvarado (Tecpan Quatemalan being the first), and de-
stroyed, together with the widow of the Conquistador, in
1541, by the earthquake and torrent of water from the
ancient crater of Agua. The town is small enough now.
After watching a man make roquetas (rockets),-^ we
rode to the Banos de Medina, which we had some diffi-
culty in finding; we took, however, at last a short cut
through a coffee plantation where the berries were large
and ripening. The baths are in a small house of several
rooms. The one Frank and I occupied had a large tank,
deep enough for a swim ; the water was slightly sulphu-
rous, and but a few degrees warmer than the atmosphere.
It was w^ell worth the real it cost us.
In the afternoon we strolled among the ruins of Anti-
gua, which are very fascinating. All the churches were
of solid masonry, with vaulted roofs, — some still entire,
and supporting a mass of vegetation, among which the
Phytolacca was common. The outlay of money in build-
ing all these elaborate churches must have been enor-
mous for material and transportation (many of the tiles
being Spanish), although the actual labor was by unpaid
slaves. We were told strange stories of the skeletons of
motlier and child found walled in a church ; tunnels
^ The cases of these rockets were of bamhu, and usually three were
attached to one stick. As they were fired in daylight, and valued for their
effect upon the ear rather than the eye, the proportion of explosive powder
was increased, — each discharge giving three sharp cracks.
FROM QUEZALTENANGO TO THE PACIFIC.
161
connecting the churches and nunneries just outside the
city ; infant skeletons in a vault of one of the nunneries,
etc. With these romantic associations in mind, we poked
Ruined Church in Antigua.
hither and thither among the mighty ruins ; but we
found only the curiosities of architecture (of these there
were enough to occupy me many days) and the traces
the treasure-hunters had left in the walls. Frank found
11
162 GUATEMALA.
in one of the vaults a well-drawn fresco covered with a
thick coat of whitewash, and we tried to pry off a por-
tion ; but could not succeed without too mucli damaging
it. Horses were pasturing on the grass-grown roof of a
part of one of the churches, and a few had portions still
in use as places of worship, while another was occupied by
a blacksmith. In one of these we saw some finely carved
wooden panels. All about the city eucalyptus-trees had
been planted. The roads are very good, and the alameda,
or public promenade, is attractive. The corner houses
often had most comfortable projecting windows, so placed
that one could see in both streets at once.
There are two industries in Antigua of considerable
interest to the visitor, — the carving of cane-heads, which
is done in a most artistic manner, equalling, perhaps,
the famous ivory carvings of Dieppe, in Normandy ; and
the manufacture of dolls, or effigies, mostly of cloth,
representing every costume and occupation of the Indios.
These little figures — seldom more than five inches high
— have often an expression that would not be thought
possible, considering the material of their fabric. Solola
is another place where these dolls, or mimecos, are made,
— a single family, I believe, having the monopoly ; but
in Antigua we found a much greater variety. Especially
good are their figures to represent the Nativity of Christ ;
for it is customary in many of the towns to keep open
house at Christmas-tide, and each household tries to pro-
vide a Bethlehem, — much as in Germany a Christmas-
tree is arranged ; but the groups of Shepherds, the Wise
Men from the East, as well as the Holy Family, are often
made in the most careful and artistic way, all from bits
of cloth.
FROM QUEZALTENANGO TO THE PACIFIC. 163
Here I bought my first mule, paying for her eighty
dollars in Guatemaltecan money (silver of the value of
the buzzard dollar of the United States), the purchaser
giving United States gold at twenty per cent premium ;
consequently the mule cost really sixty-six dollars and
sixty-seven cents. After riding her two months I sold her
for a hundred dollars. We engaged two mozos de cargo,
and then felt at leisure to look more about the city. Near
the hotel was a cldcheria, or place where chicha is sold.
This drink is here made from jocotes, and the cider-like
beverage is drunk from pint bowls or calabashes. Intoxi-
cation follows ; and we frequently heard women shrieking
in the arms of men, while unearthly yells and laugh-
ter greeted the outcries. Owing to indulgence in this
dissipation, our mozos could not walk in the morning,
and we spent some hours in searching for others. The
best we could do was to get one for six reals to take our
carcaste to Ciudad Vieja, the Jefe at Antigua giving me a
requisition on the comandante there for another. We
sent Santiago with a drunken mozo direct to Guatemala
City ; and we afterwards found that the wretched mozo,
when well out of the city, dropped his burden and ran
away, compelling Santiago to get a substitute, with whom
he arrived safely.
For ourselves, we retraced the road of yesterday to
Ciudad Vieja, and found the cabildo, where the soldiers
captured the necessary mozo, — literally at the point of
the bayonet ; but he was a capital fellow, in spite of his
forced service. While the hunt was in progress, we
looked about the town ; but there was not much to see,
except the elaborately wrought doors of the church.
There were few indications of the awful ruin the flood
1G4 GUATEMALA.
from Agua had brought upon the town m 1541 ; but
some of the buildmgs seemed to be partly restmg on sub-
structures of older date. Some of the slaves in uniform
called soldiers told us we could not go into the presence
of the comandante without taking off our spurs ; so I
haughtily declined to go in, or even dismount, and or-
dered him to come out and receive the Jefe's letter. He
meekly obeyed, seeming to be a very decent fellow.
Clouds covered both volcanoes, and our road led south-
ward between them. We had a good enough road, down
hill constantly, and winding into the valleys on the side
of Fuego, — often crossing fine streams of clear cold
water. The crater of the volcano was still smoking, — as
it has been since 1880, when there was a slight eruption.
We could see that the crater-wall was broken down to
give issue to what looked more like scoriae than lava.
Gases have acted extensively on the whole summit,
which displays many colors, from the decomposition of
the lavas.
As the day closed, the road became bad and full of
small stones. The foothills w^ere capped with irregular
masses of lava, which in the sunset looked not unlike the
ruined castles on the Rhine. We were in the region of
canefields, and we often caught a glimpse of the Pacific
Ocean. At seven we rode into Escuintla and found the
hotel comfortable enough ; 1)ut all night there was a
horrid noise, — drums, rockets, bombs, and shouts, —
and we dreamed that the town was being captured by
storm.
We had entered the region of railroads again ; and
our train started next morning at half-past six for San
Jose, on the Pacific. The fare for the round trip was
FROM QUEZALTENANGO TO THE PACIFIC. 165
three dollars. We had a second-class carriage, as the
only first-class carriage is reserved for the President.
At the station, in the lowest part of the town, the height
above sea-level is eleven hundred feet ; and for the first
three miles out the grade is rather steep. The remainintr
twenty-five miles offered no difficulties in road-building ;
but the culverts and bridges are fast decaying, and as
they are not promptly repaired, the road is not safe.
The run was made in two hours, — certainly not a high
rate of speed. There were fine views of the volcanoes,
and some interesting scenes at the stations. As we
approached the coast the line crossed several shallow
lagoons, and the country looked low and uninviting.
I did not, however, see evidence of much ill-health
among the natives, although the manners and customs
were loose enough. The railroad {ferro-carril) ended in
a respectable station in San Jose, at the head of a
fine iron pier extending some six hundred feet into the
sea, — beyond the surf, but not where vessels can come
alongside.
We had seen the Pacific the day before as we rode from
Antigua, and it was, as always, a welcome sight to me,
for some of the pleasantest years of my life have been
passed on its shores or on its islands. To-day its waves
rolled up on the sand in so inviting a way that as soon
as we had found the hotel on the beach and ordered
almuerzo, we returned to the pier, and, under its shelter,
stripped and waded in. The rollers took us off our feet ;
and as large sharks were snuffing about just outside the
iron piles of the pier, within a few yards of us, we had a
sufficiently exciting bath. I have never seen such large
sharks before, even in the shark-haunted shores of the
166 GUATEMALA.
Antilles or the Hawaiian Islands ; but it is claimed that
they dare not venture between the piles. The young
sharks however have no such scruples ; and we kicked
several of the little fellows out of our way. The iron-
work was thickly covered with barnacles and other crus-
taceans, and it took considerable skill to avoid being
dashed against this.
On the pier-head there was a cool sea-breeze, and we
spent much of our time there while waiting for the return
train. A pier was built here in 1868 ; but a storm of un-
usual severity soon after destroyed it, and the present
structure was built in a more substantial manner. The
piles are of cast iron and hollow, fitted with auger-
points, by which they are screwed down into the sand.
The end of the wharf is covered by a shed, where are
provided three steam hoisting-engines. As San Jose
is, like most of the ports on the Pacific coast, merely
an open roadstead, vessels do not care to wait long
there, and stout lighters are provided to bring cargo
between ship and pier. Even with lighters of some
twenty-five tons, the task is not always easy, and
many a passenger gets a wetting in jumping from the
small boat to the iron cage used in rough weather
to hoist the human freight to the pier-top. Since the
completion of the railroad, in 1880, the tracks have
been laid along the pier, — thus facilitating the hand-
ling of freight, much of which is lumber coming from
the Oregon coast, and sugar, coffee, and hides going
to San Francisco. To-day two ships were at anchor,
and a steamer was expected.
As we sat in the cool shade on the end of the pier,
looking dreamily over the Pacific, I felt that the journey
fro:m quezaltexaxgo to tpie pacific. 167
across the continent, as we had made it, was far pleas-
anter than when, in 1869, I had used the railroad, —
then but a week old. We decided unanimously that the
difference between the two oceans was not a matter of
fancy merely. I had seen the middle Atlantic smooth
as a mill-pond, and had been miserably seasick on the
raging Pacific ; so without going deeper into this ques-
tion, our thoughts wandered from one thing to another,
mine going back to the days when Istapa, the old port
at our left hand, was more than a swamp, and when the
Spanish shipyards there were humming with the busy
workmen who had learned their craft on the Rio Tinto
at Palos or on the sandy shores of Cadiz. Why had the
place become so changed ? My eye wandered up and
down the coast for an answer to a suggestion that came
to me. But only a rather steep beach was there, — no
cliff, not even a detached rock, to solve the problem of
whether the coast was at the same level as in the seven-
teenth century ; for this was the way I was trying to
answer my own question. A rise of eight feet would
explain everything about that deserted harbor; but there
was nothing except the steep slope of the beach to indi-
cate any change of level. Had I been able to see any
rocks within the limit of two miles, I should have left the
cool pier and trudged through the hot black sand to ask
them. Frank's more practical mind was working in
another direction ; and he took up the conversation with
a question whether a railroad to the Atlantic would
change this port as well as the rest of the republic.
Then we discussed the several schemes proposed for in-
fusing a commercial spirit into this charmingly uncom-
mercial country ; and although we had not yet seen the
168
GUATEMALA.
route selected for the Northern Railroad, we had been
over the track of several of the other paper railroads,
and on our map — that inseparable companion — we
sketched the roads. Here is the map we made, with
several additions of a later date, — a map which shows
fairly enough what can, and in time probably will, be
done to open the country. First we discussed a road
RAILROADS
FOK
GUATEMALA
l*ro}>osed
Built m
from Livingston to Coban, to open the coffee region ;
and as we were fresh from the very route, we tackled
the problem unhesitatingly. The road, we decided,
should run up the coast towards Cocali, turn through the
forest six miles to Chocon, crossing the Chocon River on
a single span, then over the smaller Rio Cienega and along
the north shore of the Lago de Izabal, then a little to the
northward of the Rio Polochic, bridging the Cahabon
near the limestone ledges east of Pansos, thence through
Teleman, and by nearly the cart-road route to Coban. Per-
haps a hundred and twenty-five or thirty miles, in all, of
FROM QUEZALTENANGO TO THE PACIFIC. 169
single track, would result in quadrupling the coffee export
of Guatemala. It would then be profitable to raise more
of the delicious oranges of Teleman, — oranges such as
Florida can never raise ; the mahogany of the Cienega
and Chocon could be marketed ; and all Alta Verapaz be
a plantation of coffee and fruits. More than this, the road
would pay from the first through train. Before us on the
west coast was the sugar and cacao region, — that land
that produces the royal chocolate which outside barba-
rians never get, but which might be raised very extensive-
ly from Soconusco eastward if a railroad should be built
over the level lands from Escuintla to Retalhuleu and
Ocos. A road from Guatemala City through Salama to
Coban would not only open the rich sugar estate of San
Geronimo, but connect the capital with the Mexican
system, which will probably go to Coban eventually. At
Belize the English are trying to build a road inland to
Peten to open the logwood and mahogany forests ; and
they need a road along the coast to open the settlements
that now have no outlet save by water. A hundred and
forty miles, at the outside, would connect Belize with
Livingston. The roads in Honduras will extend between
Trujillo and Puerto Barrios, there connecting with the
Northern Railroad of Guatemala. Not one of these
projected lines presents any very difficult engineering
problems. The financial question is the only obstacle ;
and with the exception of the first two, — both coast
roads, and of simple construction, — they would not pay
for a few years ; that is, until the plantations that would
spring up along their way came into bearing, — that,
however, in this climate, would not be long, even for
india-rubber.
170
GUATEMALA.
We had not finished our discussion of the railways
when it was time for ahuuerzo ; and we went to the
hotel, where, besides a good meal and the largest plan-
tains (thirteen inches long) I ever saw, there were a num-
ber of captive animals, — the most attractive being a
bright little monkey who was very eager to open my
watch.
Bread-fruit (Artocarpus incisa).
CHAPTER VI.
GUATEMALA CITY.
THE run back to Escuintla took two hours and a half,
and our comida was welcome at five o'clock. In
the evening we strolled to the church, — an ancient
building, — and found all the inside in confusion ; the
altar was hidden from profane eyes by a cotton curtain,
while preparations were being made for tlie fiesta of
December 8, — the Immaculate Conception. One of the
attendants showed us with great pride a huge doll, repre-
senting the Virgin Mary, standing on a blue globe studded
with silver stars. Beneath her feet was a culehra gixmde ;
and on twisting his tail the serpent's tongue was thrust
out, — to the intense delight of the Indian devotees.
The priest — if such were his dignity — wished us to
examine the lace robes of the " Queen of Heaven," and
to note particularly the decorations. As we returned to
the hotel we heard a marimba, and soon met a religious
procession, consisting mostly of women. In a small plaza
we saw, covering a figure of the Virgin, a booth decorated
with flowers and fruits, — especially long strings of
manzanillas} Before this image men and women (of re-
spectable rank, we were assured) were dancing, disguised
in horrible masks representing devils and animals.
1 These little apples — about the size of crab-apples — are tasteless un-
cooked, but make an excellent duke ; the senoras know how to use them for
a sweet pickle.
172 GUATEMALA.
Escuintla is the favorite watering-place of the capital,
and its baths are certainly attractive, — especially to the
Guatemalans, whose city is supplied with miserable water.
The citizens, some five thousand in number, are occupied
in commerce and agriculture. In the near future Es-
cuintla seems destined to become the railroad centre of
the republic, as the lines from Puerto Barrios and from
Ocos will meet there.
Early in the morning of the third day of our stay at
this place we started out for one of the best bathing-
places, on the way taking several photographs. At a
bath-house we passed, the men bathing in the tank came
out frequently through the wide-open door to talk with
the women who were washing clothes in the brook out-
side. As these men were wholly naked, I wished to pho-
tograph this " custom " of the country ; but when they
saw the camera they modestly retired within and shut
the door.
Our own bath, an open pool some fifty by a hun-
dred feet, was of a depth increasing from three to eight
feet. A high brick wall bounded one side, and we were
told that beyond this was a bath for women. A shed in
which to undress, and a tile platform on which to dry
one's self, was all the apparatus ; but the water was cool
and of a wonderful clearness, and we prolonged our
swim. The fee was only a medio (five cents). In the
season, which extends from December to March, doubt-
less the crowd is disagreeable ; but we had the pool
entirely to ourselves.
After almuerzo we started for Amatitlan ; and a weary,
dusty road it was, although the main road to the capital
from the port. Frank's mare seemed as though sunstruck,
GUATEMALA CITY. 173
and sank down powerless by the road. Fortunately we
were near a brook. We poured cool water on her head,
and she soon recovered. We met great herds of cattle
on their way from the dry uplands to the juicy pastures
of the lowlands, and also stages full of miserable people,
shaken and dusty, and with the look one might fancy
a soul in purgatory would assume, — always supposing
it had a face.
The Falls of the Michatoya by the roadside relieved the
monotony of the way, but were not so beautiful as I had
expected from Stephens's account. We found the rails of
the ferro-carril laid as far as Palin ; ^ and it was graded
beyond Amatitlan, on its way to Guatemala City, which
it has since (1886) reached. Basaltic rock was abundant
along the road, and so were beehives, — generally made
from a hollow log and hung horizontally under the eaves
of the houses. Honey, costing us a medio a quart, was
very good ; wax, however, is a more valuable product, as
it plays a very important part in the service of religion,
masses costing so many pounds of wax candles. The bees
seem to be quite inoffensive, and the hives often hung
close to the house-doors. Sugar estates were common in
this district, the water-power being generally furnished
by the Michatoya river. The chimneys of the ingenios
did not indicate severe or frequent earthquakes here.
Oranges, not of the finest quality, sold at three cents a
dozen. Late in the afternoon we passed some cochineal
plantations in a rather neglected state, and soon after
1 Palin is the market-garden and orchard of the metropolis, and the fruit
is good, but not cultivated with any care ; nor is there here or elsewhere in
Guatemala any attempt to procure new and choice varieties of either fruits or
vegetables.
174
GUATEMALA.
entered Amatitlan, where we found a pretty little posada.
Our mozos, who were fine fellows, were not far behmd us.
The barometer told us that we were 3,650 feet above San
Jose.
In the morning, finding sacate very dear, we made
up our bestias' breakfast with maiz, and started betimes.
We rode to the Lago de Amatitlan, which is very shal-
low, but clear near the shore. In the depths of this lake
were thrown, according to tradition, immense treasures ;
and every now and then some ancient idol or bit of pot-
tery is dragged up. On the banks were willows of con-
siderable size ; altogether, the whole scene was very
different from any-
thing we had found
in the republic.
The fishermen's
boats were of a pe-
culiar shape, —
projecting below
the water-line, so
that a cross-section
amidships would be like the diagram. In trying a short
cut back to the main road, we were lost in a cafetal, and
had to ask the people in charge to open a locked gate
and let us out upon our road. We ascended seven hun-
dred feet and found a good path. In various places there
were deposits of fine pumice, much of which had been
excavated, leaving caverns large enough to shelter many
people from the weather. We entered the capital about
noon, meeting Santiago on the outskirts, who conducted
us to the Hotel del Globo. At this hotel, which was kept
by a wretched German, we found our mozos, and the
Section of Boat at Amatitlan.
GUATEMALA CITY. 175
luggage we had sent from Coban and Antigua, in perfect
order.
We were now in the principal city of Central America,
— a city well worthy of study ; but not at all a represen-
tative one, for all that. After the earthquake of Santa
Marta, in 1773, had ruined the beautiful city of Antigua
Guatemala, the inhabitants sought a more stable site,
farther from the slopes of the great volcanoes ; and the
valley of the Hermitage was selected, towards the north.
Here was the half church, half fortress, that still inter-
ests the visitor ; but all around was a sterile plain, and
its elevation and distance from any port seemed most
unfavorable to the growth of a large city. Eighty-four
miles separate Guatemala City from its port of San Jose ;
while the Atlantic ports are more than a hundred leagues
away, with no carriage-road between. In spite of these
and other disadvantages, the city of Saint James has grown
to be the largest and most important of Central America.
It numbers among its churches some of the finest in
the country ; and its other public buildings are of im-
posing size, if devoid of any architectural merit. Almost
all the houses are of one story ; and the paved streets,
laid out at right angles, and of nearly uniform width, do
not attract the stranger as he rides over the exceedingly
rough pavement. Indeed, our first impressions were
very unfavorable ; for had we not seen Coban, Quezalte-
nango, Solola, and Antigua, — all of them much more
beautiful than any part of Guatemala City ? It was not
until we were well out of the city that we were pleased
with it, — not until it became a confused mass of white
walls almost hidden in foliage, with the church-towers
rising above, and in the distance those two noble volca-
176
guatp:mala.
GUATEMALA CITY. 177
noes higher still, their heads well in the clouds. A city
of sixty thousand inhabitants, with its houses extending
six miles north and south, with a population of many
nations and tribes, — mingling the sixteenth with the
nineteenth century in many customs and business Avays,
— was not to be seen at a glance, was not to be under-
stood even after a sojourn of a few days. We envied
the faculty of our English cousins who can come to
America, spend a few weeks, — even days, — and then
go home and write with more knowledge of the places
they have just glanced at than the inhabitants ever
possessed.
As we entered the city we passed at some distance the
fort of San Jose ; and it was significant that the guns
all pointed towards the city it was supposed to protect.
Taking no interest in military matters, which I am con-
strained to believe are undesirable if not unnecessary
relics of a barbarous age, I did not go any nearer to see
whether, as in the case of San Felipe, the guns were
more deadly to those within than those outside the fort ;
but the walls looked queer, and we were assured that
they were of adobe, painted to imitate stone blocks, — a
kind of Quaker wall.
Although the Plaza is always the principal focus of a
Spanish town, no street ever leads directly to it, all lead
by it, as if accidentally ; and so we found ourselves in the
public square of Guatemala before we had been an hour
in the city. It was simply a square taken from the tire-
some rectangles of the city ; and only on one side had it
any sufficiently imposing boundaries. The Government
had suppressed the priestly power ; but its monument
still towered above the very insignificant buildings used
12
178 GUATEMALA.
as Government offices. This metropolitan cathedral is
about two hundred and seventy-five feet long, with some
architectural pretensions, but belittled by its front tow-
ers, which were added a few years ago. The colossal
statues of the four Evangelists which guard the platform
in front detract from the effect of a good fa9ade. The
interior is plain. In a vault beneath the church repose
the remains of Rafael Carrera, the former President of
the republic. On the evening of the seventh of Decem-
ber the whole front was illuminated with small lamps in
honor of the Immaculate Conception. Within was a large
doll dressed to represent the Virgin Mary, " sanctissima,
purisshna, caramha ! — carissima," as we heard a young
heathen exclaim. She stood on a blue ball spangled
with stars, and trod the culebra grande as at Escuintla.
All the choir-boys wore scarlet robes. It seemed as
though the attendants rather hustled the gauze angels,
which trod on snakes in imitation of Madonna. The
other churches were numerous, and the more imposing
date from the days of the Spanish domination, when all
good things, including plenty of money, were in priestly
hands. Perhaps the most curious of all the churches is
that one on the Cerro del Carmen which antedates the
city. Santiago carried my camera out to the distant hill,
from which I not only brought away a picture of the
church, but also chose that position for a view of the
city, after patiently waiting for the clouds to roll away
from the volcanoes of Fuego and Agua. The church it-
self seems more a fortress than a temple of the Prince of
Peace. The heavy gates stood ajar, and we entered the
courtyard of two centuries agone. In the midst stood a
round tower, seemingly solid, and decorated by a fillet
GUATEMALA CITY.
179
carved with cliernbim in low relief. Within the dark
church all was still and deserted ; only the graves be-
neath the pavement of tombstones were tenanted. A
curtain hung before the image at the altar, and a care-
fully written notice requested the visitor not to uncover
the Virgin without permission of the sacristan. In the
bell-tower hung a bell with the date 1748, — twenty-eight
'^^^^^^^^i'^^j;^'-- "'; ^ ''^"^^V "^ -^^'
Church of the Carmen.
years before the city was built within its sound, when the
heavy, awkward burden must liave been brought with so
much difficulty into this lonely valley. Two others, with
the painfully modern date of 1872, hung by its side.
We wasted the whole morning in a futile attempt to
call on the President. His house was a large one-story
building at the corner of the Plaza, not distinguishable
from its surroundings except by the guard of soldiers at
180 GUATEMALA.
the gateway to its interior courtyard. The corporal in
charge refused to take my card in, telling several false-
hoods as to the whereabouts of the President his master ;
but at last a superior officer arrived, who at once ordered
the fellow to take the card, and we were soon ushered,
without further ceremony, into the bedroom of the Chief
of the State. It is the custom in this
O O O country to arrange the chairs in a re-
Q ception-room on either side of a sofa
O O O ^^^^ ^^ right angles to it ; and the host
is expected to sit on the sofa and enter-
tain his guests on either hand. President Barrios occu-
pied this place of honor when I entered ; but as we
conversed he moved about until we sat side by side.
He had not forgotten our interview at Totonicapan,
and was affable, seeming to understand our wishes per-
fectly. He said we should have all we asked for, and
called an officer to conduct us to the Department of the
Interior, where Senor Lainfiesta, the Secretario de Estado
en el Despacho de Fomento, also promised to expedite our
business. Some days later, while discussing the resources
of Guatemala with the Minister of Foreign Relations, I
spoke incidentally of the bad arrangement of the Guate-
malan exhibit at Boston in the International Exhibition
of 1883 ; whereupon the minister asked me to accompany
him to the President and acquaint him with the matter.
We went at once, — simply across the street ; and it
was gratifying to see the stupid soldiers and the inso-
lent corporal jump up and salute the cabinet officer as
we passed in unannounced. The President's room was
full of disorder, — articles of daily use, with books, guitars,
newspapers, all mixed together. In the courtyard was a
GUATEMALA CITY. 181
fine bull and several sheep, just imported. I felt that
Senor Barrios greatly improved on acquaintance, and his
bright, quick eye was decidedly intelligent. He was not
tall, but stout, with an air of military stiffness which
wore off slowly. In our conversation I asked him to
refer me to any printed accounts of his personal history ;
but he smiled and said, " That, senor, has never been
written." Alas for the progress of the country ! that
life was soon to end by violence, in an attempt to restore
the confederation of the republics, — a scheme very dear
to this energetic man, who in ten years did more for the
internal prosperity of his own republic than has been
effected by all the governments of Central America in
fifty years !
There is in Guatemala but one theatre, and to that
we went on a Saturday night. The building, a gen-
eral imitation of the Eglise de la Madeleine in Paris,
stands in the centre of a plaza of considerable size laid
out as a public garden.' The Government subsidy of
$25,000 to $40,000 permits the employment of good
artists for five or six months in the year ; and we saw a
company fresh from Madrid play " La Mujer del Ven-
gador." The ballet was tolerable, — the males far sur-
passing the females in skill and agility. The tickets are
kept by the visitor, the coupon being taken at the en-
trance. The auditorium was lighted by gasoline suffi-
1 It was in this garden that the attempt was made to kill President Barrios,
on the evening of Sunday, April 13, 1884. He was walking with General
Barrundia, the Minister of War, when a bomb exploded, severely wounding
both; but to allay public excitement the President bravely walked twice
around the garden, and then home. The would-be assassin was captured, and
proved to be a former conspirator whom Barrios had generously pardoned.
The bomb was loaded with poisoned bullets.
182 GUATEMALA.
ciently, but the decoration was plain, and not attractive.
The parquette was occupied almost exclusively by gen-
tlemen, who gazed serenely at the ladies in the boxes
which surround this, and were gazed upon in turn in a
way that would scandalize even a Boston audience. The
wife of the President, a lady of great personal beauty,
was pointed out to us ; and we were assured that it was
not improper to stare at her, even with glasses. In all
such places the audience always claims quite as much of
my attention as the stage ; and among the boxes I
noticed an elderly lady of decidedly American appearance,
and I fancied she might be the distinguished Madame
Susannah Penol, to whom I had letters. A few days
later, as I was ushered into her reception-room, I saw at
once that I was not mistaken ; for on the wall was a
capital portrait of the lady I had seen.
Our hotel proved a most wretched one ; the comida
was poor in quality and insufficient in quantity. A
ballet-dancer and her pet dog took most of the best bits
as the various dishes were passed among the company.
Our host proved much the same sort as we had met at
Quiche ; and we were compelled to move to the Gran
Hotel, which we found very comfortable.
On Sunday the correct course is to see a cock-fight in
the forenoon, a bull-fight in the afternoon, and to go to
church and wash up in the evening. We varied the pro-
gramme, and in the morning visited the Chief of Police,
Colonel Pratt (formerly of New York), from whom we
learned many points of interest in the municipal regula-
tion of this city. The Cemeterio, or Campo Santo, next
claimed our attention, where we found catacombs partly
underground and lighted by a clerestory. Several very
GUATEMALA CITY. 183
showy monuments have been erected since the prohibition
of burial witliin the cliurches, though but few of them are
in good taste. A far pleasanter visit was to the " Bola de
Oro" baths, near the Teatro Nacional, where we had two
good batli-rooms, witli douclie and plunge, all for four
reals. The water in the city is not good, and in the
baths its turbid character was disagreeable. The pres-
sure on the mains is regulated by water-towers, usually
built into the house ; and not being sufficient to supply
a douche, the water for this purpose has to be pumped
into an elevated cistern. From the bath we went to an
exhibition of native products and industries in the build-
ing of the Instituto Nacional. The exhibition was a
good one, and some of the products — as chocolate, rice,
sugar, and wax — were of exceedingly high quality.
More interesting to me was the Instituto itself. Origi-
nally a monastery, the Government confiscated it when
the religious orders were suppressed, and President Barrios
established in the vacant halls a college which would be
creditable to any country. We went through the reci-
tation-rooms, the phj'sical laboratory, the dormitories, —
where the iron bedsteads looked neat and comfortable, —
into the printing-room ; thence through the garden to the
menagerie, where were many good specimens of native
beasts and birds. We next visited the meteorological ob-
servatory, the faculty room, where hung a dismal paint-
ing of some poor Indios being torn to pieces by dogs at
the command of the Conquistadores, and finally the mu-
seum, where, together with stuffed animals and birds, a
series of specimens of native woods (labelled only with
native names), minerals, ores, and the rest, we found a
choice collection of antiquities. Here on the walls were
184
GUATEMALA.
the dress-swords of Alvarado and Cortez, and strange
stirrups, of wrought iron of great size and weight, that
the Conquistadores had brought
from Spain. ^ In the cases were
grotesque incense-burners that ray
friend E. Rockstroh had brought
from the country of the Lacan-
dones ; idols from various places,
a lava mask from Copan (figured
on page 200), figurines in terra-
cotta with tails and tigre-heads,
stone figures with turbans, — all
on a subsequent morning made Spanish stirrup.
their impression on my plates. But an incense-burner of
red clay found in
the Lago de Ama-
titlan failed to ex-
cite the delicate
film, so dark was
the room and so re-
fractory the color ;
the form was most
complicated, quite
rivalling in this re-
spect those ancient
Japanese bronzes
used for the same
^ One of these stirrups
(seen in the figure), given
to nie by Don Enrique
Toriello, then Jet'e at Liv-
Terra-cotta Figurines. . . i, . r
mgston, now Charge d Ai-
faires and Consul-General of Guatemala at New York, weighs five and a half
pounds, and is seventeen inches long.
GUATEMALA CITY. 185
purpose. In the library are many valuable manuscripts,
mostly unpublished, but of interest to the historian and
antiquarian.
Almost worn out with sight-seeing, we stopped at a
restaurant near by, and with our lunch had some native
cerveza negra,. — an unpleasant beer brewed from mo-
lasses. We had lost the cock-fight ; but there was to be
a bull-fight in the afternoon, to which we were strangely
attracted, and we purchased seats under the roof at
three reals, walking over to the Plaza de Toros at four
o'clock. There was a fair audience — perhaps six or
seven thousand — in the immense circular building or
enclosure. As an overture we had an exhibition-drill.
The soldiers wore red jackets, blue trousers, and white
caps and cross-belts. The evolutions were well done to
the bugle-notes, ai:d the whole performance was to me
much like a ballet, — simply a complicated series of pre-
concerted movements of the human body.
A horseman clad in black, mounted on a superb white
horse, then rode across the ring and formally asked leave of
the Chief of the Corrida to open the games. The Chief
tossed him a roll of colored paper, which he carried to
the Amador del Toro and then backed gracefully out of
the enclosure. Then came the Espada, Manuel Aguilar of
Seville, with three Banderilleros and as many Picadores,
followed by horses, mules, and mozos. There were only
five " bulls," of which three were oxen, — and they
might all have been, for any fight they showed. The
Picadores did their work, and the Primero Espada did
some excellent dodging ; but this did not satisfy us, so
bloodthirsty had we become. At first we wanted to have
a horse killed, and at last nothing short of the death of
186 GUATEMALA.
a man would satisfy us. But we were not to see any-
thing of the kind ; and after the bulls had trotted about
the Plaza until half-past five, the show was over, and the
unsatisfied audience dispersed. What would a Roman
audience have done in the Flavian amphitheatre, had
their wild-beast propensities been thus excited and disap-
pointed ? So far as the City of Guatemala is concerned,
the bull-fight is growing unfashionable, and even with the
populace such uninteresting shows cannot long attract.
The Guatemaltecans should import some of the fashion-
able '' Cribb Clubs" of our Northern cities, if they still
wish to see human blood flow. At present there is more
brutality in the sparring exhibitions of Boston than in
the bull-fights of the Central American city.
Our day was not yet ended ; and as we crossed the Plaza
in the evening, on returning from a call on a friend, we
found the pavement crowded with people and dotted with
little fires, over which various Indios were cooking dough-
nuts, fritters, and chocolate. The fritters were eaten
with plenty of honey, and were very palatable.
Another night we had an opportunity to see one of the
religious processions so common in former days, — after-
wards prohibited by law, but now occasionally allowed, as
there is little danger of a renewal of the priestly power, and
these spectacles please the priests, women, and children.
This particular one, which we attended in part, was in
honor of " Nuestra Senora de Guadeloupe." A huge doll,
all lace and tinsel, was carried through the streets with
music, flowers, and fireworks. It was a miracle that the
image was not set on fire, — especially when the " toro,"
all blazing with squibs and Roman candles, ran through
the crowd : but no accident befell, so far as I knew. I
GUATEMALA CITY. 187
am somewhat confused as to the person the image repre-
sented, but was told that she was visiting the holy lady
(santissima senora) who lived in the church to which the
procession marched. On arriving at the door the visitor
was obliged to tip over and go in head first in a horizon-
tal position. It was no doubt all right, but it seemed so
utterly undignified that we did not care to go into the
church and see how she got up again.
At the hippodrome in the plain of Yocotenango, to
which the horse-cars run from the grand Plaza, horse-races
are held in May, August, and November, at which times
prizes are offered by the Government and the Sociedad
Zo6tecnica.
■ It was interesting to see how the State had occupied
the buildings of the banished or suppressed communities.
In the Franciscan convent was the Revenue and Cus-
toms Bureau ; the Post-Office occupied the church and
convent of the Third Order (of St. Francis) ; the Treasury
and Telegraphs divide the fine house formerly the home
of the suppressed Sociedad Economica ; and the Bureau of
Liquors and Tobacco holds the splendid building of the
Dominican friars. Other of the confiscated edifices are
used as schools, and are most admirably suited to the pur-
pose. There are eight elementary schools for boys, and ten
for girls ; two finishing schools or academies for each sex ;
six night-schools for artisans and others ; and two asylums,
which collect in the morning the young children of poor
parents, instruct and feed them, and return them at night
to their homes. There are two establishments for second-
ary instruction, one for each sex, directed by foreign pro-
fessors and well installed ; one is the Institute Nacional,
already mentioned. All these institutions are supported
188 GUATEMALA.
by the Government, much of the system being due to the
enlightened policy of General Barrios. Provided for spe-
cial instruction, and also supported in the same way,
are the Technical School (Escuela de Artes y Oficios), well
provided with laboratories and steam-power ; the Agricul-
tural College, with fields near the city for practical work ;
a Business School, with night sessions for clerks ; a Law
School, Medical School (Medicina y Farmacia), Normal
School, Polytechnic Institute, and School of Design ;
besides many schools supported by private means.
Benevolent institutions, too, are not wanting, — among
them the Asylum for Orphans and Invalids ; the Central
Hospital, where four hundred patients are cared for daily ;
and the Military Hospital in the suburbs. The Peniten-
tiary seems to be well conducted, and the House of Cor-
rection has extensive workshops, in which good work is
done. No less than twenty public fountains and washing-
places adorn and keep the city clean.
All business is not conducted in the shops, which are
small, and seldom make much display ; but there are two
markets, one of which, the Nacional, is very extensive,
and seems to contain within its bounds merchandise of
every sort, — in one place pottery, in another fruit ;
saddlery and cloths, confectionery and hardware, bread
and guns, are close at hand. The prices are high, even
of the necessaries of life ; and the cheapest things were
pottery and nets, both of Indian manufacture. It was
not a little amusing to remember that the great retail
stores of Boston were imitating the variety-shops of this
nncommercial city, and collecting within their walls all
kinds of goods, — from shoes to hats, from dinner-sets
to carpets, from stoves to books. The country variety-
GUATEMALA CITY.
189
stores of New England are outdone in both cases. As
almost everywhere else, it is expected that the purchaser
will try to beat down the price. Among the curiosities
of the market we found native jackets {guepiles) made in
the simplest manner, but embroidered with the greatest
labor and most barbaric fancy of color and form. These
the women take great pride in ; and the showy garments
cloak many deficiencies in the rest of the wardrobe.
Indian Pottery.
CHAPTER VII.
GUATEMALA TO ESQUIPULAS.
EARLY one morDing Frank and I rode out of the city
and np hill to an elevation of twelve hundred
feet, passing the aqueduct and getting several fine views
of the capital, — better in some respects than the view from
the Cerro del Carmen ; for now the two volcanoes were
clear. As the road was excellent, and our animals were
in thorough trim, we both got more enjoyment in the
saddle than from almost any other mode of sight-seeing.
We were leaving the volcanoes of Antigua ; but Pacaya
was before us, and we had entered a distinctly volcanic
region. We passed
several small vil-
lages, in one of which
•^^^B^-:;r.^^^<:^^^^^^^^^^-' we breakfasted on
honey and tortillas.
Cerro Redondo is a
small hamlet of perhaps a thousand inhabitants, whose
chief occupation is coffee-culture. The "round hill " which
gives the name is a small, very regular volcanic cone, —
one of a number less regular extending towards the Pacific
coast. Here in the road-cut were black volcanic sands
and plenty of vesicular lava. As the daylight waned, we
met men, women, and children coming from their day's
work in the caf etal, and a contented, happy company they
Pacaya, Fuego, Agua.
GUATEMALA TO ESQUIPULAS. 191
were. We did not arrive at the chief town of the Depart-
ment of Santa Rosa, Cuajinicuilapa, — or Cuilapa, as it is
often abbreviated, — until nine o'clock. Here we found a
wretched posada, where we shared our room with an enor-
mous cockroach an inch wide and two and three quarter
inches long. Although we had a letter to the Jefe from
the Department of State, we did not care to wait in the
morning for him to get up ; so after climbing into the
church-tower and over the roof, we rode on to the fine
old bridge over the Rio de los Esclavos. This, consisting
of ten masonry arches spanning a rocky ravine, bears the
dates 1592-1852. Our path followed the valley for some
time, and at a convenient place we had a bath in the
rapid river, whose waters were agreeably cool. As we
left the river our path led up a very steep ascent
nearly eighteen hundred feet. On the way we had sev-
eral fine views of the " Hunapu " volcanoes, — Pacaya,
Fuego, Agua, and Acatenango, — clustered together, and in
the clear atmosphere
seeming to be close at
hand. Pacaya seemed
to have the laro;est
^-^ Hunapu from the East.
crater, while Agua
had none visible from this side. On the top of this " lad-
der" we rested our animals on a grassy plain where they
could pasture. We had noticed cotton-trees (Bomhax) on
the way up, and we found some wild pines that the men
repairing the road had left, and we tracked the fruit,
which is pleasantly acid, to the pines used here for
hedging {Bromelia Pinguin). The curious umbrella-ants
{(Ecodoma) were common on the path, each carrying its
bit of leaf wherewith to stock the formicarium. A puff
192 GUATEMALA.
of the breath would overset these heavy sail-bearers, which
go in Indian file. We had no time to follow them home
on this occasion ; ^ for when we came to Azaciialpa, still
some eight leagues from Jutiapa, we found this large village
(twelve hundred inhabitants) had no posada. Indeed, it
had nothing but corn and beans, and even water was
scarce ; so we pushed on into the night through an un-
known country. After dark we could buy no maiz for our
bestias, though a senora sold us a bottle of excellent honey.
We had seen from the hill above, in the fading light, a
magnificent valley of great extent, broken by ridges and
ravines, and we had hoped to find some decent shelter.
But when the moon rose over a volcano, we decided to
camp ; and picketing our steeds on a fine pasture, we
slept on our blankets, undisturbed except by the wind,
which was strong at times. Our barometer told us we
were 3,152 feet above the sea. I noticed that in the
highlands it was apt to be windy at night.
In the morning our honey, a little bread, and some
unripe oranges gave us a very unsubstantial meal ; never-
theless at daybreak we saddled and rode on. We saw
many pigeons, little gray quails that ran along the path,
and crows. At La Paz we found a very neat house,
where we stopped for almuerzo ; but alas for external
signs ! my bowl of black-bean soup contained a patriarchal
cockroach. It was pleasant to see through the open door
our animals eating a good breakfast of sacaton. A little
farther on was a clear stream ; but most of the way was
over a dusty plain among espina hlancas'^ {Acacia) and
^ See note on Zompopas in the Appendix.
^ These acacias not only yield gum-arabic, but the pods contain so much
tannin that they are used to make ink.
GUATEMALA TO ESQUIPULAS. 193
calabash-trees, lava streams and blocks. The surface of
the ground was cracking open with dry shrinkage, and
there was little to interest us. Our Yankee nature asserted
itself, and we whittled at some of the little purple-spotted
calabashes as we rode along. The rind is very hard, even
in young fruit ; and the inside is solid and consistent as
an unripe squash. The odd-looking, speckled blossoms
spring from the trunk of the crabbed-looking tree {Cres-
centia cujete).
About noon we came to Jutiapa, situated on a plain
through which the Rio Salado has cut a deep valley.
We entered by a gateway and found the Plaza. This
was paved, and in the midst a dribbling fountain indicated
a very insufficient water-supply for the town. Before us
was the church, behind us the Casa Nacional, and the
other sides were occupied by stores and the house of the
Jefe. Our anxious inquiries for a posada were met with
the too frequent answer that there was no such thing
here in this town of some twelve hundred inhabitants.
Good fortune directed us to inquire of a person in a shop
at a corner just beyond the church ; and this resulted in
a most hospitable invitation to the house of Seiior Alonzo
Rozales, a Spanish gentleman whose name will be always
a charm to conjure by. He gave us a large room opening
to the street as well as into the patio, and we at once felt
at home. We had walked many miles, I leading, Frank
driving, the poor tired animals. It was fifteen leagues
from Cuilapa to Jutiapa, and the road was very hard and
maiz very scarce. We were obliged to wait here for our
mozos, whom we had sent from Guatemala but had not
overtaken on the road ; and we were happy enough that
the necessary delay came in so comfortable a place. Our
13
194 GUATEMALA.
host brought iis new mats for oiir bedsteads, and pillows
trimmed with lace in Spanish style ; then, after killing a
very large and crusty scorpion which had established him-
self over the door, presented us with a bottle of Val de
Pena, — a fine red wine from Spain, — and left us to our
rest.
Sunday morning came, but no signs of our mozos. The
church was closed, as there was no resident padre ; we got
in, however, while an attendant opened it to do some work
on the bells. The roof was apparently arranged for a
fortification. "Within we saw the skull of an Indio (?)
built into the stucco over the agua hencUta, and a painting
representing a padre offering the consecrated wafer to a
kneeling ass, — apparently in the office of the communion,
as the padre holds the chalice in his other hand. A
figure in the background — perhaps the owner of the ass
— has long mustachios, wears a turban, and holds np his
hands in astonishment. No explanation of this curious
subject could be obtained there ; and after rejecting Balaam
and his ass, we concluded that this was the ass on which
Christ rode to Jerusalem. As volcanoes are baptized
into the Church, why not asses ?
There was a worn-out, poverty-stricken appearance to
the town ; not a cultivated plant to be seen, as all the
vegetables and fruits are grown at some distance, in the
more fertile mountain valleys. Some of the larger
houses, indeed, have a few flowers in their patio ; but
these are quite invisible from the street. No fruit was
in the shops or for sale in the streets, and our animals
were fed on squashes. Perhaps at the annual fair
(November 15) this ancient town, which under the
name of Xutiapan existed long before the Conquest, may
GUATEMALA TO ESQUIPULAS. 195
assume a livelier appearance. Still anxious about our
mozos, we walked back several miles on our road, though
the high wind made travelling very disagreeable. At last,
in the afternoon, Santiago arrived with the mozo we had
hired in Guatemala ; and to our astonishment the latter
brought with him his wife and little daughter. This was
more of a caravan than we had bargained for, and I was
puzzled ; but the woman seemed quiet and inoffensive,
and the child, who could hardly walk, and was carried
always on her mother's back, was a good little thin.i:i^, —
indeed, the most reasonable child I ever saw. I acqui-
esced in the arrangement the more readily becaiise I saw
that the woman was unwilling to have her husband go
away so far from home that he might not return to her.
He was a handsome, strong fellow, and proved well
worth all the woman's care.
On Monday we started our mozos and luggage at six in
the morning, and left our kind host before seven. We
were almost surrounded by small volcanic cones, but
Suchitan was the only one we identified. This gave
little signs of its fiery origin to unpractised eyes, for
the lower slopes were covered with shrubs, and here
and there a little house peeped out among the trees,
while fields extended to the cloudy summit. So severe
was the wind on the plain at the base of this volcano
that our animals several times turned from the path to
seek shelter. Three leagues out we passed Achuapa, and
five leagues farther Horcones, — both small villages.
Clematis grew over the bushes and softened the rough
appearance of the calabash-trees and espina blancas, —
almost the only vegetation on this dry and unpromising
upland. We had frequently seen the ocean from our
196 GUATEMALA.
highway during the past few days, and now we saw the
volcanoes of Salvador, one of which was smoking, which I
sujDposed to be Izalco. Blocks of lava were scattered all
over the plain, as if some bed of lava had been broken up
and brought down in fragments by an avalanche. The
stone was well suited for the manufacture of metatles, or
tortilla-stones, and fragments were scattered all about, as
well as several half -finished metatles, spoiled by an un-
lucky blow. We could not find any one at work, and
did not learn with what tools this rather difficult stone-
cutting is accomplished. The honey of Suchitan is very
good, perhaps made partly from acacia-flowers ; its flavor
being not unlike that of the famous honey of Auvergne
in France, — also, a region of extinct volcanoes.
We arrived at Santa Catarina about three in the after-
noon ; there, while our animals rested and fed in front of
the cabildo, we bespoke a comida at a little cook-shop in
the Plaza, and then explored the poor little church, which
was dark, windowless, and wholly bespattered with bat-
filth, — pictures, crucifix and all. We beat a hasty
retreat from this unseemly sanctuary ; and after a wash
in the public fountain, returned to the cocina, where we
were served with tortillas, fried eggs, plantains, frijoles,
and coffee, — for which we paid three reals, or thirty-seven
and a half cents. As w^e left the tow^n we passed a noisy
trapiche, or sugar-mill, consisting of three vertical wooden
rollers turned by four oxen. It sounded very like one of
the ancient cider-mills in New England. A good mill
could make a fair percentage of sugar out of the crushed
cane passing through these rollers.
From the town we found a rather steep descent, and at
the bottom a large river to ford, whose bed was full of
GUATEMALA TO ESQUIPULAS. 197
loose rocks, — making the passage very difficult. We
had not gone two leagues from Santa Catarina before
darkness came on, and we camped by the roadside. A
cheery fire and our blankets made the camp very com-
fortable, and the little child was quiet all night, — not
civilized enough, Frank declared, to cry instead of sleep.
The dew-fall was very heavy ; it is probably always
so at this dry season.
We were up at light, and sent the men to find water
while we got the fire burning and made coffee. With
honey and wheaten rolls we breakfasted well, — indeed,
our out-door life in this good climate made us feel at
peace with all men, and satisfied — nay, pleased — with
everything that befell us. The morning was cloudy ; but
we knew the clouds did not mean rain at this season, and
we were in the saddle before the dew was quite dried from
our blankets. As we went along we several times passed
black obsidian chips, some recent, but most of them quite
old, — evidently the refuse of the knife-makers, whose
work in ancient times was much in demand ; the long,
slim blades used in circumcision were never used but
once, then consecrated in the temples or broken ; and
those knives used for other purposes were of course brit-
tle, and soon destroyed.
We arrived at Agua Blanca about eight o'clock, and
stopped to feed our bestias on cornstalks and squashes.
The former were kept high up in the trees, which neither
cows nor pigs could climb, while the squashes in endless
variety nearly filled a small house, through whose bambu
walls the wandering hogs could smell the coveted food.
The town is appropriately named " White Water," for
the only supply was very milky in appearance and very
198
GUATEMALA,
clayey in taste. Almost directly over the town, the volcano
of Monte Rico, long extinct, is the most striking feature in
the landscape. Cultivated to the very edge of the crater,
which is said to contain a large lake, the fertility of the
fields was greatest at the
top, — due, no doubt, to
the waters of the crater ;
while the lower slopes are
comparatively dr}^ and bar-
ren. Around the base are
many smaller cones, which
remind one of those which
dot the slopes of ^Etna and
give the Sicilian volcano
the name "Mother of
Mountains." Not a league
beyond we crossed the only
clear stream we saw all
day ; but even this water
was not very pleasing to
the taste. Bars across the
road made us fear we had
missed the path and were
no longer in the " camino
real; " we were, neverthe-
less. At Piedras Gordas,
in the afternoon, we stopped for food, in hopes of hearing
tidings of our guide and mozos, who had started before us.
Our frugal meal of plantains, tortillas, and red bananas
was constantly interrupted by the pigs who were stealing
the sacaton from our hungry animals. For miles there
were booths and stone fireplaces marking the camps of the
Mozo on the Road.
GUATEMALA TO ESQUIPULAS. 199
pilgrims who journey to the sacred Sanctuario de Esqui-
pulas. At six o'clock we camped in a fine pine-forest
high up in the mountains. No human habitation was
near, but a few cattle were seen here and there. The pas-
turage was good between the scattered trees of this grand
park. We built a roaring fire, which cast curious shadows
from the trees, pegged our bestias securely, enjoyed
a good lomilomi, or Hawaiian massage, and both fell
asleep. Suddenly I awoke with the strong impression
that something was wrong. There was no noise, not
even the cry of a night-bird ; only the soft sough of the
night-breezes in the pine-tops. Frank was breathing
quietly at my side, the fire was out, and the night was
cold outside the blankets. As I sat up to look about, a
dark object caught my eye in the dim distance, and
without much thought or reason I went towards it,
simply because I felt impelled to do so. There was no
consideration of personal danger, but an overpowering
feeling that all was not as it should be. The first
thought as I got near the black object, which seemed to
move towards me, was amusing, — it looked like the
devil ; there were the short, straight horns, the hoofs,
and I saw the switch of a tail. It was very like a
dream. I had seen the " father of lies " in , many a
human form, but never so undisguised ; and I was filled
with curiosity. The next moment a joyful hinny dis-
covered our mare Mabel, who recognized me before I
could plainly see her. Putting my arm around her
neck, I found the remnant of the horse-hair lariat with
which Frank had fastened her. I tried to return to
camp, more than an eighth of a mile away, but could
not orient myself in the dark, and had to call to Frank.
200 GUATEMALA.
Guided by his answer, I retraced my steps, stumbling
into a brook I had unconsciously crossed in going out ;
and we found the peg and again secured Mabel. In this
curious way we were saved a long hunt for the next
day.
At daylight we were on a very good road, and soon
after eight we stopped at a sugar-plantation for some
coffee and frijoles negras. Here was a fine stream, to-
gether with vats formerly used for indigo-making, now
useless. Hill rose above hill, and Esquipulas seemed as
far away as ever. By the roadside were the pilgrim fire-
places, frequent and extensive, and we noticed a large
deposit of a pink-colored rock, which I supposed might
contain manganese {Rhodonite). The specimens I brought
away, I regret to say, were afterwards left at one of our
camps. The last hill at length climbed, before us lay an
extensive valley reachiitg to the distant mountains of
Merendon, the boundary of Spanish Honduras.
Lava Mask in the Museo Nacional.
CHAPTER VIII.
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA.
I HAVE grouped in this chapter two most interesting
monuments of the past, — a Christian temple whose
mission seems to have been fulfilled, and a pagan grave-
yard where stand the monuments of unknown kings or
heroes. They are not inaptly joined ; for in this busy,
matter-of-fact, commercial age, it is well that the less per-
ishable records of our brothers who have preceded us in
the unending march of life upon this globe should detain
us, if but for a moment, with the lessons they may teach
to thoughtful minds, — the temple raised by pious labor to
signify that there is more than the present to live for,
the monuments of the dead to carry on the personalities
so soon lost in earthly life.
We gazed from the precipice at the white building,
large even on so vast a plain, and began the steep de-
scent. The little village was almost dead in appearance.
There were many houses and rooms to let, but no
posada ; and as our mozos had not arrived, we rode
to the Santuario down the single street of the town. It
was wide, paved with cobbles, and bordered on either side
by the booths and lodging-sheds for the merchants and
devotees who still crowd the town at the festival season.
Two streams, one the headwaters of the Rio Lempa,
flowed across the road beneath solid masonry bridges.
202 GUATEMALA.
Into two of the posts of one of these were inserted two
ancient sculptures, said to have been brought from Peten,
but more probably from the neighboring ruins of Copan,
just beyond the mountains. One was the grotesque head
of a griffin, the other a small human figure with a pre-
posterous head-dress. The Santuario is an imposing
structure, massive rather than elegant, and dazzling in its
whiteness. Towers rise at the four corners, divided into
four stages, of which the lower one is broken only by a
small oval window on the side ; the second is pierced by
an arched window and decorated with pilasters ; the
third, still square, rises above the general roof with two
windows on each side ; the fourth, octagonal in shape,
has a single window on the alternate sides. A large
dome rises in the midst, figures of saints and a clock
mark the facade, and the whole structure rises from an
extensive platform surrounded by an iron fence with
masonry posts, and approached by a broad and easy flight
of steps.
On entering, the first thing noticed was the immense
thickness of the walls, ten or twelve feet at least, — a
reminder that this is an earthquake country. The floor
was paved with large red tiles, needing repairs in
places. Among the pictures was one of the Last Supper,
and near it a decidedly local one of people lassoing
Christ. We had hardly glanced about, when a curious
figure presented himself, speaking tolerable English very
rapidly, and, after the usual interchange of compliments,
introduced himself as Dr. Jose Fabregos y Pares, a trav-
eller ; and then presented his companion, the handsome
young cura, Padre Gabriel Davila, who welcomed us to
his church and showed us the curiosities of the place.
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA. 203
Firstj of course, we wanted to see the famous black
Christ, '' Our Lord of Esquipulas." This miraculous im-
age, to whose shrine devout pilgrims have gathered even
from distant Mexico and Panama, — pilgrims numbered
in former years as many as fifty thousand at a single fes-
tival, — was made in Guatemala City in 1594 hy Quirio
Catano, a Portuguese, at the order of Bishop Cristobal de
Morales, on the petition of the pueblo of Esquipulas.
The sculptor was paid " cien tostones," — a testoon being
of the value of four reals, or half a dollar ; and to meet
this expense the Indios planted cotton on the very land
where the sanctuary now stands. For more than a cen-
tury and a half the image stood in the village church,
where the miracles wrought spread its fame very far.
The first archbishop of Guatemala, Pedro Pardo de
Figueroa, laid the foundation of the present temple,
which he did not live to finish, but died Feb. 2, 1751,
praying with his last breath that his bones might rest
at the feet of this image of his Lord. In 1759 SeSor D.
Alonso de Arcos y Moreno, President of the Real Audiencia
of Guatemala, completed the great work, at a cost, it is said,
of three million dollars ; and on January 6 of that year the
image was translated with all the pomp of the Romish
Cliurch. Twelve days later, the remains of the pious arch-
bishop followed. The founder established a brotherhood
of worthy people who should take upon themselves the
material support of the edifice ; but Padre Miguel Munoz,
writing in 1827, says that this laudable custom had died
out among the whites, only the Indios holding to the com-
pact. Those of Totonicapan furnish a certain amount of
wax and provide for some offices of the Church ; those
of Mexico visit the shrine in Holy Week with offerings
204 GUATEMALA.
of wax ; while from Salvador are brought wax, incense,
balsam, oil, and brooms.
Now, with all this we expected to see something re-
markable, but saw only an ordinary altar-piece, with plain
curtains before the miraculous image. It was not a holy-
service time, consequently the curtains could not be raised;
the padre, however, after sending Frank's revolver out
of the holy place, took us behind the altar and admitted us
to a small glass room where the black image stands. It
was much less than life size, very black, — painted, how-
ever, only by time, — inferior in conception and execution,
and wearing long female hair. Ex-voto pictures and gold
and silver images and tokens hung upon and around this
figure, and in the same chamber were figures of Joseph
and Mary, together with angels with cotton-wool wings.
It was impossible for me to feel any of the awe with which
past generations of Indies have regarded this black Christ.
My imagination is not wholly dulled, and I have felt
curious sensations before the horrible idols of the Pacific
islanders, before the placid features of a gigantic Buddha,
in the Hall of Gods at Canton, and before the Jove of
the Vatican. I have been in the holy places of many
nations, and have felt a sympathy with the worship-
pers ; even the black cliffs of the supposed Sinai have led
my thoughts captive. But here in Esquipulas there was
nothing but the husk, — nothing solemn, nothing holy ;
the portrait of Figueroa was the most respectable thing
in the church. It was, moreover, no strange thing to pass
into the vestry and overhaul the boxes of gold and silver
ex-votos ; these we could purchase at so much an ounce.
They were indeed, as our new friend Dr. Jose declared,
" very curibus." All parts of the human body, healthy
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIKIGUA. 205
or diseased, many animals, and other objects of human
desire or solicitude, were to be found here. To our matter-
of-fact Northerners it may be necessary to explain the
theory and object of these works of native platerias.
Medical men and surgeons are almost unknown in the
remote regions of Central America, and a sick or injured
man, while applying all known remedies, sends also to
the nearest 'platero, or silversmith (common enough
among the aborigines), and has a model of the affected
part made; this token some friend, if the patient be un-
able to make the journey himself, carries to the mysterious
image, whose power to heal he devoutly believes in. It
is a faith, rather than a mind, cure. The barren woman
in the northern climes, instead of being bowed down with
her sad lot, obtains an easy consolation in a pug or lap-
dog ; but her Indian sister takes a truer view of the pur-
pose of her life, and in her prayerful longing devotes in
efhgy the coveted offspring, — much as Hannah, the wife
of Elkanah, devoted the unbegotten Samuel to the Lord.
Like the Hebrew barren wife, the Indian goes up on a
pilgrimage to the most sacred shrine, makes her offering,
and breathes her prayer. The Eli of the Sanctuary bids
her " go in peace."
The accumulated offerings of gold and silver images
are sold to pay the charges of the Templo, — not always,
however ; for report has it that the Government some
years ago seized fifty thousand dollars' worth of this
treasure and appropriated it to its own use.
Dr. Jose invited us to share his room, which we gladly
did. He had just returned from Honduras, and was on
his way to an Indian city in Guatemala where was buried,
to his certain information, an immense treasure of the
206 GUATEMALA.
ancient kings. I will not tell my readers the exact
locality, though I fear Don Jose will find no treasures
greater than the beautiful opals he brought from beyond
the Merendon Mountains. As we left the Templo I
bought oranges of a little girl, giving her the price she
asked, — ten for a cuartillo (three cents) ; and I almost
believed in the miracle-working image when the girl
brought me three more oranges ! I ought to have in-
sisted on having twenty for a cuartillo. Very late in
the afternoon the mozos arrived, having been lost in the
Cerros, where we strangers had found a plain path with-
out guides. There was not enough daylight left to give
us a photograph of the image, but we got the white
Santuario. Even at the present day the annual festival,
extending from the sixth to the ninth of January, brings
together many people, — but perhaps quite as much for
trade as for worship.
As we rode out of the town in the morning we passed
men repairing the aqueduct, — which reminds me that
the water in Esquipulas is very bad. We climbed an
unbroken hill eighteen hundred feet to an altitude of
forty-six hundred, glancing back for a last look at the
great white temple, monarch of the plain. As we crossed
the divide, we had a fine view of Quezaltepeque, with
Monte Rico and Suchitan looking in the distance much
more volcanic than when we passed them on the road.
Hard as the ascent was, the descent was even worse ;
twenty-one hundred feet of exceedingly bad road delayed
us greatly, and it was long after noon when we arrived at
Quezaltepeque. There was not much to see here. In
the dirty church I noticed a picture of the " Virgen
de Lourdes," and a contribution-box for offerings to that
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA.
207
Incense-burner.
modern shrine ; and Frank found a very curious incense-
burner, which certainly did not give evidence that the
second command-
ment had been
broken. As we
stayed only an
hour for our al-
muerzo and comida
combined, we did
not see much be-
sides the Plaza and
the main street ;
we followed the
latter out of the
town, fording a stream of some size, with gravelly bed
and bordered with fruit-trees.
We were now in the picturesque valley of the Hondo,
— a winding, clear, and generally rapid stream ; our path
sometimes crossed it, and again was high above it on the
cliffs. "We passed through San Jacinto about dusk and
camped a few miles beyond, having to go a long way
after dark, as both sides of the road were fenced, —
a most unusual thing. We at last stopped at a very
unsuitable place, kindled a fire which guided Santiago
to our camp, and then decided to have our mozo and
his family with us for an early start in the morning.
Frank took his revolver and went back nearly two miles,
where he found the Indio sound asleep in a house. Father,
mother, and child were quickly routed out, and when
they came up we comforted them with some hot coffee.
Towards morning it rained, but not through our blankets ;
and before the morning mist had risen quite above the
208 GUATEMALA.
hills around us, I had my camera at work. The daylight
showed what a queer bedchamber we had chosen. Acacia-
brambles were thick enough, and there was no level
ground ; while behind us was a high limestone cliff closely
resembling a columnar basaltic formation, and just across
the road a precipitous descent to the river. We sent the
mozos on at six o'clock, and followed soon after. At
Santa Elena we saw many fan-palms, cultivated as mate-
rial for hats. At Vado Hondo we could resist the temp-
ting river no longer, but had a delightful swim in the
clear, cool water. All the valley was beautiful, and gen-
erally cultivated, — here with sugar, there with corn,
and we saw several small sugar-mills.
As we approached the lower valley the sun broke
through the clouds and was very hot ; but when we came
to the wide gravel bed of the sometimes broad river above
which Chiquimula stands, the heat was most unbearable.
On a plateau to the right stood the ruins of an immense
church, while far away to the left stretched a fertile
valley. We rode up hill into the town at eleven o'clock,
and, as usual, found no posada. We did, however, find
good food and a very comfortable room at the large mer-
cantile house of Senora Anacleta Nufio de Monasterio (this
was the mark on her china). The house was large, and
in the patio were orange-trees and a fountain of good
water. The important matter of lodgings settled, we
went to church, finding it out of repair and dingy. To
put ourselves in thorough moral order, I decided to offer
here at this ecclesiastical centre two tallow candles, —
a penance we wished to perform at Quezaltepeque, but
could find no candles for sale near at hand. I placed
the candles, lighted, in silver candlesticks, which were
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA. 209
empty on the grand altar, and sat down on the doorstep
to see what would happen. Soon an attendant came and
asked if I had offered the candles ; and on being assured
that I had, exclaimed " Buen ! " in a very satisfied tone ;
nevertheless he took the poor candles from their place of
honor and put them before an empty saint-case. Well,
the saints above were perhaps as well satisfied ; but
Frank here below was rather indignant, and declared he
would never offer a candle again. But what else could
we expect for making light of the candles ?
We called on the Jefe, Don Ezequel Palma, a military
man past middle age, who was very polite and who sent
his private secretary, Dr. Domingo Estrada, to show us the
lions of Chiquimula. We rode first to the ruins of the
ancient town where we had seen the remains of the church
in the morning. The same earthquake that in 1773
destroyed Antigua shattered this town and caused the
removal of the inhabitants some distance to the west-
ward. The old site was a better one ; but the people
moved away to save the trouble of clearing up the ruins.
The church was two hundred and fifty feet long, and
seventy-five wide. The immense walls, ten feet thick,
were still standing ; but the vaulted roof blocked the in-
terior with its fragments. The ruins of this once holy
place were now used as a cemetery, the rank in this
world of the occupier determining the distance of each
grave from the altar-end ; while outside were the neg-
lected ashes of the commoners. The brambles and thorny
plants made the locality unpleasant for living beings, and
we got our horses away as soon as possible.
We passed the new hospital, which Dr. Estrada showed
us with pride ; it will be, if ever completed, the best
14
210 GUATEMALA.
in Guatemala. A visit to a sugar-estate in the valley
showed us fields of red cane, small, but very sweet.
There were two small mills, both made in Buffalo, N. Y.,
— one turned by wind, the other by oxen ; and the
product is about nine hundred pounds of brown sugar
a day.
At five the next morning we were serenaded by the
military band of the town, — an honor we had received
several times before ; and the music was very good.
We left the ancient town of Chiquimula at eight o'clock,
although our hostess, Seilora Anacleta, wished us to stay
and join an expedition of her friends to Copan to exam-
ine " las ruinas," — an excursion w^e longed to make, but
could not then.
The road to Zacapa was good, and we saw many
gigantic cylindrical cacti. These curious trees looked
pulpy and fragile ; but Frank tried a branch with
his raw-hide lasso, and the horse could not pull it
off ! We shall never again lasso a prickly cactus. On
trees by the road (chiefly euphorbiaceous trees) were
large nests, eighteen to twenty inches long, of some
mud-wasp. As we approached Zacapa we crossed the
Hondo by a ford where the water was not two feet
deep ; but the path was very long and winding, and the
current rapid. As usual, there was no posada ; but a call
on the Jefe, Don Brigido Castaileda, resulted in a page
being sent to conduct us to the decent house of a widow,
where we found lodg;ino; and comida. Our first search
was for a blacksmith, our animals needing re-shoeing.
There were three lierreras in the town ; but one was sick,
another had no charcoal, while the third had no nails, —
and there was no lending among these sons of Thor. So
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA. 211
Frank had to do the work himself with hammer and axe ;
and his general handiness again stood us in stead. There
was little enough to attract us in this town, and early
the next morning (Sunday) we sent the mozos ahead and
followed before the weekly drill of the militia was fin-
ished. In Zacapa the Government has a large tobacco-
factory ; and the '■ Zacapa puros " are much liked by
smokers.
All the way out of town the fields were dry, although
we passed several small streams, and beyond San Pablo a
grove of fan-palms watered by a fine brook. No fruit
was anywhere to be seen, not even on the great cacti.
The Motagua River we had looked for at every turn, and
at last w^e came upon a stream so rapid that it does not
even water its dry banks. A swim was out of the ques-
tion, but our bath was very refreshing.
At Zacapa we left the volcanic region ; and afterwards
we saw no more lava or tufa, but a formation resembling
old red sandstone, mica schist, slates, milk-quartz, and
some serpentine. We were then in the metamorphic
mountain-belt. The shapes of the hills of course changed
with their geological nature, and we missed the beautiful
cones that had formed a characteristic of our daily land-
scape since we had our first glimpse of Tajumulco from
the Chixoy valley many weeks before.
On this road we saw the Palo Cortez, — one of the
most splendid flowering-trees I ever saw. It w^as large,
leafless, and covered with dark-pink flowers. Never in
large numbers, it brightened the dark forests with its
mass of rich color, and as many as five or six would be
in sight at once. Surely we could have made a cal-
endar marked by some remarkable plant each day ; and
212 GUATEMALA.
this Sunday was a red-letter day, marked by this tree
named in honor of the great Conquistador. A fine arbo-
rescent composite, with dark-orange blossoms of the size
and shape of thistles, closely recalled the Hesperomannia
that my dear friend Horace Mann (the younger) discov-
ered during our explorations in the Hawaiian Islands,
twenty years before.
In the afternoon we passed the rancho of Don Caye-
tano, where we saw good cattle, but did not stop until
some distance beyond, when we boiled our coffee by the
roadside and I photographed our travelling arrangements.
Although we arrived at Gualan at half-past five, we had
more than the usual trouble in finding a lodging ; but at
last a deaf old man, who was also burdened with a large
goitre, took us into his comfortable house of two rooms,
while Santiago, who professed to be familiar with the
place, took our animals in charge. The town was insig-
nificant and decayed, although on the main road from
Guatemala City to the coast. After a supper of the
toughest meat we had found in this republic, our host
gave us his daughter's room ; and while Frank attempted
to make the little bed comfortable, I slung my hammock
from the dusty rafters. The daughter, about sixteen, was
rather pretty, and we were sorry to incommode her ; but
she turned in with the old man, and we could hear that
they were both asleep long before we got used to the
squeaking noise of a lizard in the thatch and to the
showers of dust every motion of my hammock shook
down from above.
"We were at the head of navigation on the Motagua,
and decided to send our mozos on to Los Amates by land,
while we took a canoa. Santiago had promised us one in
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA. 213
the morning, but could not find it ; whereupon Frank
found a boatman, and reduced his price from ^4.00 to
^2.50. Just as we were returning to the house to get our
higgage, we met our useless Santiago with a man who
had kindly consented, as an especial favor to him, to
take us for $6.00. In going to the river we passed the
Calvario, which was elaborately walled ; but the roots of
many shrubs were prying the masonry open. A descent
of about two hundred feet brought us to the river bank,
and we found the water cool and good.
Our canoa was a good " dugout," with a mat of split
bambu for our seat, and our boatman managed it very
skilfully, avoiding the frequent shoals and taking full
advantage of the current. Bathers and washerwomen
were common along the banks, — the latter with precious
little clothing, but usually working under a palm-leaf
shelter. Often they did not hear the paddle, so noisy
were their tongues, until we were close upon them ; and
they generally ducked when they saw us. White herons,
alligators, and iguanas were common enough, and we
saw two very round turtles about a foot in diameter.
Twice we touched bottom in the rapids ; but the skill of
the paddler kept us bows on and saved us a wetting.
At Barbasco the river was wide, and we saw three
mules crossing, as our bestias would have to do later in the
day. They waded two thirds of the distance and swam
the rest, one being carried by the current into the bushes
down stream.^ The exhilarating motion was in marked
contrast to our struggle up the Rio Polochic ; but there
was no such interest in the valley of the Rio Motagua
1 Another time when Frank was crossing he had to swim for his life, and
nearly lost his animals.
214 GUATEMALA.
as in that of the Polochic, and not until we approached
Los Amates did we come to the forest. In many places
banana or plantain suckers had got entangled in the
bushes overhanging the banks or on shoals, and were
rooting and growing. The river is about a hundred
yards wide at Los Amates, where we landed after a canoa
voyage of five hours and a half. The steep bank was
muddy, and the whole town likewise, as far as we could
see. Four open-walled reed huts shelter all the inhabi-
tants, both man and beast. The view riverwards was
attractive, as the river seemed the only way out of this
forest-environed spot. We walked into the woods on the
trail northward to El Mico, about three quarters of a
league ; here the ground was utterly water-soaked, and
we saw nothing interesting except two humming-birds
having a bitter duel. They were so absorbed in their
deadly hatred that we stood some minutes within arm's
length without interrupting tliem. Near the houses the
manaca-palms overspread the path in most perfect Gothic
arches, forming groined vaults of living green. Our
comida was tolerable ; but flies and mosquitoes were
abundant, so were dogs and pigs, and there were
many chickens with their wings turned inside out and
their feathers put on the wrong way. We could throw
stones at the doo;s without attracting; notice ; but I
found the people evidently did not like to have the
pigs insulted.
Our senora was a curious specimen, all skin and bones,
clad in a scant dress, a large straw hat, and apparently
nothing else, and smoking an ever-burning cigar. At
night she put us on a shelf of slim bambus that would
not bear our weight standing, though they made a fairly
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA. 215
comfortable bed. We shared this loft with corn and
poultry ; and looking down into the common room be-
neath us, we saw by the light of a bowl of oil strange
domestic scenes. Women were swinging in hammocks
and smoking cigars, and children lying naked on the bare
earth floor ; and it was pleasant to see such at-one-ness
and the utter absence of anything like bashfulness.
Our calendar alone informed us that the next day was
Christmas, and we spent it in waiting for our mozos and
bestias, who arrived about three o'clock. We sat on the
sheet-iron pipes, fifteen inches in diameter, which were
resting here on their way to the Friedmann mines, farther
south. They kept us out of the mud, and were the only
comfortable seats in the town. On the mano-o and orano-e
trees we found a pretty little yellow orchid {Oncidmm .^).
In the houses we saw tanning done, without a vat, by
making a bag of the hide and filling it with the bark
decoction, which slowly percolated through and was re-
placed. The remains of an English steam-launch were
scattered about, sheets of copper from her bottom serv-
ing as clapboards to part of the house where we lodged.
At night the men of the place were all drunk and very
noisy. The fires were kept burning late, and cast weird
gleams through the open slat walls into the darkness.
Havina; ena-as-ed a ajuide for the so-called Ruinas at
Quirigua, at eight o'clock the next morning we said our
adios (after paying our hostess nineteen reals for our-
selves and mozos) and started down the river bank.
Across the river were the largest bambus we had seen in
the country, some joints at least six inches in diameter.
Our path led through a canebrake, and often so close on
the loose banks of the Motas:ua that I feared we should
216 GUATEMALA.
drop in. For two hours we went on in this way, stopping
only to rifle a turtle's nest of fourteen small eggs (less in
size than a pullet's). We then turned to the left and
came to the Quirigua river, — which more resembled a
creek ; and here my heart sank, for I have a great dread
of black waters and muddy bottoms. Santiago waded in
first, and I followed close on the little mule ; and we all
crossed safely, our mozo leading his wife by the hand
with great care. Once in the thick forest, our guide did
his best to empty a generous bottle of aguardiente he
had brought with him ; so that within an hour he knew
very little about the road, or anything else useful. Cohune
and similar palms were on all sides, and we first saw
here the iiacaija {Euterpe edidis ?), — a slender palm with
edible pods or buds. Enormous trees with buttresses —
even the goyava took this form here — were prominent
among the lower palms, and ginger and wild bananas
bordered the rather indefinite path, which we had con-
stantly to clear of vejucos and fallen palm-leaves. Many
round holes, as large as a flour-barrel, showed where
palm-stumps had been eaten out by insects.
A little brook with chalybeate waters cost us both a
^wetting ; for Frank's mare stuck in a mud-hole, and my
mule slid down a steep bank backwards into the water,
soaking my saddlebags. After travelling three hours on
this muddy road, we came to a clearing, where were two
large champas fast going to ruin. Mr. A. P. Maudslay,
an Englishman who has spent much labor and money in
exploring Guatemaltecan antiquities, had been here twice,
and not only cleared a considerable space around the
principal monuments, but had cleaned the stones, and
even made moulds in plaster of some of them; he had
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA.
217
also built the champas that sheltered us. We spread
our wet things over a fire, and went to the first monu-
ment (A on the plan), which was close at hand. Mr.
Catherwood's sketches, published in Stephens's most in-
teresting Travels, led us
to expect rough menhirs
quite analogous to the
Standing Stones of Sten-
nis, or those better
known of Stonehenge.
Here, rising from a pool
of water collected in the
excavation Mr. Mauds-
lay had made to exam-
ine the foundation, was
a monolith of light-col-
ored, coarse-grained
sandstone, well carved
over its entire surface
except top and bottom.
On the front and back
were full-length human
figures, not deities, but
attempted likenesses,
joined with the tigre's
head to indicate chief-
tainship, and a skull to represent death. Both sides
were covered with hieroglyphic inscriptions quite dis-
tinct, but not intelligible to any living being. (See
Frontispiece.) What would I have given to be per-
mitted to read the stone-cut story ! No locked chamber
ever inspired half the curiosity. When was this stone
Remains at Quirigua.
218 GUATEMALA.
set up, by whom, and to what purpose ? Whose are the
portraits, when did. these persons live, and what did they
do for their fellows. The mocking answer to all these
questions is cut in the stone before us. The native name
of idolos is an idle one, unless used in the Greek sense ;
for these are no gods, but memorials of the dead as
distinctly as the tombstones in our modern graveyards.
While the hieroglyphs are similar to those at Copan
and Palenque, they are not, I think, identical, and I fancy
they are of the nature of the denominative cartouches
of the Egyptian obelisks. I copy Mr. Maudslay's plan
of this group of monuments, from which it will at once
be seen that their relative position to the other remains
is puzzling in the extreme. We left our imaginings
for the time, and proceeded to the practical work of
photography. This was no light task ; for the sun was
behind trees which cast shadows on the monuments,
while the shady side was almost invisible in the camera.
Insects swarmed in front of the lens, and the heat was
almost insupportable under the rubber focusing-cloth.
However, I succeeded fairly in carrying away a dozen pic-
tures. Whether I can with no greater difficulty explain to
my readers what this cemetery looked like, even with the
aid of Mr. Maudslay's rough plan, is more questionable.
We entered a clearing, some four hundred feet square,
made only the year before, but already covered with
undergrowth, so that our men had to use their machetes
freely to expose the stones. The level was low and the
soil full of water, which stood in pools here and there.
On our left was a mound, more than two hundred feet
long, which we did not inspect, and in front of this were
placed three monoliths. The first (A) was the smallest ;
\HC
sS^il
Ci^^'y-
^■--- 1'
P§!>)^aJt.c^
MONOLITn AT QUIRIGUA, E.
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA.
219
the second (B) was four feet wide, three feet deep, and
23erhaps sixteen feet high; the third (C) was four feet
nine inches wide, two feet nine inches deep, and eighteen
feet high. Both B and C stood on irregular ends, and the
tops of all were left much as they came from the quarry.
Two taller ones stood on the opposite side of the clearing.
Monolith at Quirigua, F.
One (F) was inclined (as it was to a much less extent
when Mr. Catherwood made his drawing, forty years ago),
and the under side has been protected from the weather,
so that the face is well preserved, the large nose being
intact. This face, unlike the one on the opposite side, is
below the general level of the sculptures, suggesting a
220 GUATEMALA.
substitution of the present portrait for the original one.
The inclination is about thirty-six degrees from the ver-
tical ; and as the stone is about twenty-five feet alDOve
ground, it must be wedged with large foundation-stones,
or be buried deep in the soft earth.
Of all the portraits cut upon these stones, this leaning
monolith has the most remarkable. The hands and feet
are represented in the same conventional manner as on
the stone marked E ; but the immense size of the nose, as
well as of the ears, distinguishes it from all others. The
cast of countenance is very Egyptian. On many of these
sculptures are seen indications of the worship of the cross
(as in the figure on the reverse of E), although this sym-
bol is usually of complicated form, as on the celebrated
tablet at Palenque. The monolith B has on the breast, in
place of the cross, the double triangle, sometimes called
Solomon's Seal, and, like the cross, a well-known symbol
of primitive worship. The nose of the figure on what is
now the upper side of F, is broken, but was of large size
originally.
There were several curious features in the decorative
or symbolic work on the monument marked E on the
plan. The plumes above the head are very extensive,
and there are two distinct heads of the tigre, superim-
posed with two well-modelled hands extending from the
union. The face is much injured. The ears are enor-
mous, and beneath the chin is a projection reminding one
of the " beard-case " of the ancient Egyptians. One arm,
with ruffled sleeve, holds an instrument much like a
" jumping-jack," or else a human body impaled, while the
other is concealed beneath a richly ornamented target.
The feet are turned out, and on them rest what closely
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA.
221
resemble felt hats with plumes, while the pedestal (part
of the one stone) on which the figure stands, bears the
death's-head surmounted by a small head with the re-
markable ears of the chief figure. On the reverse the
features of the figure are
better preserved. A dia-
dem is distinct under a
large and very realistic
jaguar-head, the ears are
covered by strap-like or-
naments, the sandals
elaborately wrought, and
the hat-like ornaments
much more distinct than
on the other side. The
costume is more elabo-
rate, although not cut
in so high relief.
Two large bowlder-
like masses (D and G)
of the same stone are
placed unsymmetrically
in relation to the other
monoliths, and rest on separate cross-stones. They are
carved all over with figures and inscriptions, G being
fashioned at one end into the head and claws of some mon-
ster. A decidedly Aryan head, with mustache and flow-
ing beard, is carved in high relief on the other. ^ If these
^ Although on the stone, and in the photograph as well, this head has the
appearance noted in the text, a more careful examination of the photographic
image magnified shows that the upper portion of the seemingly human face is
in truth that of a tigre, while the flowing beard is the remaining part of a
mutilated human face.
Monolith E (back).
222 GUATEMALA.
were altars, they must have been very inconvenient ones,
as they are about five feet high, and very little of the
upper surface is level. We did not visit the other por-
tions of the cemetery as shown on the plan, because we
did not at the time know of their existence, our guide
being still imder the malign influence of the bottle.
We boiled our turtle's eggs (these, by the way, no boil-
ing ever hardens), drank coffee and limonade, and ate
sardines among these Maya relics, and then departed,
after an interesting visit of only three hours. The heat
and the swarms of insects by day gave us no encourage-
ment to pass the night there, though we could not leave
without a hope that we might return, and perhaps dig
about the stones. Although visitors do not often get to
these monuments, some have left the proofs of their low
sense of propriety in inscriptions scratched on the stone.
Truly the Indios who wander through this cemetery
and call the figures idolos are more civilized than those
fellows who have desecrated the stones by their otherwise
unimportant names.
Our way out was a return for two miles, and then
branched into another path, where the marks of the
railway surveyors were plainly visible, and it seems that
the Ferro-carril del Norte will come close to the Ruinas
of Quirigua. As we left the lowlands we came upon
ledges of sandstone perhaps a mile from the Ruinas, of
the same kind used for the monoliths ; but we could not
find, perhaps owing to the dense vegetation, any signs of
quarry work. In the path we saw fragments of pottery
apparently ancient ; and there are no modern habitations
near at hand. As the path wound up the hill we crossed
a sandstone ridge and had fine views over the valley of
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA. 223
the Motagua. It was pleasant to get among the pines
again, and on solid dry ground : I think I dread mud
more than any other impediment in the road. When we
struck the " camino real " late in the afternoon, Santiago
went to the little village of Quirigua to get the traps he
had left there, while Frank and I went on to the hacienda
of Senor Rascon, late Jefe of Izabal, whom we had met in
the office of Secretario Sanchez in the City of Guatemala.
This hacienda was a mud-house with poor accommoda-
tions and little food ; but as it cost us only two reals, we
had no reason to grumble. The old senora in charge had
only one egg ; but overcome by Frank's plaintive appeal,
she scrambled under the bed where the hens were roost-
ing, and managed to coax another from one of them.
We were here entertained by the process of branding
cattle, — not an attractive exhibition of brute force and
brute suffering.
We were in the saddle at seven, expecting a hard
day's journey. The road was bad enough, muddy even
when steep. In places it was paved ; but this was worse
still. The flowers were interesting, and the splendid
butterflies were flitting all the way. A fine passion-
flower which Frank gathered for me, and a cj^press-vine
{Ijjomcea), were among the old friends in a new place.
Several trains of pack-mules on their way to Guatemala
City passed us, and we had to use care to avoid being
bruised by their loads, which they did not hesitate to
push into us if not driven aside. As Mabel had cast a
shoe, Frank walked almost all the way, using the mare
occasionally as a bridge when the stream to be forded was
wide. As we came out on the northern slope of El Mico
we had an attractive view of the Lago de Izabal, and later
224 GUATEMALA.
of the town itself, where we arrived early in the afternoon,
finding quarters in the posada of Senora Juana, an ancient
mulattress. Her house, at the extreme east end of the
town, was large and ruinous ; but we had a comfortable
and cool room and a very decent comida. In the garden
the seiiora had roses, gardenias, caladiums, hibiscus, and
the Mexican vine {Antigonon leptopus). The town, with
its white houses, low level, and ditched streets, reminded
us of Belize ; but while the capital of British Honduras is
alive, Izabal is dead. On the hill westward was a fort,
with lighthouse and town-bell. At 5 and 6 a.m., and
at 6, 8, and 9 p.m., the fort made a noise. The wharf
at the custom-house was long, but had only two feet
of water, so shallow is the lake at this side. The shore
was sandy, and the water clear. The principal streets
are lighted by gaz (kerosene) ; and as the ditches on
either side are worse than the gutters in New Orleans,
this is a necessary precaution.
In the photograph of Izabal, taken from the end of the
dilapidated wharf, the fort is seen on the hill above the
large warehouse ; at the right is the cluster of buildings
belonging to Mr. Potts, — a gentleman who has a fine
collection of native orchids in his garden, the only one
in all the republic who seemed to take much interest
in horticulture. The church is just behind this dwelling,
and on the hill at the extreme right of the view is the
Campo Santo. In the foreground the corroded piles
show well the action of wood-destroying animals in the
tropical fresh waters.
We saw also in Izabal a very interesting collection of
antiquities from the mines of Las Quebradas, on the
Motagua. There were clay heads of curious workman-
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA.
225
ship, obsidian and flint knives, arrow and spear heads ;
but what attracted me most were three small whistles of
terra-cotta. They represented human figures in a squat-
ting position, all with maxtlis, or waist-cloths, about the
loins, and a coif, or turban, on the heads. One little fat
fellow reminded me of the Chinese roly-poly mandarins,
and was of light-colored clay. Another, who also had a
paunch of generous proportions, presented the profile of
an Egyptian sphinx. But the third, which was four and
Izabal.
a quarter inches high and of a dark bronze color, bore
a close resemblance to a North American Indian. The
figure had earrings precisely like those copper ones that
Professor Putnam discovered in the Ohio mounds. This
whistle could be made to sound three notes, the mouth-
piece being at the posterior base. I tried to buy these
interesting relics, which were found buried at a consider-
able depth, but the owner would not part with them ;
and as the whole collection is kept in a basket and often
15
226 GUATEMALA.
handled, I suppose the photographs I took will soon be
all that is left of them. Clay whistles modelled in
grotesque form, which also sound three notes, may be
found to-dciy in the plazas for sale ; but the material and
workmanship of these ancient terra-cottas surpasses any
of the work of modern Indios.
During the night we were awakened by the noise of
the surf on the beach ; but when I went out on the
piazza there was no wind. Before morning the '^ City of
Belize" — the very steamer that had nearly finished our
journey in the Rio Polochic — arrived from Pansos. At
daybreak I found that the bats had ruined my raw-hide
lasso, the reins of my bridle, and had eaten the seeds of
some toranjas, or shaddocks, which we had carefully
saved for planting. We hung all these articles from the
ceiling to avoid rats or cockroaches.
Frank and Santiago had no end of difficulty in getting
our animals on board the steamer ; but it was done at
last, as everything else that Frank attempted, and just
before noon we started, after an excellent breakfast on
board, in which Senor Gomez, the newly appointed Jefe
jDolitico, joined us. We were now back to the land of
rains ; and as we steamed across the lake to Santa Cruz
we had a tropical downpour. As the steamer was out of
fuel, we coasted the lake to a place about a league above
Castillo de San Felipe, where, after getting some three
cords of wood on board, we tied to the trees for the
night. At daybreak we took on more wood, and then
went on to the old -fort, where the comandante had some
wood to sell, and used his authority to press the soldiers
and bystanders to load it. As it was Sunday there were
plenty of loafers around ; but one dandy who had on b.
ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA. 227
clean shirt would not work, and another fellow had a
stomach-ache and could not ; but the military authority
was respected, and the wood soon loaded. The pilot-
house was a fine, roomy place on the upper deck, and our
comfort was in marked contrast to the experience of the
canoa-voyage up, some months before. Islands and la-
goons succeeded each other rapidly, and we soon crossed
the Golfete and were in the beautiful Rio Dulce. At
three in the afternoon we arrived at the wharf in Living-
ston, and our pleasant journey was at an end.
Whistle from Las Quebradas.
CHAPTER IX.
IN THE OLDEN TIME.
THE physical features of Central America are rich and
varied ; but the story of the races which have peo-
pled it is tinged with a romance and clouded with a
mystery which accord intimately with the cloud-capped
summits, the impenetrable forests, and the earth-fires.
Stories written in stone, whose authors no man knows,
whose meaning none can read, carry us back beyond his-
tory and beyond legend ; and until patient study unravels
the enigma, as it must in time, our vision of the aborigi-
nes is illumined only by those legends which beautify
and corrupt all history. We may treat all legendary lore
as mythic if we are willing to forget that a myth is the
creation of an advanced thought and civilization which
we do not usually concede to the long-perished races who
have preceded us ; or we may simply accept what has
been preserved for us, smile at its simplicity, wonder at
its beauty, or puzzle our brains to connect and classify it
with similar matter from other sources and of other
times. In an uncontroversial spirit I would accept the
slight glimpses of early human races which have lived
upon this continent, and leave to others the task, agree-
able to their tastes, of weighing, measuring, and analy-
zing these stories of a simple people who can no longer
speak for themselves.
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 229
In most ancient times Votan -^ came to the coast now
known as Tabasco, found savages inhabiting the country,
whom by patient labor he civilized, thus founding the Em-
pire of Xibalbay^ and the dynasty of the Votanides. He
or his immediate descendants built Nachan or Culhuacan,
whose ruins at Palenque in Yucatan have astonished all
travellers and students since their discovery.^ Similar
ruins, inscribed with the same hieroglyphic characters, are
found at Copan in Honduras, Quirigua, Tikal, and other
places ; and the arts of architecture and sculpture show in
these remains a development not attained by any succeed-
ing inhabitants of this continent until the present century.
While Xibalbay was still extending its empire over por-
tions of Mexico and Central America, another leader
brought with him from the North a people called Nahoas,
who founded a city not far from Palenque, towards the
southwest, naming it Tula (whence this people are often
called Tultecas). The chief bore a symbolic name, as is
even now usual with the Indian tribes of North America,
and Quetzalcoatl (serpent with the plumes of the quetzal),
or Gucumatz, — as he is known in the Guatemaltecan
legends, — by his superior ability (called magic by the
people), brought his power to such a height as wholly
to overshadow the flourishing Xibalbay, whose conquered
inhabitants were scattered in various directions. Some
went northward to Mexico and founded a monarchy
(according to Clavigero, in the seventh century of our
era), which after four hundred years of prosperity was
destroyed by famine; and the survivors, led by their
1 Le mi the de Votan. H. cle Charencey, Alengon, 1871.
2 Pronounced Shibalbay.
3 Discovered by Spaniards in 1750, but no illustrations were published
until 1834.
230 GUATEMALA.
king, Topiltzin Acxitl, returned to the fruitful lands of
Central America, and in Honduras founded the kingdom
of Hueytlat, with the principal city of Copantl, now
known by the wonderful ruins of Copan.
Other immigrations are mentioned by tradition, but no
definite account of their origin is given. It seems prob-
able, however, that certain tribes, called Mam^ or Mem,
came from the North and destroyed both Tula and Na-
chan. Another inroad, led b}' the four chiefs Balam
Agab, Balam Quitze, Mahucutah, and Iq Balam, ad-
vanced as far as Mount Hacavitz in Verapaz, north of
Rabinal ; and here these chiefs remained as freebooters
and founded that tribe known as the Quiches. They
constantly attacked their neighbors, and offered the cap-
tives taken in these encounters to their god Toliil, who,
with Avilitz and Hacavitz, formed the trinity in the
Quiche cult. Force and stratagem proving of no avail
against them, the surrounding tribes gradually submitted ;
and when peace was established, the four captains con-
veniently disappeared, leaving the government in the
hands of three sons, Iq Balam having no offspring. And
now we have the curious account given by the un-
known author of the " Popul Vuh," or sacred book of the
Quiches, of which two translations exist, one in Spanish
by Ximenes, the other in French by the Abbe Brasseur
de Bourbourg. The annalist tells us that before the
departure of the four chiefs they charged their sons to
undertake a journey to the East ; and the new rulers, in
obedience to this command, passed the sea easily (Lago
de Izabal ?) and came to the city of a great lord called
^ Meaning dumb, because they could not pronounce certain letters of the
Cakchiquel alphabet.
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 231
Nacxit,^ who instructed them in the art of government
and invested them with the feather umbrellas,^ throne,
and other symbols whose Indian names both translators
fail to interpret.
On their return all their subjects received them with
joy ; but so numerous had the people become that Mount
Hacavitz could no longer contain them, and now began
the dispersion of the tribes.
One branch went westward and founded Izmachi, a
city some distance westward of Santa Cruz del Quiche.
No rude Indios these who built Izmachi of stone and
mortar.
From this centre grew the Quiche power, until it
reached from the borders of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean,
and eastward to the Lago de Izabal. Several tribes or
feudatory monarchies owed allegiance to the ruler of Iz-
machi ; and if we may believe the ''Popul Vuh," we must
recognize a feudal system quite as elaborate as that of
Europe in the Middle Ages. A line of monarchs, extending
to fourteen, or even twenty-four, exercised authority ; but
so obscure are the accounts that the line cannot at present
be followed. Only this seems clear, that there were but
three great families of the Quiches, and these lived in peace
for a time in their new lands, perhaps during the fifth and
sixth centuries of our era. At last the jealousy of the
tribe of Ilocab, or the ambitious designs of the kings
Cotuha and Iztayul, kindled the first of a long series of
wars that in local importance rivalled those between
Eome and Carthage. In the security of a long peace the
^ Topiltzin Acxitl, the Tultec king of Copantl.
2 This recalls the Kahili, or feather standard, the symbol of authority in the
Hawaiian Islands.
232 GUATEMALA.
guards of Cotuha were surprised by well-armed visitors
from Ilocab ; but so complete was the military system of
the Quiches that immediately the hosts were collected,
battled with the rebels, and after utterly routing them,
reduced some to slavery, and sacrificed others on the
bloody altar of Tohil.
The successors of Cotuha and Iztayul were Gucumatz
and Cotuha II., during whose reigns the capital was re-
moved to the site called Utatlan or Gumarcah. On this
platform, so admirably adapted for fortification, palaces
and altars, as well as fortifications, were built of cut
stone. Watch-towers rose high in air, and answered to
those in the surrounding mountain regions. Tlie Plaza
was paved with a smooth white cement superior to the
stucco of Pompeii, and the ruins so distinct forty years
ago tell a plain story of an advanced civilization. It may
be of interest to read what this most remarkable people
say of themselves, that we may more clearly see them
before us. Their greatness passed away, as did all the
learning;, art, and refinement of Athens and Rome, to be
^O'
succeeded by ignorance, slavery, and degradation ; and
alas ! this nation of the New World has left but few
monuments to tell the story of what it once was.
So slight are the glimpses we have of that past, that
the picture must be a shadowy outline at best ; but it is
worth while to trace even the outline, for the portrait
will apply to the other inhabitants of Guatemala as well
as to the Quiches. The wisdom of the kings was magic
even to the Spanish annalists, and these tell of the " Rey
portentoso" Gucumatz that, like the prophet Mohammed,
he ascended into heaven, where he abode seven days ;
and that he descended into hell, where he tarried other
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 233
seven days. He transformed himself into a serpent, a
tigre, an eagle, and a mass of clotted blood, each change
lasting seven days, — that mystic number of the Cabala
and of European black art. "And surely," says the
Spaniard, " great was the respect he gained by these mira-
cles before all the lords and all those of his kingdom."
Nothing puzzles the student more than the duplication
and interchange of names ; but let it be remembered that
the Quiche names that have come to us are rather titles, —
and this is especially the case with Gucumatz, a word
equivalent to the Aztec Quetzalcoatl, which is applied to
any distinguished reformer or leader of his people. Cad-
mus and George Washington might both claim the title.
I will translate from the '' Popul Vuh," using generally
the Spanish version of Ximenes, as less influenced by the
theories of the translator than the later one of Brasseur
de Bourbourg. I begin with the creation of the world
and of man.
'' Then the word came to Tepeu Gucumatz ^ in the
shades of night ; it spoke to Gucumatz and said to him :
It is time to consult, to consider, to meet and hold coun-
sel together, to join speech and wisdom to light the way
and for mutual guidance. And the name of this is
Huracan, the Voice which sounds : the Voice of Thunder is
the first ; the second is the Flash of Light ; the Lightning
is the third. These three are the Heart of Heaven, and
they descended to Gucumatz at the moment when he was
^ The signification of these names, as given by a distinguished scholar, is as
follows : Hunahpii, the one master of supernatural power ; Vuch, opossum ;
Gucumatz, decorated with feathers ; Xmucane, female vigor ; Xpiyacoc, mem-
brum virile (xiphil, and ococ, to enter) ; Huracan, one very great (hun, one,
and racan, great) ; Cabracan, second great one ; Chirakan, ostium vagina; ;
Tepeu, high.
234 GUATEMALA.
considering the work of creation. Know that this water
will retire and give place to land, which shall appear
everywhere; there shall be light in the heaven and on
earth : but we have yet made no being who shall respect
and honor us. They spoke, and the land appeared
because of them."
After the mountains and plains and rivers and all
animals of the forest had been created, the gods proceeded
to form man. First they made him of mud; but the rains
descended and beat upon that being, and he dissolved.
Not being able to make man according to their desires,
they called to their aid the mysterious powers of Xpi-
yacoc and Xmucane, magic adepts, and by incantation
learned that man should be made of wood, and woman of
the pith of bulrush. This second edition of the human
species was little better than the first, although more dur-
able. The stiff, wooden images had neither fat nor blood ;
they could speak and beget children, but lacked intelli-
gence. Their eyes were never turned to heaven, and their
tongues never glorified Huracan. Then there fell from
heaven a torrent of bitumen and pitch on these ungrate-
ful children, a bird named Xecotcovuch tore out their
eyes, another, named Camulotz, cut their heads, while an
animal called Cotzbalam ate their flesh, and the Tucum-
balam crushed their bones. The poor wretches climbed
their roofs to escape the flood ; but the walls crumbled
beneath them, and the trees fled from them, and when
they sought refuge in the caves of the mountains, the
stone doors shut in their faces. Of all the numerous
progeny of this wooden couple, only a few were pre-
served, and from them have descended the apes of the
present day.
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 235
A third attempt was more successful, as maiz was used
to form blood and flesh and fat. Xmucane ground the
corn and cunningly concocted nine beverages, which were
changed into the various humors of the body. This first
successful creation was fourfold, and the names of the
quartette were identical with those of the four chiefs who
conducted the Quiches to Mount Hacavitz. While these
primitive men slept, their wives were built, — not, however,
by robbing the men, but of the remaining portion of the
same meal.
The celestial powers did not, however, have everything
as they wished. The man was tolerable, but by no means
perfect, for his teeth were defective ; and he was built too
much like the apes to carry himself erect with perfect
safety, hence he became ruptured. But there was no
time to try again, for they had already a rival in the
person of Vucub-caquix, — a sort of Lucifer who imagined
himself to be the sun, moon, and all the stars. How he
was punished, the "Popul Vuh" tells at length; and "I am
tempted to translate literally, using the text of Ximenes,
that my readers may judge both of the style of this sacred
book, and also of the mode of thought and the belief
among the Quiches at the time when Utatlan was in all
its glory.
" This is, or was, the cause of the destruction of Vucub-
caquix by the two young men. Hunahpu, so was called
the one, and the other was called Xbalanque : these more-
over Avere gods, and therefore that arrogance seemed evil
to them, in that it claimed superiority to the Heart of
Heaven ; and they said, the two young men : ' It will not
be right to let this go on, for men will not live here on
earth; and so we will try to shoot him with the blow-gun
236 GUATEMALA.
(cerhatana) when he is eating : we will shoot him and dis-
able him ; and then will be dispersed his riches^ his precious
stones, and his emeralds, which are the foundation of his
greatness;' and so said the youths, each one with his blow-
gun on his shoulder. Now, that Vucub-caquix had two
sons : the elder was called Sipacua, and the second was
called Cabracan, and their mother was named Chimalmat.
She was the wife of Vucub-caquix. And that son of his,
Sipacua, whose pasture-ground was great mountains, that
one moreover in one night before dawn made the moun-
tain called Hunahpupecul, Yaxcanulmucamob, Hulisnab,
because in a night Sipacua made a mountain ; and his
brother Cabracan (this is, of two feet) used to move and
shake the mountains both great and small. And so more-
over these two sons of Vucub-caquix became proud ; and
thus said Vucub-caquix : ^ Know ye that I am the sun.'
' And I am the maker of the earth,' said Sipacua ; ' and
I,' said Cabracan, ^ am he who moves the earth, I will de-
molish all the world.' And thus the sons of Vucub-caquix
became arrogant even as their father was arrogant ; and
this seemed evil in the sight of the two youths, Hunahpu
and Xbalanque. Nevertheless our first fathers and
mothers were not yet created, and thus the two youths
plotted the death of Vucub-caquix, of Sipacua, and of
Cabracan.
"' And here follows the telling of the blow the two
youths gave to Vucub-caquix, and how each one was de-
stroyed by his arrogance.
" This Vucub-caquix had a tree of nances, because that
was his only food ; and every day he climbed the tree to
eat the fruit. This Hunahpu and Xbalanque had observed
that it was his food ; and they lay in ambush, the two
IN THE OLDEN" TIME. 237
youths, under the tree hidden among the leaves of the
grass. And then came Vucub-caquix ; and while he was yet
climbing the tree, Hunahpu fired a shot which was well
aimed, and hit him in the jaw ; then, groaning, he fell to
the groimd. And as soon as Hunahpu saw Vucub-caquix
fall, he sprang with the greatest promptitude to catch
him. Then Vucub-caquix seized Hunahpu' s arm and tore
it off at the shoulder ; and then Hunahpu let Vucub-caquix
go ; and so the youths had the best of it, for they were not
beaten by Vucub-caquix, who ran home carrying Hunahpu's
arm, but holding his broken jaws.
"■'What has happened to you?' said Chimalraat to her
husband Vucub-caquix.
'' ' What has happened ? But two devils shot me with
a blow-gun and unhinged my jaw ; they knocked out all
my teeth, — and how they ache ! But I have here the
arm of one of them. Put it in the smoke over the fire
against they come for it, the two devils ! ' said Vucub-
caquix. And then she hung up the arm of Hunahpu.
" But in the mean while Hunahpu and Xbalanque were
consulting as to what was to be done; and having
taken counsel, they went to speak to an ancient man
whose hair was white, and an old woman who in truth
was very old ; and so great was the age of the couple that
they walked bent double. The old man was called Sa-
quinimac, and the old woman was called Saquinimatzitz.
And the two youths said to the old man and the old
woman, —
" ' Come with us to get our arm at the house of Vucub-
caquix. We will go behind you, as if we were your
grandchildren whose father and mother were dead ; and
if they question you, say that we are in your company,
238 GUATEMALA.
and that you are travelling about extracting the maggot
that eats the grinders and other teeth; and so Vuciib-
caquix will look upon us as mere lads, and we will
advise you what" to do further.' Thus spoke the two
youths.
" ' It is well/ said the elders ; and then they came to
the corner of Vucub-caquix's house, where he was re-
clining on his throne. And then they went on, the two
elders, and the two boys playing behind them, and they
went under the house of Vucub-caquix, who was groaning
with the pain of his teeth. When he saw them, the
elders and the boys, he asked, —
" ' Whence come you, grandparents ? '
" ' We, lord, are going to seek our remedy.'
" ' How are you seeking your remedy ? Are these your
sons who are with you ? '
" ' No, lord, they are our grandchildren ; but we have
had compassion on them so far as to give them a bit of
tortilla,' the elders replied.
'' Just then the lord had a very sharp twinge of tooth-
ache, so that he could hardly speak ; and he begged them
to have pity on him.
" ' What is it that you do ; what do you cure ? ' said the
lord.
" ' Sir, our cure,' said the elders, ' is to extract the
maggot from the teeth ; and we cure eye-troubles, and
likewise broken bones.'
" ' Well, if this is true, cure my toothache ; for I am
without rest, and cannot sleep, and my eyes trouble me also,
since the two devils shot me, and so I cannot eat. Now
have compassion on me, for all my teeth are rattling
about ! '
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 239
" ' Surely, sir, it is a maggot which injures you ; we will
pull out your teeth and put others in their place.'
'' ' Oh ! perhaps that won't succeed ; but I can't eat
without my teeth and eyes.'
" And they replied, —
" ' We will put others in their place ; we will put in
ground bone.'
" But this ground bone was only white corn.
" ' It is well,' said the lord ; ' pull them out and put
them in order.'
"And then they took out the teeth of Vucub-caquix ; and
it was only white corn that they put in the place of teeth,
and the kernels of corn shone in his mouth. And his coun-
tenance fell, and he never more appeared a lord ; but they
took out all his teeth, and left his mouth smarting. And
when they cured the eyes of Vucub-caquix, they tore
out the pupils. Then they took away all his money, and
he did not know it ; for he was no longer great nor
arrogant. And this was done by the counsel of Hunahpu
and Xbalanque.
"• And Vucub-caquix died, and then Hunahpu took his
arm ; and also Chimalmat died, the wife of Vucub-ca-
quix ; and so was lost all the treasure of Vucub-caquix.
Then the doctor took all the precious stones which had
puffed him up with pride here on earth. The old man
and old woman who did these things were divine ; and
when they took his arm, they put it in its place, and
it reunited and was well. And they did these things
only to cause the death of Vucub-caquix because his
pride seemed an evil thing to them. So did the two
youths, and it was thus done by the command of the
Heart of Heaven."
240 GUATEMALA.
Then follows an account of the pride and evil-doing of
Sipacua, and how he destroyed the " cuatrocientos niucha-
cJios " (four hundred young men) ; and the Chronicle
continues : —
" Then follows how Sipacua was conquered and killed ;
how another time he was overcome hy the youths Hu-
nahpu and Xbalanque : to them he appeared contemptible
because he had killed the four hundred youths. And Si-
j)acua was alone fishing and hunting crabs on the river
banks ; this was his every-day diet. Days he spent seek-
ing his food, while at night he moved mountains. Then
Hunahpu and Xbalanque made an image of a crab. They
made the large claws of the crab of a leaf which grows
on the trees and is called ec, and the little ones of other
smaller leaves called j^ahac ; and the shell and claws
they made of flat stones. And they made it and placed it
in a cave under a hill called Meaban, where he was con-
quered. Then they went along and met Sipacua by the
rivulet, and asked him where he was going. And Sipacua
replied, —
" ' I am not going anywhere ; I am only looking for
something to eat.
" And they asked him, ' What is your food ? '
" ' Only fishes and crabs, and I have found none ; and
since the day before yesterday I have not eaten, and now
I cannot bear my hunger.'
" Then said they : ' There is a crab below in the gulch ;
in truth it is very large : would you might eat that ! We
wanted to catch it, but it bit us, and we were in terror of
it, or else we would have caught it.'
" ' Have pity on me and take me where it is,* said
Sipacua.
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 241
" ' We do not wish to,' said they ; ' but go, you cannot
lose your way. Go up stream, turn to the right, and you
will be in front of it under a great hill ; it is making a
noise and making hovol : you will go straight to it/ said
Hunahpu and Xbalanque.
" ' miserable me ! if perchance you had not found it,'
said Sipacua. ' I will go and show you where there are
plenty of birds ; you will shoot them with the blow-gun.
T alone know where they are, and in return for them I
will go under the rock.'
" ' And shall you truly be able to catch it ? Do not make
us return for no purpose ; because we tried to catch it, and
could not, because we crawled in on our bellies and it bit
us ; and so by a trifle we could not catch it. So it will be
well for you to go in pursuit tail-end first.'
" ' It is well,' said Sipacua.
" And then they went with him to the gulch, and the
crab was lying on his side, and his shell was very bright-
colored ; and here under the valley was the secret of the
youths. ' Hurrah!' said Sipacua, joyfully ; and he wished
to eat it, for he was dying with hunger. And he tried to
enter lying down ; but the crab rose up, and he at once
retreated. And the youths said to him, —
" ' Did n't you catch it ? '
" ' I did n't catch it, I just missed it ; but as it has gone
up high, it will be well for me to enter head first.'
" And immediately he crawled in head first ; and when
he had got in all but his knees, the mountain toppled down
and fell quietly down upon his breast, and he returned no
more. x\nd Sipacua became stone. And thus was Sipa-
cua conquered by the youths Hunahpu and Xbalanque ;
and they tell that in ancient times it was he who made
16
242 GUATEMALA.
the mountains, this elder son of Viicub-caquix. Under
the mountain which is called Meaban he was overcome,
and only by a miracle was he conquered ; and now will
we tell of the other who was puffed up with pride.
" The third fellow who was arrogant, the second son
of Vucub-caquix, who was called Cabracan, used to say,
' I am the one who destroys mountains.'
'' And so it came to pass that Hunahpu and Xbalanque
declared that they would put an end to Cabracan. Then
Huracan, Chipa-caculha, and Raxa-caculha spoke unto
Hunahpu and Xbalanque, saying that the second son of
Vucub-caquix must be destroyed also.
" ' This have I commanded, because he does evil upon
the earth ; because he makes himself very great, and this
ought not so to be. Arise now, and seek him towards
the sunrise.' So spoke Huracan to the two youths.
" ' It is well,' they replied, '■ and it seems good to us
to risk. There is no danger. Is not yom' greatness,
Heart of Heaven, above all ? ' Thus spoke the two
youths in reply to Huracan, and at the very time Cabra-
can was shaking the mountains. Hardly had he shaken
them a little, kicking with his feet on the ground (then
he was breaking the mountains great and small), when
the two youths met him and asked, —
'' ' Where are you going, boy ? '
" ' I am not going anywhere,' he replied ; ' I am only
here shaking the mountains, and I shall always be shak-
ing them.'
" Then said Cabracan to Hunahpu and Xbalanque,
' What do you come here for ? I don't recognize you,
nor do I know what you are here for. What are your
names ? '
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 243
*^ ' We have no name,' replied they ; ' we are only
hunters with the blow-gun, and we catch birds with
bird-lime. We are poor and have nothing, and we are
tramping over the mountains great and small. Here in
the East we see a great mountain, and its sweet odor is
very pleasant. And it is so lofty that it overtops all the
other mountains. So we have not been able, it is so
high, to catch a single bird. So if it be true that you
overturn mountains,' said Hunahpu and Xbalanque,
' then you will aid us.'
" ' It certainly is true,' said Cabracan. ' Have you seen
this mountain of which you speak ? Where is it ? I
will look at it, and I will topple it down. Where did
you see it ? '
" '■ There,' said they, ' it is, where the sun rises.'
" ' Very well,' said Cabracan, ' let us go ; and it will
be strange if we don't get some birds between us. One
will go on the right hand, the other on the left. We
will take our blow-guns, and if there is a bird we '11 shoot
him.'
" So they went on happily, shooting birds (and it should
be said that when they shot, it was not with balls of clay,
but only with a puff of breath did they knock down
the birds), and Cabracan went on astonished. Then the
youths made a fire and set about cooking the birds in the
fire ; and one bird they anointed with tizate, white earth
they put on it. ' This we will give him,' said they, ' when
desire is strong upon him, smelling its savor. This our
bird shall conquer him, for in conquering him he must
fall to the ground ; and in the ground must he be buried
(wise is the Creator !) before human beings are brought
to light.' So spoke the two youths, and to themselves
244 GUATEMALA.
they said it. Great desire had Cabracan in his heart to
eat of it. Then they turned the bird on the fire and
seasoned it. Now it was brown, and the fat of the
birds ran out, and the savor was delectable ; so Cabracan
was most eager to eat them, and his mouth watered, and
the saliva dropped from it, because of the delicious smell
the birds gave out. And then he asked them, —
" ' What is this your food ? Truly it is an appetizing
odor I smell ; give me a bit.'
" He spoke, and then was given a bird to Cabracan
for his destruction ; and he quickly finished the bird.
And then they went on, and came to the birthplace
of the sun, where was that great mountain. But Cab-
racan was now sickened, and he had no strength in his
hands and feet, because of that earth which they had
put on the bird he ate ; and now he could no longer
do anything to the mountains, nor could he overturn
them. So the youths tied his hands behind him, and
likewise tied his feet together, and threw him on the
ground and buried him. So was Cabracan conquered
by Hunahpu and Xbalanque alone. It is not possible
to tell the feats these youths did here on earth."
The author of the " Popul Vuh," however, goes on to
tell of some of the wonders they did in Xibalbay, —
which Ximenes considers hell, — and my readers would
find the story very amusing ; but I have translated per-
haps enough to show the ideas of the Quiches ten cen-
turies ago.
The Quiche kings had removed their capital from
Izmachi to Gumarcah, — afterwards called Utatlan, —
not far from the modern Spanish town of Santa Cruz
del Quiche ; and it was the poor remains of this city,
IN THE OLDEN TIME.
245
destroyed three centuries and a half ago, that I visited in
journeying through Guatemala. The situation was a fine
one, well suited for the metropolis of an extensive king-
dom ; for while roads and mountain-passes gave access
in all directions, the very mountains formed a wall easily
guarded, and watch-towers to discover approaching dan-
ger. It was situated not unlil^e Granada on the Vega
in the Sierras of Andalusia ; and like that noble capital
of the Moorish kingdom, it was well fortified, and em-
bellished with all the knowledge and taste of the time.
On the platform where Frank and I had stumbled over
the confused piles of rubbish and tried in vain to trace
the buildings, so distinct only forty years before, the
mighty Gucumatz had built high
the altar of the bloodthirsty Tohil,
— a steep pyramid in the centre of
the rebuilt Gumarcah, now called
Utatlan. Our knowledge of the
ceremonial of that Quiche worship
is but slight ; but enough is known
to give an air of reality to the pile
of rubbish that alone marks the
site of the holy place of this an-
cient kingdom. I sat near the
base of the altar, and the city
walls arose about me ; the ruin of
three centuries departed, and again all was new and full
of busy life. Around me, but at a suitable distance from
the altar-temple, were the palaces of the princes, built of
cut stone and covered with the most brilliant white
stucco. From the flat roofs of these massive dwellings
floated banners of many colors and strange devices ;
Ancient Temple.
{From an old Manuscript. )
246
GUATEMALA.
arches of evergreens and flowers spanned every entrance
to this Plaza, whose floor was of the smoothest, whitest
stucco, and heaps of fragrant flowers were piled at the
palace-doorways and about the great altar that towered
like a mountain of light in the midst. All around me
were the phantom forms of the Indios, clad in garments
of rich colors, but silent and expectant ; I seemed to
know them all and understand
their tongue. It was the most
sacred festival of the year ; the
rains had ceased, and the sum-
mer was beginning, — and a
summer at Utatlan was a de-
light unequalled in the outer
world .
For many months the high
priest and king had hidden
himself from the sight of man,
high in the mountains that over-
look the Quiche plain. In his
casa verde he was eno;ao;ed in
prayer and meditation, while
his only food was fruit and un-
cooked maiz. His body was
unclothed, but stained with dismal dyes ; and twice every
day, as the sun rose and set, he cut himself w^ith an
obsidian knife on his arms, legs, tongue, and genitals,
that he might offer his choicest blood to the divinity he
worshipped. Once only in his life must he do this ; and
scattered in the remote mountain-hermitages were many
nobles keeping him company in the spirit. These were
the fathers of the young men who had not yet offered
Indio Sacrificing.
IN THE OLDEX TIME. 247
their blood, and had been selected to be the god-children
of their king and priest. In these lonely retreats the
fathers taught their sons manly duties, and drew their
blood from the five wounds.^
The votaries had gathered from their various cells at
the somid of the drum, which was beaten only on most
solemn occasions, and were marching in procession to the
Plaza. I could see them as they filed on to the narrow
causeway that led into the town, and then they were lost
to sight as they climbed the steep ascent. In profound
silence these men and youths, naked as they were born,
entered the enclosure and seated themselves at the foot
of the altar-steps. The solemn silence was now suddenly
broken by a crash of trumpets and drums, while a pro-
cession of a different kind took up its march to the tem-
ple. Bright colors and the gleam of gold and precious
stones, the clang of barbaric music and the sound of holy
songs, reached the eye and ear as the idols, which had
been carefully concealed since the last fiesta, were now
brought to the place of sacrifice. Strange things these
were, — not of " heaven above, nor the earth beneath,
nor of the waters which are under the earth," but carved
from wood and stone and decked with beaten gold, hung
with jewels, and borne triumphantly on the shoulders of
the noblest citizens. Then all was joy and bustle in the
Plaza. The hermits were clothed with new robes and
welcomed back with honor, the high priest put on his
robes and mitre, and for a while the people gave them-
1 It is probable that at this time they circumcised their sons, although we
have no direct statement to that effect. The Mayas practised this sanatory
measure, which seems to have had no religious significance. Stone knives
were used, and only once.
248 GUATEMALA.
selves up to music and dancing and ball-playing ; it
seemed as if life had no other end. But a terrible solem-
nity was to come. Even among the dancers I saw men
clothed in a peculiar but rich garb, — generally of an-
other people, but not always foreign ; and I knew that
these men had for days before the festival gone freely
through the town, entered any house, even the royal
palace", where the food they sought was freely given
them, and they were treated with marked respect. Out-
side the city-walls were some of them, with collars about
their necks, attended by four officers of the king's guard.
Food, drink, and even the women were free to these
honored men ; but they were captives taken in war, or
perhaps men who were obnoxious to the king, and were
to be sacrificed to Tohil. A terrible death awaited them ;
but they regarded their fate as a matter they could not
help, and with Indian stolidity enjoyed the frolics of the
people and smiled at care. It was strange to see how
little any one seemed to be affected by the certainly ap-
proaching death of their fellows. Every one knew what
was coming ; but no dread anticipation marred the festive
scene.
The music ceased in the Plaza, the chief idol was
placed on the altar-top, and the priests and nobles
seized the victims by the hair and passed them, strug-
gling, one by one up the steep steps of the altar to the
chief priest, who stood high on the sacrificatorio in the
sight of all the people. There was no murmur, not even
a shudder, among the multitude, only the involuntary
shrieks of the sacrifice as the priest cut into his breast
with the stone knife and tore out his ouiverina: heart.
Holding this in the golden spoon of the temple, he
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 249
placed it reverently in the mouth of the idol, loudly
chanting this prayer : " Lord, hear us, for we are thine !
Give us health, give us children and prosperity, that
thy people may increase ! Give us water and the rains,
that we may be nourished and live ! Hear our suppli-
cations, receive our prayers, assist us against our ene-
mies, and grant us peace and quiet ! " And the people
cried, "So be it, Lord!"
The body had been extended on a rounded sacrificial
stone and the neck held securely by the yoke ; but now
it was hurled down the side of the pyramid where there
were no steps, and those appointed carried the remains
to the caldron whither those who had the right came
for the cooked meat, the hands and feet being reserved
for the officiating priest.^ One by one the victims were
offered to the idol, while the pyramid was no longer
white, but crimson ; and their death-shrieks were ring-
ing in my ear, when Frank laid his hand on my shoulder
and asked if I was asleep. Called back to deserted ruins
and the humdrum present, I could not entirely shake
off the impression of the past. On that little mound
where we were sitting so peacefully, hundreds, yes,
thousands, of our fellow-men had writhed in agony to
satisfy the enmity of their fellows or to be an ac-
ceptable offering to the gods who were supposed to
be their creators.^ Truly there are few nations whose
^ I have often had the pleasure of conversing with cannibals, and they
always assured me that the hands were the choicest morsel. It will be noted
that the Central American Indios always boiled their cannibal food, while
the Pacific Islanders as generally roasted it. In one of the manuscripts pre-
served in the Vatican Library is a clear picture of this process, and the kettle
seems large enough to receive the body whole.
^ It is the way of Christian communities to speak with holy horror of the
human sacrifices these heathen were accustomed to offer at each new year to
250 GUATEMALA.
religious history is pleasant reading ; let us turn to other
matters.
The more artificial civilization becomes, the weaker
is the desire for offspring ; and we must relegate the
Quiches, by this rule, to a very primitive state, for the
burden of their prayers was '' Give unto us children,"
and their faith was incarnate in works. They believed,
with the psalmist, that " children are an heritage of the
Lord ; happy is the man that hath his quiver full of
them." Hence the birth of a child was a most auspi-
cious event, to be celebrated with feasts and rejoicings,
and each returning birthday was duly remembered.
With the truest mercy, they put an end to all children
born deformed or defective in mind or body ; hence
deformed or idiotic persons are exceedingly rare among
their descendants.
The Quiches possessed the art of writing, though in
logographs or ideographs, and they were skilled in the
use of colors.^ I present some of the more common
their gods ; the bloodthirsty Christian Spaniards sjDoke much in the same way
of these sacrifices three centuries ago. While the Indios did what they hon-
estly believed was right, and did it in a most merciful manner, without tor-
ture, the cruel invaders, in the name of the gentle Jesus of Nazareth and of
the Mother of God, burned these poor Indios alive by hundreds (Las Casas
says hy thousands), or gave them to be torn in pieces by the dogs. Let the
Christian nations hold their peace over the human sacrifices of Central Amer-
ica, when they remember the Holy Inquisition, St. Bartholomew, and the
tortures of Jews, Turks, witches, Quakers, and other heretics, sanctioned by
the Christian Church, — murders so cruel, so unprovoked, that they make the
sacrifices of the Indios seem no worse than justifiable homicide. Were the
sacrifices to Tohil so much more sinful than the sacrifices so common in this
enlightened nation of children born, or unborn, to the Molochs of Comfort or
Reputation?
1 The Spaniards found, according to Herrera (Decade III. lib. iv.), paint-
ings done at Utatlan eight hundred years before the Conquest, in which were
represented the three kinds of royal insignia, — indicating an antiquity greater
than that of the Aztecs.
IN THE OLDEN TIME.
251
forms, traced from the copies in Kingsborough's " Antiqui-
ties." Tlie first, two interlocked elbows, signifies the
fourth day of the month ; one of the elbows was colored
red in the manuscript, while the other was green, both
having an inner border of yellow. The simple hinge
was of blue and red, with a yellow articulation; the
Ideographs.
hinge enclosing a dagger was yellow and green with
red inner borders, and the dagger was red, yellow, and
blue. The character denoting or representing a temple
is readily recognized, and its usual colors are red and
yellow ; but it must not be supposed that these colors
were always the same, they evidently depended on the
taste of the scribe. A
rude figure of a censer
with a long handle
through which the priest
could blow upon the burn-
ing gum copal used as
incense, always denoted
a sacrifice. This art of
pictorial representation could not strictly be called writ-
ing, but was a very useful substitute for it, and it was
continued long after the Conquest. I have thought, after
looking at some of the caricatures of the priests of the
new worship which was forced upon these Indios, of the
rite of baptism, and of the sacrifice of the Mass, that per-
Ancient Incense-burner.
252 GUATEMALA.
haps these unfortunate subjects had as much influence in
the wanton destruction of aboriginal literature as had the
alleged doctrine of devilish things with which the books
were said to be imbued. The old Spanish priests ought
to have felt little fear of a creature they knew so well as
they knew Satan. The shaven crowns of the padres
were easily represented even by less skilled draughts-
men than the Quiches, and the new doctrines gave the
irreverent splendid chances for effective caricatures.
In textile work they were advanced, obtaining results
with their rude hand-looms that even to-day would hold
their own against the machine-made fabrics of the pres-
ent day for durability and aptness of design, even as
the barbaric cashmere shawl cannot be equalled by the
skilled artisans of France. To-day the weavers of this
region produce cloths of very attractive design and
made of honest material, while their shawls or blankets
are often works of art. I once watched an Indian woman
weaving a girdle on a narrow loom not more than six
inches wide ; and without pattern before her she traced
figures resembling those in the old manuscripts, though
mingled with very modern-looking pictures. The coun-
try abounds in dye-stuffs, so it is not surprising that
their color-sense has been well developed by use. For
fibres they were limited to cotton and wool in the looms,
reserving the pita and other coarser fibres for hammocks
and redes.
Pottery of good shape and well baked is found among
the ruins of Utatlan, and Stephens saw a figure of terra-
cotta that must have required no little skill to model
and bake. All the potsherds a diligent though not
extended search gave us were of dark red color, hard
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 253
baked, and evidently portions of spherical vessels. Not a
sign of roof-tiles was seen, nor any painted fragments,
although figured work was common enough.
The Quiche rivers abounded in fish, and the forests and
mountains in game, while the fields produced abundant
crops with little labor. No wonder the Spanish con-
querors found a civilization that astonished them, a
wealth which roused all their terrible cupidity, but a
resistance more determined and bloody than they had
found in Mexico.
It may not interest ray readers to go deeply into the
forms of government in those ancient times, but it may
be said that it was an aristocratic monarchy hereditary
in this peculiar way. When the principal king (Ahau-
Ahpop) of the dual reign (there were always two kings
at a time) died, the crown he had worn passed to his
oldest brother, who performed the functions of Ahpop-
Camlia, and as second king had share in the government.
The oldest son of the Ahau-Ahpop, who during the life
of his father had been Nim-Chocoh-Cawek, became Ah-
pop-Camha, and his cousin (son of the king's brother),
who had been Ahau-Ah-Tohil or high priest of this god,
Nim-Chocoh-Cawek, the elder son of the new sovereign
taking the vacant post.
In this wise method of civil service regencies were
never needed, and each king had fitted himself, by exercise
of subordinate but important offices, for the supreme rule.
If any one of these dignitaries proved his unfitness for
advancement, he was passed over, and the next in rank
chosen ; and thus through a long series of offices. The
corrupting influences of so-called popular elections, which
are usually manipulated by a few conscienceless politicians
254 GUATEMALA,
who use the " dear people " shuply as cat's-paws, are cer-
tainly avoided ; but was it not possible to hasten the suc-
cession, or to have a sort of " commission of lunacy "
condemn an unpopular candidate, and so advance another
unrighteously ? The insignia of the four chief dignitaries
were feather canopies, of which the king had four, and the
others in descending series. A council of the chief families
advised the monarch in his government.
The judges, who were also tax-gatherers, were ap-
pointed from the noble families, and held office during
good behavior ; death was the penalty for impeding these
magistrates in their office. Capital punishment was ren-
dered more bitter by the confiscation of the victim's pos-
sessions and the enslavement of his immediate relatives.
Breaches of trust ranked first among crimes, and homicide,
adultery, confirmed robbery, larceny of sacred things,
witchcraft, rape, were all capital crimes ; and the strangers
who hunted or fished in the forests or rivers of the country,
as well as the slaves who ran away the second time, were
punished with death.
There were laws against polygamy, and only the first
wife was legitimate ; but, as among the most civilized na-
tions of modern times, there were many concubines. In
Guatemala perhaps this practice was more open and
honest than in modern states and times. Only the chil-
dren of the lawful wife could inherit, and the man who
died without lawful issue was buried with his wealth,
consisting generally of cotton cloths, ornaments, feathers,
and cacao, which served as money. The laws of all the
Central American tribes were severe, and differed some-
what from those of the Quiches. But it has not seemed de-
sirable to discuss these here ; we will rather consider some
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 255
of the customs common to most of the inhabitants of
the kingdom of Guatemala, and so pass beyond the
walls of Utatlan, to which, however, w^e shall presently
return.
Agriculture among the Central American nations was
mostly confined to the planting of maiz and beans (frijoles),
which were staple products and served as a currency in
gross, while cacao, which was said to have been first
planted by Hunahpu, eighth king of Quiche, served for
small change. They cultivated cotton, which furnished
their clothing, and tobacco, which they smoked with
moderation. Chocolate was not a common drink, but
reserved for the nobles and soldiers who had distin-
guished themselves in battle. The cacao was planted with
great ceremony. Seeds of the largest pods were selected
and carefully fumigated with copal and other gums ; and
these seeds were then left in the open air four nights
during the time of the full moon, and meanwhile the
planters attended assiduously to their marital duties.
Onions, plantains, potatoes, yams, chickpease, squashes
of various kinds, supplied their table, and many native
fruits added to their comfort. The Indios then, as now,
were very fond of flowers ; but whether they generally cul-
tivated them, or found enough growing spontaneously,
we do not know. Certainly there were royal gardens at
Utatlan.
In manufactures, weaving was of first importance, and
the threads were dyed with indigo, cochineal, or purple.
Embroidery was also much used. Then from fibrous
plants they plaited hammocks and nets, from reeds (jimco)
they wove hats of great durability, and from withes,
baskets and sacks. The potter's work was also of great
256 GUATEMALA.
importance, and the vases, bowls, and jars, often of great
size, were colored with certain waters and mineral de-
posits. I do not know that they had any glaze, other
than perhaps salt.
They had no iron, but they made tools from an alloy
of copper and tin to which they gave an extraordinary
hardness, and they also used obsidian for knives and
cutting instruments generally. Remains of knife-fac-
tories are common enough through the country, and often
too where the raw material is not m situ. Gold was
found in the streams, and the goldsmiths attained no little
skill in making ornaments, which were often enriched
with precious stones, especially opals from Honduras.
Curious feather work was brought from Tesulutan in
Verapaz.
They made paper from a bark called amatl, and also
used parchment. Maps were plotted, and the scribes had
books in which were entered all the divisions of the land ;
and to these, as to a registry of deeds, were referred all
disputes about real estate. Chroniclers there were who
compiled great books, many of which Las Casas saw ; and
these, he tells us, were burned by the early missionaries,
who have thus earned the curses of succeeding genera-
tions. Superhuman must have been their good deeds to
counterbalance this destruction !
The Quiches, Cakchiquels, and nearly all the other
tribes divided the year into eighteen months of twenty
days, adding five days (consecrated to Votan) to complete
the cycle, and every fourth year still another day. There
were twenty day-names, of which we have three slightly
differing lists ; but the month was not subdivided into
weeks.
IN THE OLDEN TIME.
257
We know but little of the games and amusements of
the Indios in ancient times ; but Torquemada has described ^
for us one national game, which seems to have required
more skill and agility than the game of court-tennis (I
do not speak of the effeminate lawn-tennis). The court
consisted of two parallel walls very thick, and about one
hundred feet apart. These walls were thirty feet high,
and in each, at a height of from twenty to twenty-four
feet, was a stone ring usually sculptured in some careful
manner. At the
open ends of the
court were two little
temples. A ball of
rubber, large and
very hard, was used
by the players, who
received the coming
ball, not on a bat or
racket, but on the
padded buttock,
from which the play-
er endeavored to ^ r, x r, „ ^
Stone Ring for Ball Game.
throw it through the
ring, but without touching it with his hands. As the
hole was only about eighteen inches in diameter, this
was a most difficult feat, requiring great flexibility of
the pelvic and thigh muscles. The victor was allowed
to take the clothes of any of the spectators ; so it may
be supposed these went to the game in scant garb.
Remains of these ball-grounds are found in many cities,
and the stone ring of the illustration is at Chichen Itza ;
^ Monarquia Indiana, lib. ii. cli. xii.
17
258 GUATEMALA.
it is four feet in diameter, and decorated with the
symbols of Quetzalcoatl.
A nation of warriors, it would be supposed their arts
would provide arms both offensive and defensive ; but
there seems to have been nothing of peculiar originality.
Arrows and darts, often poisoned, hatchets and wooden
swords, in which were inserted obsidian teeth, were their
weapons of offence, and those of defence were coats of
quilted cotton, which the Spaniards were not slow to
adopt, and shields of skins lined with cotton. While the
generals and other officers were clothed in skins of pumas,
jaguars, eagles, and other animals, it does not appear that
the rank and file had any especial uniform.^ All joined
battle with yells and the lugubrious blasts of the tun or
teponaztleSj — a sort of trumpet sounding even worse than
an Alpine lure.
Let us return to Utatlan, and follow for a while the
fortunes of the Quiches. Under brave kings their bounds
had extended, and towns, tribes, and nations were com-
pelled to acknowledge the kings of Utatlan as their
lieges. In all this external prosperity, internal dissen-
sions arose ; and the plehs, incited by demagogues, de-
manded privileges which the king, Quicab, was compelled
to grant after the palaces of the nobles had been sacked
by the mob. Another more serious trouble arose from
this mob-rule. It was the custom for the rulers of the
conquered tribes to reside at court at least a part of the
year ; and the two kings of the Cakchiquels, Huntoh and
Vucubatz, were visiting Quicab, when a street-riot, of
^ Among the curious illustratious in the Kiugshorough Collection are coats
of armor belonging to the nobles, consisting of a shirt of simple body-form,
embroidered or painted with various devices. With these are helmets, some-
times of conical shape, but frequently in form of animal heads.
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 259
no importance in itself, turned the mob against the
Cakchiquels, and they loudly called upon Quicab to
surrender the Cakchiquel kings to their fury. The
wise old king warned these of their danger, and ad-
vised them to retire to Iximche, or Tecpan Quauhte-
malan. They did so, and this city became their capital.
Now the fortunes of the Cakchiquels wax, while those
of the Quiches wane. The new capital is fortified,
and its inhabitants prepare for the strife evidently
impending.
The first attack is made by the Quiches, wdio are
beaten, and for a few years remain quiet. Their king
Quicab dies, and Tepepul II., the ninth king, reigns with
Iztayul III. The kings of the Cakchiquels were now
Oxlahuhtzi and Cablahu-Tihax, under whose reign a fam-
ine, caused by unusual cold, troubles the capital. The
Quiches saw a chance again to subdue their rebellious
vassals, and an army was gathered, which with great
pomp set out from Utatlan, carrying the god Tohil
with it. A deserter from the Quiche army warned the
kings of Iximche of their peril, and they bravely pre-
pared for the contest. In the Cakchiquel Chronicle
we have this description of the battle : —
'' As soon as the dawn began to brighten the mountain-
tops the war-cries were heard, standards were unfurled,
di^ims and conchs resounded, and in the midst of this
clamor the rapidly moving files of the Quiches were seen
descending the mountains in every direction.
'' Arrived at the banks of the stream that runs by the
suburbs of the city, they occupied some houses and formed
in battle under the command of the kings Tepepul and
Iztayul.
260 GUATEMALA.
" The encounter was awful and fear-inspiring. The
war-cries and the clangor of the martial instruments stu-
pefied the combatants, and the heroes of both armies made
use of all their enchantments. Notwithstanding, after a
little the Quiches were broken, and confusion entered
their ranks. The most of their army fled without fight-
ing, and the losses were so great that they could not be
calculated. Among the captives were the kings Tepepul
and Iztayul, who surrendered, together with their god
Tohil, the Galel-achi and the Ahpoi>achi, grandfather and
son of the keeper of the royal jewels, the die-cutter, the
treasurer, the secretary, and plebeians without number ;
and all were put to the sword. Our old men tell us, my
children, that it was impossible to count the Quiches who
perished that day at the hands of the Cakchiquels. Such
were the heroic deeds with which the kings Oxlahuhtzi
and Cablahu-Tihax, also Roimox and Rokelbatzin, made
the mountain of Iximche forever famous."
After this defeat the Quiche kings appear in history
only as names, — of which seven, including two appointed
by the Conquistadores, complete the list. Dull as was
their decline, their ending was brilliant ; and none of the
people of Central America made such a brave struggle
for independence as this grand old tribe.
Other nations occupied portions of Guatemala ; and
before we follow the course of the Cakchiquels we ma}'
consider some of these. In Soconusco were several bands
of Tultecs who had left the Aztec plateau, and in course
of time were attacked by Olmecs and reduced to the most
abject slavery. At last this became unbearable, and by
the advice of their priests they decided to emigrate ; and
under sacerdotal guidance they journeyed twenty days
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 261
along the Pacific coast, until they came to the Rio Micha-
toya, where the priest who had led them sickened and
died. The delay and uncertainty this event caused re-
sulted in the foundation of Itzcuintlan (Escuintla) by
some who were weary of the journey. The greater part
went on twenty leagues farther ; and here came another
halt, half remaining there at Cuscatlan (San Salvador)
and Xilopanco (Ilopango), while the others w^ent on to
the Gulf of Conchagua, on the bounds of Honduras and
Nicaragua. These people were called Cholutecas, or
Exiles, and their descendants Pipiles.
The Cakchiquels soon got into trouble with a branch
of their own people, — the Akahales, who occupied the
country between the Volcan de Pacaya and the Lago de
Izabal. The king of the Akahales w^as Ychal-amoyac, —
a brave and wealthy man, whose capital, Holum, rivalled
Tecpan Quauhtemalan. His w^ealth was coveted by the
victorious Cakchiquels, and he was summoned to their
court. Warned of the impending fate, he obeyed the
summons, accompanied only by five of his friends. As
they entered the audience chamber, in the very presence
of the two kings the unfortunate Akahales Avere assassi-
nated. Their riches were seized, and their towns quietly
incorporated into the Cakchiquel kingdom.
Although the Akahales seem to have submitted with-
out fighting, some of the neighboring tribes saw with
concern this lawless act of the powerful kings of Tecpan,
and felt that their turn might come next. Wookaok,
king of the Atziquinihayi, whose country bordered on the
Lago de Atitlan, and Belehe-Gih, a mountain cacique on
the borders of Quiche, became leaders ; and the former
intrenched himself in a strong fortress which the Cak-
262 GUATEMALA.
cliiquels besieged for fifteen days, and on its fall they put
to the sword the entire garrison.
Now the Cakchiquels were by far the most important
of the ruling tribes of Central America, and it was near
the close of the fifteenth century. The white men had
already landed on the coast of America, and the history
of the tribes was hastening to a close. Insurrections
here, treasons and plots there, make the substance of
what there is to tell. The attempt of Cay-Hunahpu to
incite rebellion shook the kingdom, but failed in the end.
Revolutions gradually loosed the feudal chains that bound
the subject tribes, and several of them proclaimed their
independence. Chief among these were the Sacatepequez,
who chose a king from their own tribe with the title
Achi-Calel, and the capital of their kingdom was Yampuk ;
only three kings reigned, until the Conquest. The Po-
komans from Cuscatlan came to Sacatepequez seeking
land, and they were well provided with lands and settle-
ments by the Sacatepequez, that they might not ally
themselves with the hated Cakchiquels.
In 1510 the king of the Cakchiquels, Oxlahuhtzi, died,
and the next year his colleague, Cablahu-Tihax, died
also ; and Hunig and Lahuh Noh succeeded their fathers.
Their reign was remarkable for an embassy sent by
Montezuma to the kings of Central America. What the
object of the Mexicans may have been, the Chronicles do
not explain. Fuentes supposes that not Montezuma, but
the eighth Mexican king Ahuitzotl was the one who tried
to communicate with his southern neighbors. Certainly
this king carried his arms as far as Nicaragua along the
shores of the Pacific Ocean ; but there is no proof that he
ever penetrated the interior of Guatemala. Whatever
IN THE OLDEN TBIE. 263
the ambassadors wanted, whether conquest or an alli-
ance agamst the commg invaders, they met with poor
success. At Utatlan the Quiche king refused to listen
to them, on the excuse that he could not understand
what they said. They went thence to Tecpan, where
they found a better reception ; but we do not hear that
they made any treaty. When they came to the chiefs of
Atitlan they were driven away by arrow-shots ; and they
retreated to Utatlan, when the king warned them to
leave his capital that very day, and the country within
twenty suns. This is the only record we have of any
communication between Mexico and Guatemala before
the famous march of Cortez.
In Utatlan Vahxaki-Caam and Quicab were kings when
a Cakchiquel wizard, who some say w^as the king's son,
came by night to the palaces of Utatlan and yelled and
shouted so that the poor kings could not sleep ; and as
bootjacks were not yet invented, they had to listen to
this ancient tomcat, who, when they put their heads out
of the window, called them mama-caixon and other dread-
fully opprobrious epithets. Next day the king called
together all his wizards and offered large rewards for the
capture of the nocturnal enemy. A Quiche wizard under-
took the task, and chased the foreigner a long time, both
jumping from mountain to mountain. At last he cap-
tured the Cakchiquel and brought him before the royalty
he had insulted. When asked if he had made the horrid
noises at night, he replied that he had. " Then," said the
king, "^ you shall see what a festival we will make with
you." Then the nol^les began a war-dance to celebrate
the capture of that wizard, and transforming themselves
into eagles, lions, and tigers, they danced around and
264 GUATEMALA.
clawed the poor Indio. All things being ready for his
execution, he turned to the king and all the others,
crying, " Wait a bit, until you hear what I wish to say
to you. Know that the time is at hand when you will
despair at the calamities which are to come upon you,
and that mama-caixon must die ; and know that some
men clothed — not naked like you — from head to foot,
and armed, men terrible and cruel, sons of Teja, will
come, perhaps to-morrow, perhaps the next day, and will
destroy all these palaces, and will make them dwellings
for the owls and wildcats, and all the grandeur of this
court shall pass away." When he had spoken they sac-
rificed him, and paid little attention to his prophecy.
Warring here and there, suffering defeat seldom, but
troubled with diseases and epidemics, a plague came at
last which nearly depopulated the city of Tecpan, and
was especially fatal among the nobility, both kings
dying. So great was the mortality that there was not
time to bury the dead, and they were often left to
the vultures.
When this scourge had passed, Achi-Balam and Belehe-
Qat were called to the throne, and during their reign came
the news of the terrible work of the Spaniards in Mexico.
These young kings decided to send an embassy to the
mighty chief of the invaders, begging his protection and
aid against their enemies. We have to-day the letter of
Cortez to Charles V., dated in Mexico, Oct. 15, 1524, de-
scribing this embassy of Guatemalans to surrender their
country and countrymen to the foreign devils who had
destroyed their neighbors beyond the forests of the
North. One almost feels that these wretched Cakchi-
quels deserved the miseries they brought upon them-
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 265
selves. Whether by any combination the tribes of
Central America could have resisted the invaders, as
did the Lacandones, no man can say. Probably their
time had come, and no human or divine influence could
change the event ; but it is sad to see these many tribes,
while, the storm was gathering over their devoted heads,
fighting among themselves in the most headstrong way :
and so they fought until the coming of Pedro Alvarado.
Guatemala held three hostile camps, — the Quiches at
Utatlan ; the Cakchiquels at Iximche or Tecpan Quauhte-
malan ; and the Tzutohiles at Atitlan.
December 6, 1523, the greatest general and most trusted
friend of Cortez, Pedro de Alvarado, departed from the
City of Mexico at the head of three hundred infantry (of
whom one hundred and thirty were archers and gunners),
and one hundred and twenty cavalry. He took four small
cannon, in which were used stone balls, forty reserve
horses, and his native allies were two hundred Tlaxcal-
tecas and one hundred Mexicans, besides a large number
of tlamenes to carry the baggage. With this warlike array
went two ministers of the Prince of Peace, Juan Godinez
and Juan Diaz. The conquest of Guatemala was the end
to be attained.
Alvarado marched south to Soconusco, and here met his
first opponents. Unlike the contemptible Cakchiquels,
the brave Quiches wQuld make no terms with the invaders
of their country, and as the Spaniards approached they
hastened to join the men of Soconusco, and near Tonala
fought their first battle with the white men. The Indies
were utterly routed ; but they fell back and made prepara-
tions for a greater struggle. Oxib-Queh was then Ahau-
Ahpop of the Quiches, and his fellow-king or Ahpop-Camha
266 GUATEMALA.
was Beleheb-Tzi ; Tecum-Umam and Tepepul were the
other principal chiefs. Tecum, as commander-in-chief of
the army, designated Chuvi-Megena (Totonicapan) as the
rendezvous of the Quiche forces. His army was immense
(the annalists make it equal to the enrolled army of Ger-
many !) ; but no one knows the exact number of naked
soldiers he brought together.
After the victory at Tonala, Alvarado marched inland
towards Zapotitlan, the capital of Suchitepequez ; and as
he approached the city, sent some spies he had captured
in the mountains with friendly messages to their chiefs.
No answer, either good or bad, was returned, but a battle
was fought on the Rio Tilapa, and again the Spaniards
were victorious. Some of the inhabitants of Zapotitlan
called from a distance to the invaders and invited them to
come into the city ; but Alvarado preferred to choose his
own time, and the Indios again attacked him. Desperately
fighting, they were constantly driven back, and the in-
vaders trampled over their bodies even through the streets
of the city and for half a league beyond, where the battle
ended ; and Alvarado returned to the city and camped in
the market-place. More like hungry locusts than human
beings, these land-pirates went on destroying army after
army in a way that is painful to read about. On the
plains of the River Olintepec so great was the slaughter
of the Indios that the stream was colored for days with
their blood. The loss of the Spaniards was only a few
men and horses wounded.
Tzakaha was occupied without resistance, and the Mex-
ican allies changed the name to Quezaltenango. Under
a canopy of branches the ambassadors of the Prince of
Peace offered sacrifice to the god of battles. Here at the
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 267
first mass celebrated in Guatemala these blood-stained
murderers knelt. No wonder that the priests have in their
turn been driven from the country !
Xelahuh was found deserted, and here Alvarado rested
three days to remove the rusting blood from his arms.
Then came the news that another Quiche army (Alvarado
writes to Cortez that it was composed of twelve thousand
men from Utatlan and countless numbers from the neigh-
boring towns) was approaching ; and the Spaniards
marched out to meet them on the magnificent plain be-
tween Quezaltenango and Totonicapan. This was the
decisive battle, and marvellous are the Indian legends
gathering around it. Over the head of Tecum, the Quiche
commander, hovered a gigantic quetzal (the nafjual of the
chief), who savagely attacked the Spanish general. At
last the Spanish lance killed the bird, and at the same
moment the unfortunate Tecum fell lifeless at the feet of
the Conquistador.
In his report to Cortez, Alvarado writes : " That day I
killed and captured many people, many of them captains
and persons of rank."
All the prisoners taken in this war (both men and
women) were branded on the cheek and thigh and sold
as slaves at public auction, a fifth of their price belonging
to the King of Spain.
The last army of the noble Quiches being destroyed, and
their utmost efforts being unavailing to turn aside the de-
stroyers of their country, it is not difficult to imagine the
terror in Utatlan or the hurried counsels of the two kings.
In desperation they decided to sacrifice their city, if they
might destroy at the same time these invincible Spaniards.
The enemy was to be lured within the walls, and the only
268 GUATEMALA.
two means of entrance closed, and then the thatched and
wooden roofs were to be fired, and so the imprisoned
enemy destroyed. It was an effective plan, and might
have been successful with a less wary general than Alva-
rado. He discovered the plot after he had entered Utatlan ;
but feigning friendship, he managed to get out of the city
on the plea that his horses could not bear the paved
streets, and the next morning begged the honor of a visit
from the two kings. Oxib-Queh and Beleheb-Tzi came
with a considerable retinue of nobles, and Alvarado re-
ceived them with pretended friendship. When all the
preparations were made, a party of soldiers loaded the
guests with chains, and then their host" bitterly reproached
them (the poor heathen) for their plot. By a court-mar-
tial they were condemned to be burned alive. This hor-
rible sentence was carried out, and during Holy Week,
April, 1524, the last legitimate sovereigns of the most
powerful nation in Central America perished in the flames.
Bishop Marroquin named the city that succeeded Utatlan,
Santa Cruz (holy cross), because the Indian capital was
captured on Good Friday !
Alvarado wrote to Cortez : " That I might bring them
to the service of His Majesty, I determined to burn
the lords ; . • • and for the well-being and peace of this
land I burned them [yo los queme), and commanded
their city to be burned and razed to its foundations."
The scattered Quiches, driven to fury by the awful
death of their beloved monarchs, fought to the death ;
and Alvarado was obliged to despatch messengers to
Iximche to demand aid from his Cakchiquel allies, who
hastened to send four thousand warriors to crush the
bleeding remains of their ancient rivals.
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 269
The reception of the Spaniards at Iximche, the fights
with the Tzutohiles, and the destruction of Atitlan,
seem tame enough after the martyrdom of the Quiches,
the sole defenders of their country. Henceforth the
rebellions and battles are only outbursts against indi-
vidual oppression. Many tribes followed the Cakchiquel
example, and submitted without a struggle. Itzcuintlan
(Escuintla) refused ; but the Spaniards entered the city
on a stormy night and murdered most of the inhabi-
tants. Alvarado marched to San Salvador in spite of
considerable unorganized opposition, and returned to
Iximche, where he founded on the 25th of July the
capital of the kingdom of Guatemala, claiming as
patron Santiago (Saint James) of Spain. This was
afterwards removed to Almolonga (Ciudad Vieja).
While in Iximche, Alvarado showed his foolish Indian
allies what his true character was. One of the chiefs
of the Cakchiquels had just espoused the beautiful prin-
cess Xuchil ; but the lustful eye of the Conquistador
had fallen on her, and he sent for her on the pretext
that he wished to consult her about the j^eople to the
southward whom he intended to subdue. The husband
in well-grounded alarm begged the general, with tears
in his eyes, to return his beloved wife, offering with his
petition a rich present of gold and ornaments. "But
the proud and hard-hearted Spanish knight, who thought
he did honor by his passion for the bride of a Cak-
chiquel prince, as he had done in Mexico with the
daughter of one of the lords of Tlaxcala, accepted the
present, but refused with disdain the prince's petition."
Again Alvarado called upon the kings of Iximche, Bel-
ehe-Qat and Cahi-Ymox, to bring him all the gold and
270 GUATEMALA.
silver they possessed, even to the royal insignia ; and to
emphasize his demand he snatched from the wretched
kings their earrings, so that they shed tears at the
physical pain. '' If within five days all your gold is
not here, woe be unto you ! I know well my heart ! "
The kings, advised by a native priest, decided to leave
the city with their wives and children, and they reso-
lutely refused to return when Alvarado sent friendly
messages and promises to them. Then the Spaniards
began a war of extermination and slavery against
the Cakchiquels, and the Quiches and Tzutohiles now
took the side of the invaders against their hereditary
enemies. All this destruction and misery had come
upon Guatemala in one year, 1524. When the tribes
were conquered, one by one, their sufferings only com-
menced ; for so terrible was the slavery to which the
Indian population of Guatemala was reduced that death
was welcomed by the sufferers, and the Quiche nobles
refused to rear children to serve their conquerors.
I do not care to follow the history of Guatemala
under Spanish rule ; it would be no pleasure excursion
through the sloughs of deceit and over mountains of
tyranny. Priests and soldiers vied with each other in
iniquit}^ ; and the Indios, then as now, seem to have
been the most moral part of the population.
In closing this long chapter on the early people of
the kingdom, I would call the attention of my readers
to the present Indians of Guatemala and their rela-
tionship, according to Dr. Otto Stoll. This learned
ethnologist classifies the Indios mainly by language
rather than by physical data, and I am myself seep-
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 271
tical of the value of linguistic distinctions. I know
Bengalis who speak English most perfectly, and I can
well imagine their losing their mother-tongue from
disuse or disassociation with their brethren; but the
Bengali does not thus become an Anglo-Saxon. I be-
lieve very little stress should be put on lingual rela-
tionships ; and also do I protest against any system of
classification founded on the cranium alone : the ^vhole
body, outer integuments as well as osseous frame, must
be called in witness ; and one day perhaps the study of
human proportions and physical peculiarities will result
in a classification in which language plays no part, or
at least a very subsidiary one. In the mean time let
us take the chart of the Swiss professor as the best
thing we have at present. The nineteen tribes or fam-
ilies Dr. Stoll names as follows, and their location
is indicated by the numbers on the chart : —
1. Mam. G. Quekehi. 11. Cakchiquel. 16. Cliorti.
2. Ixil. 7. Choi. 12. Pipil. 17. Alaguilac.
3. Aguacateca. 8. Mopan. 13. Siiica. 18. Maya.
4. Uspanteca. D. Quiche. 14. Pupuluca. 19. Carib.
5. Poconchi. 10. Tzutohil. 15. Pokomam.
Of the Aztec stem, only the Pipiles (12) are found in
Guatemala. They are probably the descendants of the
Tultecs, who were subdued by the Olmecs. Of the Mije
stem are the small tribe of Pupulucas (14). The. Carib-
bean stem is represented on the coast by the Caribs (19) ;
and of these so many differing accounts have been given
that I am tempted to give a fuller description.
When the West Indies were discovered, they were peo-
pled by several races ; but among them none were so formi-
dable as the inhabitants of the southern islands of that
272
GUATEMALA.
sea, now called, from their supposed name, Caribbean. The
Caribs dwelt also in the valley of the Orinoco ; but seldom
chose their home far from the sea. They were understood
to have the habit of eating their fellow-men ; and it is from
a corruption of Caribal
that we have the oppro-
brious term " cannibal."
Whether they did limit
their diet to the orthodox
fare or not, is by no means
clear ; for the Spanish con-
querors did not scruple to
indict, condemn, and put
to death the innocent na-
tives who opposed them,
— and no stouter oppo-
nents than the Caribs did
they find. Two distinct
tribes are generally in-
cluded under the name, —
the black Caribs, and the
yellow: the latter with
straight black hair; but
the former are no doubt
the mixed breed of the true
Carib (who was generally
at war with the European
intruder) and tlie African slaves who escaped to the pro-
tection of the aborigines from their tyrannical masters.
In 1796 England removed these troublesome people from
St. Vincent to Eoatan, — one of the Bay Islands off the
coast of Honduras, whence they gradually emigrated to
Carib Woman.
IN THE OLDEN TIME. 273
the mainland ; and now their villages are found from
Belize to Cape Gracios a Dios.
All along this coast they are of distinct and uniform
character, to the casual observer differing little from the
negro type ; of good stature, firm, muscular build, and
powerful limbs, — women as well as men. To one who
is used to study the physical character of men, the out-
ward resemblance to the negro is less marked. The hair
is woolly ; but the nose is less flattened, the mouth not so
wide, nor are the lips so thick. The shoulders are broad,
but so are the hips ; and the narrow pelvis of the African
is generally wanting. The fingers have large joints, and
from the last all the fingers, but especially the thumb,
taper sharply to the end. The heel is not so projecting,
and the feet are very broad. Other differences are of
interest to the student of the human form rather than to
the public.
Almost all speak some English, — seldom using the
baby-talk of the negro, but not always conforming to the
correct idiom ; more familiar still with Spanish, they
always use their own language in conversation with each
other. Several grammars and vocabularies of the dialects
spoken by these islanders and by their namesakes in
South America have been published (as may be seen in
the list of books given in the Appendix), but I have not
studied this language enough to learn the difference, if
any, between the speech of the yellow and the black tribes.
The Caribbee has a disagreeable sound, — perhaps by con-
trast to the Spanish ; but the syllables her and hub are
frequent, and the enunciation is exceedingly rapid, mak-
ing it very difficult for an alien to catch the words. Add
to this the curious fact that the men and women speak
18
274 GUATEMALA.
a distinct language, and the obstacles a learner meets are
important. To illustrate, here are a few of the man
and woman words : —
Man. Woman.
Father yuraaan nucuxili
Mother ixanum nucuxum
Sou macu, imulu nirajo
Daughter niananti nirajo
House tubana tujonoco
Earth nonum cati
Brother ibuguia (?)
The traveller becomes familiar with such expressions as
Igaryhai, " let it alone ; " Bur aba duna nu, " bring me
water ; " Kimoi, " let us go ; " Fagai, " paddle ; " Mawer,
" Lord ! " III hj, " I don't know," — pronounced with a
contemptuous nasal twang that would outdo the veriest
Yankee.
Talkative beyond measure, it is difficult to quiet
them in camp at night, unless they have had a hard
day's work. Good-natured when well treated, they
have a very good opinion of themselves, and their self-
love is easily disturbed. Superstitious to an extreme,
they are not in public very religious ; but there are
strange stories told of human sacrifices in which a child
was the victim. I have noticed that they put a rude
cross on the window and door openings of an unfinished
house to keep out the devils. When becalmed in a dory
with Caribs, I have often heard the prayer : —
" Sopla, Sa7i Antonio, barba de oro cachimbade plata!
Blow, Saint Antony, with golden beard and silver pipe ! "
And if the saint did not blow when asked repeat-
edly, the next proceeding was to make a cross of
IN THE OLDEN TIME.
275
sticks and tow it astern ; this last performance, like
reading the Lord's Prayer backwards, usually raised
a breeze. The worship of Mafia (the devil) I believe
is general ; but they do not like to talk about it. Caribs
are less musical than any of the black races I have
met ; but they are fond of noisy drums, and will dance
until utterly exhausted. Some of their dances last two
days.
Indian Women, Pocomam Tribe.
Of all the languages of Central America, no one has
been more studied than the Maya. It is the language of
Yucatan, and there many foreigners both speak and read
it. In Guatemala it is the parent tongue of the great
majority of the tribes, including the Quiches, Cakchiquels,
276
GUATEMALA.
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IN THE OLDEN TIME.
277
and Tzutohiles, — those long-time enemies. The reader
may see by the table of words I borrow from Dr. Berendt
the similarity of certain common words in sixteen of
these dialects.
The Lacandones, those unconquered Indios of the Usu-
macinta, speak a dialect cognate with that spoken in
Yucatan, Campeche, and the sacred island Cozumel ; and
what gives additional interest to the Maya language is the
fact that all the inscribed monuments of Tikal, Copan,
Quirigua, and Usumacinta belong to this race, and if
interpreted, this is probably the key.
The Quekchi language (6) is spoken by the Indios of
Coban Cahabon, Senaju, and adjoining parts of Alta
Verapaz, while close at hand (San Cristobal, Tactic, Tu-
curii, La Tinta, and Teleman) we have the Poconchi form.
Externally both tribes are alike, although the Quekchis
perhaps dress rather better.
The extant literature of the Quiches has been freely
consulted in the preparation of this cha^^ter. Would my
readers like to see what the original language of the
" Popul Vuh " is like ?
Are u xe oher tzili varal Quichbe
u bi.
Varal xchekatzibah, xchikatiqiba
vi oher tzili, u tiqaribal, u xenabal
pucli ronoliel xbau pa 'tinamit
Quiche, r'amag Quiche vinak.
This is the beginning of the story
of those who were formerly in the
land that is called (Quiche.
There begins and commences
the knowledge of the earlier time,
the origin and beginning of all
done in the Quiche state in the
home of Qniche men.
Uspantan has a little dialect all to itself (4). Of
the Cakchiquel language we have a most interest-
ing remnant in the '' Cakchiquel Manuscript," next in
278 GUATEMALA.
importance to the '' Popul Vuh." In it the account
of the creation is copied, as was natural, from the
Quiche narrative ; but the main portion of the work is
a history of the revohition which led to the departure
from Utatlan and the occupation of Iximche, and also
of the advent of the Spaniards and the subsequent events
until the establishment of Christianity as the State re-
ligion. The author was the grandson of the king who
died of the pest in 1519 ; and his story goes to the
year 1582, when another member of the same family
continues it to 1597.
The Tzutohiles (10), who, it will be remembered, were
a fighting tribe on the shores of the Lago de Atitlan,
are still of the same spirit ; and when Mr. Maudslay
attempted to photograph them, the women shook their
fists in his face. The unwillingness to be photographed
I also found among the Quiche women (old ones) of
Sacapulas ; but a word from the comandante subdued
their opposition.
The Ixils (1) dwell in the Sierras west of Coban,
and the Mames (2) are found at San Marcos, Chi-
antla, and Huehuetenango, all westward to Socouusco
and south to Ocos. The Aguacateca (3) occupies a small
space north of Utatlan, and the vocabulary given by
Stoll differs entirely from that of Dr. Berendt's already
quoted. Chorti (16) is spoken at Chiquimula and Za-
capa, and in the opinion of some is the language of
the sculptors of the glyphs at Copan. Sinca (13) and
Alaguilac (17) are almost unknown, and Stoll cannot
classify them.
The personality of these tribes is wholly absent from
Dr. Stoll's learned treatise ; and my own knowledge
IN THE OLDEN TIME.
279
of their appearance and way of thought is too lim-
ited to lead me to venture to fill the void. I have
noticed what every one else speaks of, — the sober
Mozos de Cargo, Quicho.
bearing of the Guatemaltecan Indios ; but I have of-
ten seen the face of my mozo de cargo brighten as
I greeted him, and I have been even led to think that
his mourning expression is worn much as civilized ladies
280
GUATEMALA.
wear their black, — to save themselves trouble. It is
laid aside in the family, or with a friend they can trust.
Many of the men are well formed, although small, and
their faces are often very attractive. I believe them to
be neater in their persons and garb than the ladino
population.
Carved stone Seat (Museo Nacional).
CHAPTER X.
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA.
FOR almost three centuries Spain governed Central
America (1524-1821) by the Audiencia Real. Every
act of oppression that could be exercised upon the Indios
was invented by the foreign rulers, and the native popu-
lation was greatly reduced by this mismanagement ; but
such a course always re-
acts most terribly upon
the perpetrators. The
thirst for wealth that
brought the foreigners
to these shores pursued
them still, and the brave
resistance to wrongs un-
limited, that the Span-
iards themselves chron-
icle, does not seem to
have awakened that re-
spect in the bosoms of the Conquistadores that it now
rouses in the heart of every generous student of the past.
The Indios were lawful prey, it was " spoiling the Egyp-
tians ; " and although Las Casas and some of the mission-
aries tried faithfully to protect their flock, and although
the King of Spain made decrees, the powers of evil
seemed to have their own way in this distant colony.
Arms of Guatemala.
282 GUATEMALA.
We cannot but admire the undoubted courage and in-
difference to personal hardship exhibited by the Conquis-
tadores ; but tliat must not blind us to the fact that they
were little better than freebooters in their treatment of
the American nations they subdued, and that their policy,
so far as they had any, was of the most selfish and narrow
kind. Jealousy of other nations, especially of England,
who was now beginning to try her hand in ruling the sea,
although in a rather irregular way, led to the establish-
ment of all the important cities in the mountain region
of the interior, where they might well escape the notice
of other nations. The natural walls that Nature had
provided were made very useful to their utmost extent ;
the ports were but conveniences to help the invaders to
supplies from the mother-country and afford a necessary
means for the exportation of their ill-gotten gains, and
general commerce was discouraged in every way. The
buccaneers helped to discourage the growth of ports, but
the Home Government did quite as much in this direction.
The atrocious system of eneomiendas, by which the native
population was reduced to an almost hopeless slavery, was
permitted, if not encouraged, by the Church, and no attempt
was ever made to develop the country on a basis of im-
provement in the Indian population ; and the animal,
vegetable, and mineral wealth of Guatemala were treated
much in the same way, — a prey for the present robber.
The Indios were all subdued, except the Lacandones far
on the northern frontier, who were too poor to pay for sub-
jugation ; and the iniquitous policy of selfishness began to
bear fruit. Unlimited power and immunity in the hands
of the clergy begot intolerance. The shepherds became
the wolves, and not only devoured their own flocks, but
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 283
the entire country as well. Monopolies, corruption, op-
pression grew like true tropical vegetation, until the air
became too close for healthful life ; and then came the fer-
mentation. Uprisings of the Inclios had occurred before the
death of Alvarado (1541), — for example, the brave attempt
of the Cacique Lempira in Honduras ; but these rebellions
were all crushed by the iron hand of the Adelantado and
by his generals. Now came the low murmur of a rising
tempest over the land, and the winds were blowing from
a different quarter of the heavens. Now the ruling caste
was uneasy, and it was about to reap the inevitable har-
vest of the wind it had sowed.
Not in the province of Guatemala, not at the seat of
the Audiencia Real, but on that disturbed strip of land
along the Pacific coast of Nicaragua and San Salvador,
where earthquakes are on the most terrific scale, and
volcanic vents bristle threateningly, appeared the first
forcible remonstrances against this aged and encrusted
tyranny. In 1811 there were risings, little 2>^^onuncia-
mentos ; but there was no combination to insure success.
The false system of government taught a distrust of
others ; selfishness permeated individual character as well
as the nation at large ; and no man could put confidence
in his neighbor. No leader appeared to unite the dis-
cordant elements, the evolution of a free state was very
slow, and at last was as much owing to the supine-
ness of Spain as to any forceful act on the part of the
provinces. We have here no war of freedom, no Wash-
ington, no Bolivar. Sporadic murmurs were heard now
and again ; they came to the ears of the people and set a
few men to thinking ; the number of these thinkers grew,
until in 1821 the then representative of Spain, Gavino
284 GUATEMALA.
Gainza, joined the rebels, — much as a disappointed politi-
cian of the present day leaves his party for the camp of its
opponents, — and independence was solemnly proclaimed,
September 15, in Guatemala. Spain seems to have
acquiesced in an act which deprived her of her fair
American colonies ; but it may be supposed that her
mismanagement had left little value in the possession.
Three centuries of abasement had been a most inoppor-
tune school for the freedom of a republic, and one cannot
be surprised that the change was no easy one, or that the
results have not, even after two generations, been all that
the patriots among these first rebels may have wished.
Subjectively, "Be thou fed " is very easy; but objectively
the result seldom meets the command. Slavery was abol-
ished forty years before the great Republic of the North
dared to do that right ; but this eminently proper step
was very embarrassing, for not only were there no means
left for the forced repair of roads, bridges, and other
means of intercourse, that in a tropical country need
constant vigilance, but the commerce between town and
town fell off, and the little traffic that had led a struggling
existence for some years with Spain and other European
countries now died out entirely, and the revenues of the
State were affected with an atrophy that crippled every
attempt of the Government to improve the internal com-
munications of the country. The clergy, who had perhaps
made the freest use of forced labor, in covering the land
with elaborate churches and convents that all the revenues
of the Government of the present day could hardly keep
in repair, felt aggrieved and uneasy. All was in transi-
tion, and there were few wise men to guide the counsels.
The stream was turbulent, and not easily kept within its
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 285
proper channel. Is it wonderful that round blocks should
be found m square holes under such circumstances ; or
that the political equilibrium, all unstable, should turn to
this signal disturbance or that, without much reason ?
There were two parties, around which rallied oppos-
ing elements, — the Conservative, Central, or Servile, as
it was variously called, and the Federal, Liljeral, or
Democratic. To the former belong:ed the leadino; fami-
lies, who possessed certain monopolies and feared to lose
them ; the clergy, who with these few families held
themselves for an aristocracy ; and a few of the lower
classes, who from personal or religious feelings were
satisfied with the existing order of things : and all these
bitterly resisted any innovation, esj^ecially any attack
upon the privileges of the Church. To the Liberals
flocked all those who did not enjoy monopolies, and who
could not be worse off under any change ; l^ut there
came to this standard also men of intellect, who saw
the dangers which threatened their country, and who
rejected the superstition into which the local Church had
fallen, but who in their eagerness to hold up the ex-
ample of the United States of the North to their newly
emancipated countrymen, forgot the radical difference
between the Anglo-Saxon and Spanish stock and train-
ing. Then came in the feeling of race-prejudice ; and
when one remembers that three quarters of the popu-
lation was Indian, and that of the other quarter was
composed the entire ruling class, it will perhaps be a
matter of surprise that more evil did not come from
this threatening condition of affairs. If the Indios of
Guatemala had not been the most peaceable and law-
abiding of their kind known to history, they might have
286 GUATEMALA.
improved the opportunity to repay all the miseries in-
flicted upon their ancestors. As it happened, they could
at least be conscious of their power.
With no fixed policy, the ancient States of the king-
dom of Guatemala cut adrift from Spain. At one time
all, except San Salvador, entertained the idea of union
with the new Empire of Mexico under Iturbide, but they
escaped that complication by the early collapse of the
Mexican throne ; and at last, on the 1st of April, 1823,
representatives of the States met in the City of Guate-
mala, and the Asamblea Nacional Constituyente, after
long debates and many propositions, in which, as might
be supposed, the Church party had no unimportant
influence, a Federal Constitution was proclaimed on
Nov. 24, 1824.
Three years later the Vice-President, Flores, was mur-
dered in Quezaltenango by a mob of female furies insti-
gated, it is claimed, by the Church party, and his body
was stripped and mutilated by the fiend-like women.
This was done in the church as the wretched man clung
to the altar, and it was done in the name of religion.
The consequence immediately following was an abso-
lute reign of religious fanaticism. San Salvador, how-
ever, sent an army to restore order, and on March 16,
1827, attacked the capital; but these troops of the Lib-
eral party were driven back, and for two years a bar-
ren warfare was kept up. In 1829 General Francisco
Morazan led the Salvadorenan army to Guatemala ; and
now success attended the Liberals. After a battle last-
ing three days they entered Guatemala City in triumph,
banished the leaders of the Central party, and suppres-
sed the convents. In 1831 Morazan was elected Presi-
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 287
dent of the RepulDlic or Confederacy, and for ten years
his party held the government. It is not easy for a
foreigner to get trustworthy information of the true
vahie of Morazan's administration ; but while the man
seems to have been patriotic and of excellent private
character, he was not strong enough to control the
warring elements around him. The Church was his
bitter enemy ; and while it long endured the low estate
to which the party in power had reduced it, there was
no lack of grumbling, nor of even more active endea-
vors to find a champion.
In the mean time an Indio of low birth ^ and wholly
uneducated, but of great courage, had come into promi-
nence as a leader of bands of marauding Indios. Rafael
Carrera, young as he was, saw his advantage in the
disturbed condition of his country, and after various
defeats at the hands of the President, at last drove
Morazan from Guatemala, and the Confederation came
to an end (1839).
Carrera favored the Church party, but had not the
slightest intention of letting the Church rule him. He
knew how to use it, and the clergy generally submitted
gracefully. In all previous revolutions the defeated party
had been banished, and so the State was kept unanimous
— a condition that could not obtain now, because neither
party had much real power left after the constant strug-
gles of the past few years. It was while our countryman
John L. Stephens, whose fascinating account of his travels
^ Carrera was a servant in the family of the Marquis de Aycinena ; after-
wards a drummer-boy in the regiment under his master's command. A pamphlet
was published to prove that this young half-breed was a natural son of Ayci-
nena. From the countenance as represented on the coins there is indication of
Negro and Indian, rather than Spanish, blood in his parentage. •
288 GUATEMALA.
will always be a classic, was on a diplomatic mission to
Central America that young Carrera was gathering his
power, and it is to this distinguished traveller that
most of the information about Carrera is due. Carrera,
Fundador de la Repuhlica de Guatemcda (Founder of
the Republic), is the title he claimed on the coinage of
Rafael Carrera.
Guatemala during his administration ; and after a long
reign — the word is used intentionally — he was able to
designate his successor and die in his bed, while his chief
antagonist, Morazan, after a most persevering struggle
for the union of Central America, was shot by his un-
grateful countrymen. The tomb of Carrera is in the
metropolitan church in Guatemala City.
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 289
On the death of Carrera, in 1865, Don Vincente Cerna
succeeded to the Presidency ; but he did not possess the
power over the Indios that Carrera held, and before his
term of office had half passed, disturbances broke out on
the northern frontier, where a man named Barrios had
collected a gang of outlaws. This insurrection was sup-
pressed, and Barrios executed ; he however left a successor
in the person of Serapio Cruz, a very corpulent man, but
for all that a typical brigand, who for some time waged
a guerilla war from his mountain retreats, capturing the
distilleries of aguardiente (then a Government monopoly),
and destroying what he could not carry away. Joined
to this enemy on the outskirts of the republic was a no-
less disturbing element in the legislature in the person of
Don Miguel Garcia Granados, who was most active in
attacking the Government. As the Presidential term of
Cerna ended, a rival in the political field, General Victor
Zavala, seemed likely to be elected ; but by a close vote
Cerna was re-elected. In 1869 a loan was' negotiated
in London which enabled the Government to pay its most
pressing debts, and quiet was apparently secured. All
this time, however, the insurgent Cruz was strengthening
his band in the mountains, where he was joined by a man
destined to hold the chief place in Guatemala, General J.
Rufino Barrios ; and in December, 1869, the rebel army
approached the capital. The city was in a most excited
state, expecting pillage if not destruction, when the
unexpected news came that the head of Cruz would
soon be in the city. It was true ; a party of Indios had
attacked and defeated the chief, and now brought his
bleeding head to the President. This disagreeable trophy
was photographed, and prints were sold in the shops for
19
290 GUATEMALA.
fifty cents. The rebellion was over for the time, and
Barrios fled to Mexico. President Cerna was very lenient
to his enemies, and Granados was merely banished, and
put under ten thousand dollars' bond not to return to
Guatemala.
Banished men are always dangerous, and Granados
was no exception. Seeing his opportunity in some dis-
satisfaction with the governmental policy, he invaded
Guatemala, and was at once joined by General Barrios.
The march from Mexican territory was almost a trium-
phal procession, and on the plain between Quezaltenango
and Totonicapan (the Esdraelon of Guatemala) the deci-
sive battle was fought. Cerna could not trust his gene-
rals, and so took the field in person. For a time the
battle was with him ; but Barrios brought up his troops
in good time, and the national army had to give way.
President Cerna rallied his forces at Chimaltenango, only
to be again defeated ; and after making a final stand at
San Lucas, a small village between Antigua and Mixco,
fled to Chiquimula, where he advised his followers to
submit to the conquerors, while he went over into
Honduras.
On the 30th of June the "Army of Liberators" en-
tered the capital, and Granados was proclaimed President
pro tein][)ore. The new President found an empty treas-
ury, and called upon the merchants for a loan. The
authorities were very careful to say that this was not a
forced loan ; but the method was very much of that cha-
racter, for a list was made out of all the merchants in
the city, and the proportion each one was thought capa-
ble of paying set against his name. The "subscription
paper " was then sent around, and few dared to refuse.
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 291
No wonder that Central Americans do not wish to be
thought rich or prosperous ! Granados was nominally
President; but no one doubted that the man soon to become
his successor was in reality acting in that capacity even
then, although it was convenient for him to have Granados
arrange the finances as well as the disturbed politics.
Several reforms were proclaimed, as freedom of the
press, and the abolition of the monopoly of distilling
aguardiente. Before three months had passed, the clergy
began to make trouble, and in September, 1872, the
Archbishop and the entire Order of Jesuits were banished
the republic for inciting insurrection at Santa Rosa.
The San Franciscans, Capucins, and Dominicans were
expelled the following year. This was briefly the story
of the beginning of the reign of Barrios.
On June 30, 1871, General J. Rufino Barrios was
elected President of the independent republic that Carrera
claimed to have founded ; and from that date Guatemala
began to make real progress. His iron will determined
that Guatemala should indeed be chief of all the Central
American States, so that when the time came to renew
the union of all the States, — a cherished scheme of
Barrios, — there could be no question of her leadership.
He so far succeeded that his country has undoubtedly
made more material progress in the ten years of his
administration than the other Central American Republics
have made in half a century.
Without going into even a brief history of the politics
of the republic under Barrios, certain important acts
must be mentioned, such as the adoption of a Consti-
tution, Dec. 9, 1879, the expulsion of the Jesuits, the
confiscation of much Church property and its appro-
292 GUATEMALA.
priation to the uses of public education, as well as for
hotels and government offices, — acts which have greatly
advanced this once priest-ridden country. I would not
have it thought that in speaking of the sequestration of
the churches and monasteries I undervalue the offices
of religion, or am at variance with the particular branch
of the Church whose property was so treated. Guatemala
needs more religion, not less ; and could some of those
pure and devoted priests of the Cliurch of Rome whom
I have rejoiced to meet in many a remote region, turn
their energies to Central America, it would be well.
It cannot, however, be too clearly stated that what was
called the Church in these lands was a church for any
other purpose than those truly religious men could ap-
prove. The evidences of corruption are too clear to
admit a doubt that the clergy had ceased to do the
people any good : they failed to do their duty, in their
eager struggle for temporal power ; and to-day the splen-
did churches they built are in ruins, or left to the minis-
trations of some itinerant priest. There are in Guatemala
church edifices enough to contain the entire population,
not a tenth part of which ever enters for worship, since
the majority has been repelled rather than attracted by
the unfaithful padres.
The legislative power is in the Asamblea Nacional of
Guatemala, which convenes on the 1st of March annu-
ally ; and its ordinary sessions last only two months,
although it may continue in session another month if
necessary. Owing to the adoption of a code, the repub-
lic is generally saved the " hayseed " law of the Northern
legislatures and the "judge-made" law of the courts;
and the work of the Asamblea is greatly lightened. The
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 293
deputies who compose the Asamblea are elected on the
basis of one for every twenty thousand inhabitants, or
for a fraction exceeding one half of that number. Each
is elected for a term of four years ; but the terms are so
arranged that one half of the deputies is changed every
two years. To these deputies the various Secretaries of
State make formal reports regarding the matters usually
contained in the President's Message to the Congress of
the United States.
The President of Guatemala is elected by direct popular
vote for the term of six years ; and the Asamblea elects
two persons to succeed him in turn, should he die or
cease to act during the term for which he was elected.
Profiting by the example of the older republic, Guatemala
has rejected the farcical election still used in the North,
where the people are supposed to elect electors to elect
a President. The President appoints the following
Secretaries of State : —
. Relaciones Exteriores .... Foreign Affairs.
Gobernacion i Justicia .... Government and Justice.
Hacienda y Credito Publico . . Treasury.
Guerra War.
Fomento Interior.
Instruccion Publica .... Public Instruction.
These officials, with nine Counsellors, form the Council
of State. For the purposes of government the republic
is divided into twenty-three Departments, which are sub-
divided into sixty-one Districts. In these Districts are
eleven cities {ciudades), thirty -two towns (villas), two
hundred and ninety-nine villages (pueblos), fourteen hun-
dred and six settlements (aldeas), fifty-nine shore ham-
lets (caserios litorales), and three thousand seven
294
GUATEMALA.
hundred and forty-two interior hamlets {caserios rurales).
The Departments, with their chief towns, are as follows :
Departments.
Chief Towns.
Guatemala Guatemala
(ciudad)
Amatitlan .
Amatitlan
((
Escuintla
Escuintla
u
Sacatepequez
Antigua
u
C'liimalteuango
Chimaltenango
(villa)
Solola .
Solola
u
Totonlcapan
Totouicapan
(ciudad)
Suchitepequez
Mazatenango
(villa)
Eetalhuleu .
Retalhuleu
a
Quezaltenango
Quezaltenango
(ciudad)
San Marcos .
San Marcos
((
Huehuetenango
Huehuetenango
i.1.
Quiche .
Santa Cruz del
Quiche (villa)
Santa Rosa .
Cuajinicuilapa
<.(,
Jutiapa
Jutiapa
((
Jalapa .
Jalapa
((
Chiquimula .
Chiquimula
(ciudad)
Zacapa .
Zacapa
(villa)
Izabal .
Izabal
(puerto)
Livingston ,
Livingston
ii.
Baja Verapaz
Salama
(ciudad)
Alta Verapaz
Coban
((
Peten . . .
Sacluk
(pueblo)
The Executive appoints over each of these Depart-
ments a Jefe politico, or civil governor ; and, like the
Secretaries of State, they must be men in whom he has
implicit confidence. I may add that I met fifteen of
these Jefes in the course of my journey, and found them,
with two exceptions, men of character and intelligence,
who would compare favorably with the governors of
any of the Northern States ; nor is this surprising, since
they are appointed for their fitness, and not elected, as
the United States governors often are, by a handful of
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 295
irresponsible politicians who use popular votes simply to
forward their private ends.
The organic law of Guatemala is the Civil, or Roman,
The code is the result of careful study and adaptation to
the needs of the country, and not the result of the tink-
ering of village Solons and the decisions of wiseacre
judges, as is that heterogeneous mass, amorphous and
illogical, the common law. Wherever especial needs
have arisen, the code has been supplemented by decretos
conforming to the system. The judiciary is appointed,
and the members hold office for four years. It cannot be
denied that some of the lower judges are not always men
of considerable legal attainments ; but it will be remem-
bered that they do not usurp the legislatiA^e function, as
is too often the case with judges under the common
law.
Although the country is of the Roman Catholic form
of religion, the Constitution allows full liberty of worship
to other sects, within their respective churches, but for-
bids acts subversive of public order, or which might
invalidate any civil or political obligations.^ Notwith-
standing this liberty, there is, I believe, but one Protes-
tant congregation w^orshipping in the republic. It seems
that the offices of religion are used most by women and
by the dying. Guatemala certainly cannot be called a
religious community. The ruined churches, crumbling to
dust and serving only as cemeteries of the dead, are
monuments of a departed worship. Perhaps some day a
1 " Art. 24. El ejercicio de todas las religiones, sin preeminencia alguna,
queda garantizado en el interior de los templos; pero ese libre ejercicio no
podra extenderse hasta ejecutar actos subversives 6 practicas incompatibles con
la paz y el orden publico, ni da derecbo para oponerse al cumplimiento de las
obligaciones civiles y jioliticas."
296 GUATEMALA.
purer religion may rebuild these fair temples and call
within their walls all the Guatemaltecan children of
the Great Father, to be refreshed with new life and
courage.
In sad contrast with the religious life of Guatemala is
the military vigor. It is difficult to obtain the exact
statistics of the army, even in a time of peace ; but it is
said that the standing army numbers twenty-five hun-
dred rank and file, with eighty jefes and two hundred
and fifty-three other officers, while the militia, including
all males not physically exempt, between the ages of
eighteen and fifty, amounted in 1883 to 49,835 men.
Under control of the War Department are the police,
street-lighting, and the Polytechnic School. While it is
possible that the army does not cost so much in propor-
tion to the population as in some of the other Central
American republics, it is nevertheless a terrible drain
upon the resources of the people, apart from the bad
moral effect of a military life, as seen in all history.
May the time soon come when this beautiful republic
shall throw off the incubus and devote all her energies to^
the development of her vast resources !
I pass to a more agreeable theme, the foundation-
stone of a republic, — public instruction. On Dec. 13,
1879, President Barrios by decree established the present
excellent system of compulsory and gratuitous elemen-
tary education. Under this in the primary schools are
taught reading, Spanish, knowledge of objects, writing
and linear drawing, geography, history, morals, and po-
liteness.^ For those who wish to go beyond these elements,
y
^ " Lectura, nociones practicas de la lengua patria, conocimientos de objectos,
escritura y dibiijo lineal, geografia e historia, moral y iirbanidad."
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 297
equally gratuitous facilities are afforded for learning Span-
ish grammar, book-keeping, elementary natural history,
geography, and history of Central America, and some other
branches (complementary).
In 1883 there were in Guatemala eight hundred and
fifty primary schools, divided thus, — for boys, five hundred
and forty ; for girls, two hundred and thirty-six ; mixed,
sixteen ; artisans' evening-schools, forty-seven ; a Sunday-
school for workmen, one also for women, and nine com-
plementary schools. The attendance at these schools
was 39,642 pupils, 27,974 males and 11,668 females;
there were 735 male teachers, and 302 female teachers,
while the cost was $241,499.14, or $6.09 each pupil.
These schools, scattered all over the republic, meeting
sometimes in old convents or other confiscated church
buildings, sometimes in the cabildo or in buildings espe-
cially provided, are visited and inspected frequently by
suitable persons appointed by Government, who do the
duty laid upon them far more intelligently than most of
the New England school-committee men, — I have had
experience of both.
Teachers' institutes are held in three places each year
in November, and the teachers are expected to attend and
gather what new matter or interest may be provided for
them. As the Government appoints the teachers, it is
responsible ; and I believe there is a general care among
these teachers to keep well up to the requirements.
Wisely, the schools are not overloaded, as are those in
many Northern cities, with every conceivable subject; but
the aim is to give every child the beginning of an elemen-
tary education, which he can, if circumstances permit,
greatly expand.
298 GUATEMALA.
There are also fifty-five private schools, with 1,870
pupils costing $84,154, of which the Government pays
$4,944.
The secondary instruction is given in several high
schools or academies, of which the most important is the
Instituto Nacional, Central de Hombres, in the City of
Guatemala. The spacious buildings, formerly church
property, well accommodate the physical and chemical
laboratories, the meteorological observatory (the most
complete in Central America), the zoological museum,
mineral cabinet, and lecture-rooms, while within the
courts is a good zoological garden. Besides the numerous
class-rooms and offices are commodious dormitories pro-
vided with iron bedsteads and kept in very neat order.
The corps of instruction consists of a director and twenty-
seven professors, and in 1883 there were two hundred
and fifty-three boarders, and one hundred and thirty day
pupils, with twenty-three pupils in the normal depart-
ment, and eleven free pupils. The day-pupils pay a
matriculation fee of $10 annually, and $3 for an exam-
ination in each course. The institute costs $19,839.00,
or $180.75 for each boarder, and $105.30 for each day-
pupil. I have examined the work of the pupils, and
found it very creditable, quite equal in many respects
to that of the boys in the Latin and high schools of
Boston. The girls are not neglected* although their
instruction does not proceed to the extravagant lengths
common in the eastern United States and in England,
where the endeavor is made to train the female in-
tellect to the standard of the male, and so wholly unfit
for the privileges of matrimony and maternity the un-
fortunate girls who are subjected to such training. The
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 299
Institute de Belen, Central de Senoritas, has a faculty of
one preceptress and ten female teachers in charge of one
hundred and twelve pupils, costing the nation §78,000.
This school occupies an extensive building, with suitable
cabinets and a gymnasium. A kindergarten is attached
to this school.
In Chiquimula is the Instituto de Oriente, with one
director, six professors, and thirty-three boys, nine board-
ers, and fourteen day-pupils. More important than this
is the Instituto de Occidente, in Quezaltenango, with a
director, twenty-two professors, and two hundred and
twenty-one pupils. Cabinets of minerals and other nat-
ural objects, a chemical laboratory and a meteorological
observatory, help in the instruction. In the same city is
a similar school for girls, with a preceptress {directora),
eleven professoras, and eighty-two pupils.
Professional instruction, which in the United States of
the North is not deemed a part of the system of free pub-
lic education, is here undertaken by the Government ; and
four faculties are established to teach law {derecho y no-
tariado), medicine and pharmacy, engineering, and phi-
losophy and literature. Each of these faculties elects a
dean, secretary, and four vocales who have charge of the
courses of study and other matters peculiar to their
branch, while the four directories {juntas directivas)
form a council charged with the sole administration
of the professional schools. Forty professors teach one
hundred and thirty-three pupils at a cost of $24,903.96
to the nation. The law claims forty-two pupils; med-
icine, seventy ; engineering, eleven ; and literature, ten.
Special instruction does not stop here, for there are
also in the capital seven schools, costing $21,762.24,
300 GUATEMALA.
and teaching two hundred and forty-two pupils in the
following branches : —
Music and Oratory 66 pupils.
Commerce 50 "
Design 62 ^'■
Arts and Occupations 55 "
A school for deaf-mutes has nine pupils. The Poly-
technic School is under the direction of the Minister of
War, and has eighty pupils. It is interesting to note that
the system of marks in use in this institution has recently
been adopted in Harvard University.
While I am aware that a mere table of numbers, a cen-
sus of pupils and teachers, even if illustrated with the
courses pursued and the instruments for instruction, can-
not convey to my readers a fair understanding of the re-
sults accomplished by the system of public education in
Guatemala, I may be permitted to say that I have for six
years performed with attention my duties on the school-
board of one of the largest cities in the North, and mv
interest in the subject of education led me to examine the
schools of this Southern city, with constant comparisons
with the type most familiar to me ; and the conclusion to
which I arrived was that the system in Guatemala was
excellently suited to the country and people, that the
Government had done better than my own Government in
the North, and if the results were not in every case all
that could be desired, it was not the fault of schools or
teachers. I have examined both public and private
schools, containing both ladino and Indian children, and
have found many well-instructed boys and girls, but never
the execrable system of cramming so much in vogue at
the North. I did not see the sallow, pimply, stooping,
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 301
weak-eyed boys that form so large a minority of the pub-
lic-school children at home. I am sure that if fewer
" branches " are taught here, less ill-health results ; and I
am quite ready to honor good health before mere book-
learning.
With some hesitation, I add to the means of education
the modern newspaper. Before the election of Barrios
there were but two official publications of this class, — '^ La
Gaceta " and " La Semana," both proceeding from one pen,
and the journal of the Sociedad Economica. Now there
are in the capital four printing establishments, and the
list of publications is a very respectable one. The official
" El Guatemalteco " presents four times a week all official
announcements, including the text of all public grants or
contracts, — a plan which must place a check on extrava-
gance or improper favoritism. " La Estrella de Guatemala,"
an independent daily ; "■ Diario de Centro- America, "" La
Gaceta de los Tribunales," twice a month ; " La Gaceta de
los Hospitales," monthly; "El Horizonte " and "El En-
say o," weekly, are published in the capital. In Quezalte-
nango " El Bien Publico " is a well-written twice-a-week
publication. In Mazatenango " El Eco de los Altos,"
twice a month; in Antigua "El Eco del Valle," daily; in
Chiquimula " El Oriental," weekly ; in Salama "' La Voz
del Norte," in Coban " El Quetzal," both weekly, have a
considerable local circulation ; and during the session of
the Asamblea full stenographic reports of the proceedings
are published in the " Diario de las Sesiones."
I cannot say much about the Guatemaltecan libraries,
although not for the reason that made the chapter " On
Serpents " in the History of Norway so famous. The
national library is very small, and the treasures of manu-
302 GUATEMALA.
script which survived the ungentle hands of the early
rulers have been so carelessly guarded that the choicest
are now in foreign hands (French and German) ; and the
printed volumes relating to the history of Central Amer-
ica, or the publications of the native Press, are difficult to
find. There are no important bookstores in Guatemala,
and I had the greatest difficulty in obtaining a sight of
Fuentes and Juarros, both of which I found only in
private libraries. In an old curiosity shop a copy of
Villagutierre Soto Mayor's " Historia de la Conquista de
la Provincia de el Itza " was held at $50, or twice the
price the old folio fetches in London.
With no Coast or Interior Survey (except the temporary
work of the Commission on the Northern Boundary), there
are few scientific or historical publications issued by the
Government.
The debt of Guatemala is reported at a total (1885) of
$5,817,947.19, drawing interest at six per cent. It is
made up of the following items : —
An English loan for which Guatemala be-
came responsible in the days of the
Confederation $554,268.83
An English loan of 1SG9 (by President
Cerna) 3,599,771.75
Government bonds in circulation (Interior
debt) 1,663,906.61
$5,817,947.19
For the payment of the bonds of the Interior, a sink-
ing-fund is provided, consisting of fifteen per cent of the
duties on imports, the sums received for exemption from
military service, etc. The average duties on imports are
between fifty-five and sixty per cent ad valorem.
The income of the republic during the year 1882 was :
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA.
303
Direct Taxes.
39^ on real estate .
Road tax
Military tax ....
Abated taxes ....
Indirect
Duties on imports .
Duties on exports .
Harbor dues
Stamped paper and stamps
Impost on native flour .
Impost on salt .
Impost on legacies .
Beneflcio de Reses .
5 % on transfers of real estate
Tax for higher education
Tax for municipios .
Tax for police in the capital
Tax for hospitals
Telegraphs ....
Mails
Mint . . . . o
Fondos judiciales
Excise on liquors .
Excise on tobacco .
Excise on gunpowder
saltpetre .
$103,886.05
34,830.85
13,925.17
4,132.56
Taxes.
1,698,469.93
66,685.36
3,960.22
114,221.57
47,198.19
27,454.58
11,514.06
99,964.59
53,530.42
$10,127.87
10,678.62
113,296.13
119,507.26
55,575.96
25,687.95
19,518.51
6,513.19
and
$1,266,042.43
346,263.15
23,994.31
Various income
Contracts, etc. (anticipation of taxes)
$156,224.63
2,122,998.92
360,905.49
1,636,299.89
135,457.44
2,030,033.01
^6,441,919.38
Of the expenses of the Government for the same fiscal
period, it will be seen from the following abstract that
the army expenses form more than a sixth of the entire
sum, even in a time of peace.
304 GUATEMALA.
Expenses of Administration.
Department of the Interior . . $167,349.25
" " " Treasury . . 208,872.45
" " War .... 1,164,521.37
" " Justice . . . 723,746.93
" " Public Instruction 252,891.62
" " Foreign Affairs . 80,850.11
$2,598,231.73
General Expenses.
Collecting direct taxes . . . $6,962.01
" indirect taxes . . 32,410.52
Excise on liquors 126,031.04
" " tobacco .... 96,289.65
Higher instruction .... 25,418.55
Municipios 15,704.77
Pawnshops and pensions . . . 45,053.54
Mails 42,725.16
Telegraphs 101,288.61
Mint 20,539.59
Mobiliario 2,986.76
Hospitals 136,794.20
Police 148,128.12
Confiscations 581.52
Jiidiciar}' 6,033.37
Extraordinaiy ' 6,606.92
Gunpowder and saltpetre . . 2,960.64
816,514.97
Interest $200,325.81
Purchase of tobacco .... 99,342.05
" " gunpowder and salt-
petre .... 5,795.70
Repayments {Devolutiones) . . 14,373.07
Public property 6,197.09
Accounts 2,010.24
328,043.96
Funding bonds and obligations 2,554,076.94
Subsidy to street-railroad 833.33
Various paj'ments 205,721.45
$6,503,422.38
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 305
However dry long columns of figures may be, they tell
the story in the shortest way, and will give to those inter-
ested in the work of a Government some insight into its
methods. Like many other Governments, that of Guate-
mala anticipates taxes, borrows, and issues paper obliga-
tions. Its chief income is from the sale of liquor and
from import duties. I have in another place described
the method of taxing the sale of liquors, and I may say
here that the tax seems to be collected with fairness ; but
the heavy import duties offer a premium on smuggling,
and I was told some very ingenious and amusing methods
that had been used to evade the customs. If the ports
of Guatemala were not just what they are, it would be a
very difficult matter to collect the revenue from imports.
The currency of Guatemala is silver, with the exception
of about $50,000 of Government paper, and, like the silver
currency of the United States, is worth only about seventy
per cent of its face in gold ; but, unlike the Northern Re-
public, Guatemala has not the power to float her debased
coin, and the standard is therefore American gold. To
meet its needs the Government sometimes mortsrasres to
money-lenders its revenues in part, or even puts a custom-
house in pawn ; and cases have occurred where its subsi-
dies have been suspended by arbitrary decree for a year,
or even longer. Hence the unwillingness to embark in
any enterprise that is largely dependent on Government
aid. Even the mail-subsidies when paid are paid with
orders on the customs. This, together with the very
heavy import duties, certainly checks the investment of
foreign capital ; though to those within the country, and
informed as to methods, the duties are much lightened by
purchasing Government bonds at fifty per cent and paying
20
306 GUATEMALA.
them for duties at par. By this and similar practices,
which I do not think it best to describe, large mercantile
establishments derive great profit at the expense of the
revenues.
To meet the needs of commerce there are but three
banks ; two, '•' El Banco Internacional " and •' El Banco
Columbiano," are in the City of Guatemala, while the
third is in Quezaltenango. These have between them a
capital of perhaps $5,000,000, and they do the business of
banks of circulation, deposit, and exchange. The usual
rate on deposits subject to sight drafts is three per cent
per annum, and on current accounts and discounts twelve
per cent ; while they pay their stockholders from twelve
per cent to twenty per cent in dividends. The Banco In-
ternacional has called in but seventy per cent of its capital
stock. These banks date only from 1875, and their notes
are hardly current outside the larger cities. Many of the
principal mercantile houses do a larger banking business,
and hold extensive private deposits.
Of large corporations Guatemala has but few. That
of the Piers (Compania de los Muelles de San Jose y
Champerico) has a capital of $250,000 ; its profits are
said to be immense, as it holds the monopoly of all the
landing facilities on the Pacific coast. The railroads
between Guatemala and San Jose, and between Cham-
perico and Retalhuleu, are capitalized at about $5,000,000.
The proposed railroad from Puerto Barrios (Santo Tomas)
to the capital, at present mostly owned by natives, will,
it is supposed, cost from twelve to fifteen millions. The
street railway in Guatemala has a capital of $200,000.
The Government owns the entire telegraphic system of
the republic, and all the towns of any importance are con-
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 307
nected by more than three thousand miles of wire, with
seventy offices. The expenditures of this bureau seem to
be nearly twice the amount of the receipts, and from the
nature of the country the cost of maintenance must be very
great, owing to the rapid growth of tropical vegetation and
the destruction wrought by insects, especially the comajen ;
yet the tariff is reasonable, and one can, while paying for
a message, pay also for the answer {contestacion 2^cigcido).
Both the designs on the telegraph blanks and the paper
used are much better than the companies in the United
States supply to their customers. By cable Guatemala
has communication with South America, Mexico, the
United States, and Europe.
The mail service is excellent between the principal
towns and foreign ports ; but owing to the nature of the
country the time consumed over the less-frequented roads
is very great. As a fair indication of the development of
the country since 1871 under the administration of Pres-
ident Barrios, the great increase in the amount of matter
sent through the mails may be cited ; for in that year the
total number of letters, papers, and circulars did not
reach fifty thousand, while in 1884 it exceeded three
millions. Guatemala has joined the Postal Union, but
demands ten cents per rate on letters leaving her ports.
While so many of the great nations put upon their post-
age-stamj)s the portraits of their rulers or most distin-
guished men to be spit upon and defaced, this republic, with
better taste, submits only the national bird (quetzal) to
this rough treatment.^
^ A new series of stamps was issued in 1886; and it is reported that they
were furnished to the Government free of cost by a private individual, who
asked as his only compensation the entire lot of stamps of the old issue then.
308 GUATEMALA.
What a people imports is always a matter of no slight
moment in studying their social condition ; and on ex-
amining the classified list which I have taken from the
official publications, one will see several very curious facts.
First a large amount of cinnamon is imported, chiefly to
flavor chocolate, when it might readily be raised at home,
— indicating that the enormous duty of one hundred per
cent does not prevent importation or stimulate home pro-
duction. The same may be predicated of white wax,
wheat, and flour, for bees flourish in the uplands, and the
wheat is of the best quality ; but mills are scarce, and pri-
vate enterprise is wanting. Few printed books are im-
ported ; and as the domestic publications are unimportant,
we must infer that the Guatemaltecans are not a reading
people. The table also gives an idea of the duties levied,
and is worthy of attention. That the reader may see how
little the commerce of the United States brings to Guate-
mala, I have given a table of imports by countries. Nearer
than England or France, it is still cheaper to pass her by
and go to the distant markets.
CLASSIFICATION OF IMPORTS BY SEA IN 1884.
Values. Duties.
Oils (vegetable) .... $14,839.45 $14,128.30
Aguardiente 35,124.70 43,694.75
Cotton thread and cloth . . 1,607,362.34 1,594,750.48
Firearms 1,758.00 2,435.00
Shoes 3,697.42 3,926.28
Cinnamon 20,845.00 20,194.45
Carriages 2,600.00 1,575.00
Carried forward .... $1,686,226.91 $1,680,710.26
on hand. Evidently the rage for old postage-stamps has a money basis, and
this contractor expects to get a corner on old Guatemaltecan stamps ; and no
doubt he will make Drofit on his venture.
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA.
309
Brought forward
Barle3'
White wax .
Beer .
Preserves
Glass
Money .
Sundry articles
Drugs
Stearine, crude, and candles
Matches .
Flour . .
Iron in bars, etc
Instruments, — agriculture,
arts, and sciences
Wool, thread, and cloth
Printed books
Sweet liquors
Linen cloth .
Earthenware .
Timber for building
Machinery
Medicines
Hardware
Wooden furniture
Articles for institutions of
charity or public education
Paper
Perfumery
Petroleum and naphtha .
Pianos
Tanned leather . . . .
Prenderia fina ....
Utensils of tin, iron, etc.
Clocks
Empty bags
Salt ".
Silk thread and cloth
Saddles
1,686,226.91
4,386.20
3,122.50
29,856.20
47,539.87
10,725.63
82,932.00
11,375.40
21,462.94
14,798.15
7,235.76
118,490.00
85,852.25
2,728.80
146,294.34
12,627.50
5,386.65
11,743.17
15,490.86
35,594.00
48,475.70
52,952.85
23,738.46
1,143.50
10,837.94
41,694.37
5,873.65
14,764.00
10,950.00
56,863.84
19,145.00
24,678.26
3,956.00
25,384.83
4,122.30
102,835.72
946.25
1,680,710.26
438.62
2,982.20
30,267.96
41,851.68
8,397.56
free
11,594.34
22,794.77
11,563.22
7,359.43
139,082.10
99,637.37
272.88
159,381.69
1,252.75
5,893.49
11,236.54
14,129.36
free
4,847.57
54,326.68
21,954.95
1,865.46
free
29,358.39
6,034.26
8.439.30
6,470.00
31,263.10
1,914.50
21,245.84
786.55
free
12.778.56
116,936.29
1,082.00
Carried forward
62,802,231.80
$2,568,149.67
310 GUATEMALA.
Brought forward . . . $2,802,231.80 $2,568,149.67
Hats of all kinds . . . 23,751.68 24,369.35
Corrugated iron, barbed wire,
carts, pumps .... 18,462.70 1,536.91
Wheat 60,128.51 28,362.68
Railroad supplies . . . 328,426.37 free
Wine 48,697.40 52,165.24
$3,281,698.46 $2,674,583.85
IMPORTED IN 1884 FROM
England $1,735,954.87
France 450,365.75
CALIFORNIA 391,782.50
Germany 170,824.35
NEW ORLEANS 103,548.24
NEW YORK 98,296.18
Switzerland 75,173.61
Spain 69,387.49
Italy 51,632.60
China 48,594.32
Belgium 29,781.25
Belize (British Honduras) . . . 28,937.48
Central America 14,569.77
United vStates of Columbia . . . 10,314.05
Chile 2,536.00
^3,281,698.46
California furnishes most of the flour and wheat, but
New Orleans most of the timber for building, while New
York contributes printed books, canned goods, clocks, fire-
arms, and patent medicines. From the three ports of the
United States which are in direct steam communication
with the ports of Guatemala goods valued at $593,626.92
were imported, — less than came from France and Germany,
and not a third part of what England sends. Yankee
traders are certainly left entirely behind in Guatemaltecan
commerce. Without going deeply into the causes which
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 311
drive the United States from a natural market, I will
state several facts which an intelligent reader may inter-
pret for himself.
The largest mercantile houses in Guatemala are Ger-
man ; Americans of the North are absent. When it was
suggested to the agent of one of the largest cotton-mills
in New England that the cases in which its cloths were
usually packed for market could not be handled in a coun-
try provided only with mule transportation, the Yankee
agent thought it not worth the trouble to pack in smaller
bales, as did the English and French manufacturers.
Ready-made clothes are cheaper in France, and shoes in
Germany and France. If I want barbed wire for my
fences, corrugated iron for my warehouses, or rails for my
tramways, my English correspondent can deliver all these
to me on my wharf at Livingston much cheaper than I can
buy any of these manufactures of iron in protected New
York. England, from her experience in her tropical colo-
nies, knows how to prepare merchandise, and what sorts are
needed for the trade with tropical America; she buys the
crop of mahogany, logwood, and coffee, and saves exchange
by selling her own products, and at the same time sup-
ports her own vessels in the carrying trade. If it were not
for the fresh fruit which the United States needs, there
would probably not be a single line of steamers between
these countries ; for on the Pacific side Guatemala is merely
a way-station. Finally, the sarsaparilla goes to England,
and is there manufactured into extract or syrup for the
use of the immense establishments of patent medicines
in the United States.
Now let us see what Guatemala contributes to the
needs of foreign nations ; and I give a table of exports
312
GUATEMALA.
for two years, that the changes may be noted. Of the
former staples, such as indigo and cochineal, the amount
now exported is insignificant ; the exportation of coffee fell
off, owing to a short crop ; sugar was influenced by the
low prices ruling in foreign markets.
TABLE OF EXPORTS.
1883.
1884.
Cwt.
Price.
Value.
Cwt.
Price.
Value.
Indigo
135.02
$1.25
$16,881.25
62.67
$1.25
$7,833.75
Sugar and muscovado .
44,927.27
.05
223,136.35
37,956.95
.04
151.827.80
Bananas (bunches) . .
29,699.00
.40
11,876.60
54,633.00
.55
30,048.15
Ores
160.80
.20
3,216.00
26.60
.20
532.00
Cacao
97.66
.40
3,:t05.40
14.92
.40
596.80
Coffee
404,069.39
.12
4,848,832.68
371,306 44
.12
4,455,677.28
Cochineal
184.01
.50
9,200.50
8.12
.50
406.00
Ox-hides
7,577.41
.20
151,548.20
7,888 79
.20
157,775.80
Deer-skins
230.83
.40
9,233.20
248.12
.40
9,924.80
White wax
22.34
.50
1,117.00
India-rubber ....
3,454.14
.65
224,519.10
1,485.80
.35
52,003.00
Timber (feet) ....
253,504.00
.04
10,140.16
352,006.00
.04
14,082.64
Heifers
230.00
25.00
5,750.00
Cows
89.00
15.00
1.355.00
Woollen cloth ....
211.54
1.50
31,731.00
61.69
1.50
9,253.50
Sarsaparilla
332.12
.10
3,321.20
632.30
.10
6,323.00
Suelos
96.06
.40
3,682.40
63.31
.40
2,532.40
13,375.43
145,515.60
6,272.21
32,852.00
. ,
Totals
744,720.59
$5,718,341.07
826,666.26
$4,937,941.13
The business is divided between the three principal
ports in the following proportion : —
Imports .
Exports
San Jose.
cwt.
308,596.27
170,615.90
Champerico.
cwt.
62,789.62
224,739.49
Livingston.
cwt.
51,698.59
31,134.12
I have elsewhere written of the products that Guatemala
might export, and I willingly turn from the commercial
features of the country to those that affect the comfort
and happiness of the inhabitants. A sufficient govern-
ment is the first necessity. To sustain this the people
THE REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA. 313
must be educated ; and to develop it the country must pos-
sess natural riches and the opportunity of marketing them.
But all these elements work, not in a line, but in a circle,
as it were. Without revenue, government cannot provide
for free education ; without education, a people will not
establish a wise form of government ; without a wise
government, the resources of the country cannot be de-
veloped to yield a proper income. All these things are
interdependent. The government must foster education
and protect property ; it must encourage those occupations
which increase the material wealth of the people. In-
creased wealth means larger revenue, and permits greater
expenditures for public works ; so government and people
grow together.
Possessed of a remarkably fine climate, a favorable
geographical situation, and great variety in its fertile soil,
Guatemala has a population poor and unable to undertake
important works which require capital. Money must there-
fore be sought abroad to develop the 
