GUATEMALA 291 . resque plateau 100 ft. high, 3 m. long and 1 m. broad, and occupies the northern extrem- ity of a plain 21 m. long and 12 m. broad, with a mean elevation of 4,500 ft. above the sea. Its situation is unfavorable for commerce, being nearly 90 m. from San Jos6 on the Pacific, and 120 m. from Izabal on the Atlantic side. The volcanoes Agua and Fuego rise on either side of the town. The streets, all 40 ft. wide, are laid out with severe regularity; they cross h other at right angles, are badly paved, d not very clean ; only a few of them have lidewalks. Water being scarce on the pla- teau, the supply for the city is brought from a istance of 9 m. by two aqueducts, and dis- buted by numerous fountains. On account the frequency of earthquakes, the houses but one story high, so that at a distance y a monotonous succession of roofs is seen, relieved here and there by the domes and clock towers of the churches. The houses of the suburbs are mere thatched hovels, sepa- rated from each other by hedges or by open spaces. The city proper, however, contains many large and well constructed private dwell- ings, each surrounding a large courtyard em- bellished with statuary and fountains, and orange, oleander, and other fragrant and flowering trees. The internal decorations of these mansions are at once tasteful and mag- nificent, but glazed windows are almost un- known. The most usual building materials are a species of indurated clay, a variety of pozzuolana, and mortar, the walls being uni- versally plastered and whitewashed. The roofs are either flat or covered with tiles ; and the general style of architecture is that of the south of Spain. There are several public Guatemala la Antigua. lares. The largest, a rectangle 625 ft. long 535 ft. wide, has on the E. side the cathe- Iral and the archiepiscopal palace ; on the W. the governor's palace, ministerial offices, &c., with the mint in the rear ; on the N. the city hall'; and on the S. a line of shops. In the centre is a fountain and basin formerly sur- mounted by an equestrian statue of Charles IV., the horse of which alone remains ; and a great part of the area is occupied by rows of miser- able little huts in which pottery, iron utensils, agave thread, and other small wares are vended, and the rent of which forms a part fif the municipal revenue. In the centre of another square is the theatre, equal in size and elegance to any in Spanish America ; rows of orange, oleander, and other trees of brilliant flowers and grateful fragrance surround the building, while a profusion of statues, foun- tains, &c., placed at intervals throughout the square, enhances the beauty of this the fash- ionable evening promenade. Foremost among the public buildings is the cathedral, built in 1780, of simple and elegant design, and occu- pying a space of 450 ft. square. In the deco- ration of the interior a chaste variety is ob- served ; and there are sculptures in wood and some fine paintings by native artists. There are 24 other churches, a hospital, and a prison. Guatemala has the largest number of edu- cational institutions of any city in Central America; many of the wealthy people of the other states send their children here for in- struction. In 1873 there were 27 common schools, mostly supported by private contribu- tions, 16 of them being for females, and a num- ber of schools for the working classes of all ages. Mechanical industry is little cultivated, and the instruments and tools are of the most primitive character. In spite of the diversity
