Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 11.djvu/255

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GUATEMALA 241 of the bridges are of the slightest construction and in a pitiable state of repair. Nearly a week is the time taken ^ by the ordinary w.iggons to accomplish the journey from San Jose to Escuiutla, a distance of about 90 miles. According to the terms of a contract with the Government, a railroad between San Jose and Escuintla was begun in 1875, but it is still uncompleted. The telegraph has been more extensively introduced. In 1874 there were in all ten lines, with 398 miles in operation and 511 in course of construction. Harbours. The country is poorly furnished with ports, Izabal, Santo Tomas, Livingston, Gualan, and Panzos exhausting the list on the Atlantic ; and San Jose, Barra de los Eselavos, Tecojale, San Geronimo, San Luis, and Champerico that on the Pacific. Izabal, situated in 15 24 N. lat. arid 89 9 W. long., is of little use, as it is separated from the sea by the bar of the Kio Dulce. Santo Tomas, iu 15 38 3" N. lat. and 88 36 6" W. long. , has a fine position at the southern extremity of the Golfo Amatico, which is at once spacious and well protected. Livingston is at the mouth of the Rio Dulce, in 15 48 N. lat. and 88 46 W. long. Gualan is a river port in the Motagua, and Panzos lies below Teleman on the Polochic. Of the Pacific ports San Jose is the most noteworthy as the usual landing-place for strangers on their way to the capital. It is situated in 13 56 N. lat. and 90 42 W. long. A fine pier was built in 1868, but vessels have usually to anchor about a mile out, aud the roadstead is not very secure. Champerico, opened to foreign trade in 1870, is also a simple roadstead. It is situated in the department of Suchitepequez, in 14 17 N. lat. and 91 57 W. long. Istapa, formerly the principal port on the north coast, has been almost abandoned since 1853. Antiqiutiet. Though it has no ancient remains so remarkable as those of Copan in Honduras, or Palenque in Chiapas, Guatemala preserves many traces of its earlier inhabitants. A careful summary of what is known in regard to them is given in Bancroft s Native Races of the Pacific States of North America, vol. iv. On the left bank of the Montagua are the ruins of an ancient city visited in 1840 by Mr Catherwood and in 1854 by Dr Scherzer. They resemble the ruins of Copan, and contain mounds, terraces, colossal heads, idols, pillars, and altars. Ruins are also to be seen at Chapulco and China:nita in the same valley, at Cinaca Mecallo, and at the hacienda of Carrizal about 20 miles north of Guatemala. A few leagues to the west are the ruins of Mexico with a vast cave divided into chambers. An ancient aqueduct is mentioned at Rosario, 8 or 10 miles south of Lake Amatitlan and another at the foot of the Volcan de Fuego. Solola is said to occupy the site of Tecpan Atitlan ; and in the neighbourhood of Tecpan Guatemala are the substructions and debris of Patmamit. the old Cakchiquel capital. Utatlan, the Quiche capital has left near Santa Cruz del Quiche sufficient to con firm the early Spanish accounts of its greatness. The absence of sculptures is a striking feature. Rude mounds mark the site of Zakuleu, the chief town of the Mams, near Huehuetenango. At tliejunctionof thePacalah with the ChisoyBrasseur deBourbourg in 1856 found pyramidal mounds and long lines of fortifications. The half-explored country of Peten.is reputed to conceal many evidences of its former civilization, and about 40 miles north-east of the lake about a league is occupied by the ruins of Tikal. 1 History. In 1820 Guatemala began to shake off the Spanish yoke, and in 1822-23 it supported the Mexican patriot Iturbide. A confederation of the Central American states was effected in 1824, slavery was abolished, and a democratic constitution was established. On the assassination of the vice-president Flores in 1827 the San- Salvadorians marched against the city of Guatemala ; and though they were repulsed then they returned in 1829, and after a severe battle established their general Morazan as president. Guatemala recovered its independence under Carrera, who in 1851 defeated the Hondurians and Salvadorians at La Arada. near Chiquimula, and was recognized as the pacificator of the republic. In 1851 the new con stitution still in force was promulgated, and Carrera was appointed president till 1856, a dignity which was afterwards in 1854 bestowed upon him for life. His rivalry with Barrios, president of Salvador, resulted in open war in 1863. In the battle of Coatepeque the Guatemalans suffered a severe defeat, which was followed by a truce. Honduras now joined with San Salvador, and Nicaragua and Costa Rica with Guatemala. The contest was finally settled in favour of Carrera, who besieged and occupied the San Salvador capital, and made himself dominant also in Honduras and Nicaragua. During the rest of his rule, which lasted till his death in April 1865, he con tinued to act in concert with the clerical party, and endeavoured to maintain friendly relations with the European Governments. Carrera s successor was General Cerna, who had been recommended by him for election. In the struggle between Spain and Chili Guatemala maintained a strict neutrality. The liberal party began to rise in influence about 1870, and in May 1871 Cerna was deposed by Granados. The archbishop of Guatemala and the Jesuits were driven into exile as intriguers in the interests of the clerical party ; and General Barrios having been chosen president in 1872 the order was declared extinct and its property confiscated. All cities except 1 Compare Bastian, Reisen, &c., Berlin, 1878. those on the frontier of Chiapas, San Salvador, and Honduras, were opened to foreign commerce. An alliance was formed with San Salvador for offence and defence. In 1876 Barrios invited repre sentatives from the other Central American republics to meet at Guatemala to deliberate on their amalgamation ; but the com mission separated amid a clash of arms, and war was soon raging between Guatemala, San Salvador, and Honduras. Guatemala was enabled by her superior resources to come forth victorious from the conflict. Besides the numerous works of Brasseur de Bourbourg and Squier, who have devoted so much attention to Central America, see the interesting narrative of Thomas Gage, the English mi>sionary ; Juarros, Compendia de la hisloria de Guatem ila, 1808-1818, 2 vols. (new ed., 1857), which in Bai.ly s English trans lation (Loml., 182:i) long formed the chief authority; Lanazabal, Apvntamientos so re la agricti/tura y comtnercio del reyno de Guatemala, N. Guat., 1811 ; Obert, Mem staliftique de I etai de Guatemala, Brussels, 1S40; Ximenez, Las historias del origen de los Indios de Guatemala, Vienna, 1857; Gavanete, Cate- asino de Geografia de la repub. de Guatemala, 1860 (republished by the o<iedad Economica); Alfred de Valois, ilexique, Havana, et Guatemala, Paris, 1862; Orozco y Berra, Geografia de as linguat y Carta ctnoyrafica d,: Mexico, Mexico, 1866; Mechlin &, Warren, Report of a Journey from Belize to the City of Guate mala, Belize, 1872; Foledo, Geografia de Centra America, Guatemala, 1874; Laferriere, De Paris a Guatemala, Paris, 1877. The most valuable maps of Guatemala are Van der Gehucht s Mapa general, etc. (New York, 1859), Bour geois and Feusier s appended to Toledo s Geografia (1874), and Au s (Hamburg, 187(i). The last is perhaps the best. A geological map is given by Dollfus and Montserrat. "(II. A. W.) GUATEMALA, properly SANTIAGO DE GUATEMALA, or GUATEMALA LE NUEVA, or the New, is the capital of the above republic. It is situated at a height of 5270 feet above the sea in a fertile meseta or plateau, which is crossed by the valley of the Rio de las Vacas or Cow River, so called from the first specimens of the bovine race introduced by the Spaniards. On almost all sides it is surrounded by barrancas or ravines. The latitude is stated as either 14 30 or H 37 N., and the longitude as 90 24 or 90 30 W. of Greenwich. Like most Spanish American towns it is laid out in wide and regular streets, and it has extensive suburbs. The houses, though usually of only one story, are solidly and comfortably constructed, and many of them are furnished with large gardens and courts. Among the open spaces the chief are the Plaza Major, which contains the cathedral, erected in 1730, the archiepiscopal palace, the Government buildings, the mint, aud other public offices, and the Plaza de la Concordia, recently laid out by the Ministerio de Fomento, and now the favourite resort of the inhabitants. The theatre, founded in 1858, which is one of the best of Central America, is situated in the middle of another square. Besides the cathedral, the most important churches are those of San Francisco, La Recoleccion or church of the La Re collets, La Merces, with a black image of the Virgin, greatly reverenced by the Indians, and Santo Domingo, the oldest church in the town. The educational and benevolent institutions comprise the uni versity, the normal school, the national school for girls founded in 1875, the polytechnic school, the general hospital, the orphanage, the hospicio, the maternity hospital, and the Colegio de Belen for the education of girls. The military college is located in the old convent of the Recol- lets. An excellent museum, founded in 1831, is maintained by the Sociedad Economica, which in various ways has done great service to the city and the country. There are two fortresses in the city, the Castello Matamoros, built by Carrera, and the Castello de San Jose", used as a state prison. Water is brought from a distance of about 8 miles by two old aqueducts. The general prosperity of Guate mala has procured it the name of the Paris of Central America. Though it has neither railway nor river com munication with either coast, it carries on a busy trade ; and it also possesses cigar factories, wool and cotton factories, breweries, and other industrial establishments. The population is stated at from 30,000 to 45,000. It is only since 1775 that New Guatemala has been in existence. Old Guatemala, frequently called merely Antigua, was destroyed by the Volcan de Agua in 1774, but still remains the chief town of the department of Sacatepequez. It is situated in a beautiful valley in 14 32 58" N. lat. and 90 44 5" W. long. Till the fatal outbreak of tho volcanic

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