GUACO GUADALQUIVIR 275 11 ; the color is dark bluish gray, with minute streaks and spots of deep brown, and white spots bordered with black on the head, wings, and tail ; the spread of the wings is about 3 ft. The food is vegetable, principally seeds and hard fruits, upon which they grow so fat that the Indians destroy great numbers for the sake of their oil, which they use in preparing their favorite dishes. They would long ago have been extermina- ted, were it not for the superstitious fears of the natives, who do not dare to penetrate far into their caves, terri- fied by the shrill cries of the vast multitudes when disturbed by the torches of explorers. GUACO, or Huaco, a name given in the trop- ical regions of America several plants used antidotes for the bites poisonous snakes. olochia guaco is to be the one most repute ; and so great is the confidence in its efficacy that the Indians and negroes of parts of South America will not undertake a jour- ney without carrying some of the dried leaves of the plant. The aristolochias are generally climbing plants, with grotesquely formed and often lurid-colored flowers. Two North Amer- ican species of aristolocMa were found by the early settlers to be in use among the aborigi- nes for the same purposes as the South Amer- ican one, and they still retain the name of Vir- ginia snakeroot. The name guaco is also given to one of the composite family, the miTcania guaco, described by Humboldt and Bonpland
- as a plant with twining stems, leaves ovate,
pointed, and dentate, and flowers in opposite, axillary corymbs. The fresh leaves are bruised and applied to the wound, and they are also made to yield an infusion which is drunk at the same time. The preparation has a bitter, disagreeable taste, and acts as a mild tonic and a gentle stimulant to the secretions. GUADALAJARA, a city of Mexico, the second in importance of the republic, capital of the state of Jalisco, 275 m. N. W. of the city of Mexico ; pop. about 70,000. It stands on the left bank of the Rio Santiago, in the midst of a vast barren plain. The streets are wide, and the houses, which are generally but two stories high owing to the frequency of earthquakes, are neat and handsome. There are 14 public squares, the finest of which, the Plaza de Armas, is very spacious. On its north side is the cathedral, completed in 1618. The cupolas of both towers were destroyed by the great earthquake of May 31, 1818. The governor's palace occupies the whole of the east side of the plaza, and the two remaining sides form each an uninterrupted arcade, with brilliant shops and bazaars. Besides the cathedral there are many churches and convents. The Alar- con theatre, of modern construction, is large Plaza de Armas, Guadalajara. and elegant. There are two hospitals, a mint, two prisons, a university, a seminary, a school of design, a collegiate and several common schools, and many private schools. There are manufactories of serapes, a kind of shawl, paper, earthenware, and leather. The climate is temperate. The town was founded in 1532 by Cristobal de Ofiate, under the name of San- to Espiritu. It became the capital of New Galicia in 1543, and an episcopal see in 1549. GUADALAJARA. I. A province of Spain, in New Castile, bordering on the provinces of Segovia, Soria, Saragossa, Teruel, Cuenca, and Madrid ; area, 4,869 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870 (esti- mated), 208,638. The surface toward the north and east is mountainous, particularly in the dis- trict of Atienza, but in the south and west-it expands into large elevated plains. The chief rivers are the Tagus, Tajufia, and Jarama. In the district of Tamajon the soil is well adapted to corn; in that of Alcarria the vine and olive also grow ; while the mountain districts are suited to pasturage. The most important min- erals are iron, lead, and coal. Mines of iron have been worked from the time of the Ro- mans. II. A city, capital of the province, on the Henares river, 33 m. N. E. of Madrid; pop. about 8,000. It has a large Roman aqueduct, which supplies the public fountains. There are ten churches, two hospitals, a mili- tary school, a palace of the dukes of Infantado, and manufactories of cloth. GUADALQUIVIR (anc. Bcetis), a river of Spain, which rises near the S. E. corner of the prov- ince of Jaen, flows first N. E. and N. W. and then S. W. through Andalusia, passing Andu-
