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STATISTICAL AND COMMERCIAL
HISTORY
OF THS
KINGDOM OF GUATEMALA,
CONTAINING
MPORTANT PARTICULARS RELATIVE TO ITS PRODUCTIONS, MANUFACTURES, CUSTOMS, &c. &c &o.
WITH AN ACCOUNT op its
CONQUEST BY THE SPANIARDS,
AND A NARRATIVE OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME: .
FROM OaiOIKAL HECOIIDS IN TH£ ARCHIVES ; AC^ALOBSBRVATXON; AND OTHER AUTHENTIC SOXTItCES.
By don DOMINGO JUARROS,
A NATIVE OF NEW GUATElfALA.
Translated by J. BAILY, Lieutenant R.M.
EMBELLISHED WITH TWO MAPS.
PRINTED FOR JOHN HEARNE, 81, STRAND;
BY J. F. DOVE, ST. JOHN'S SQUARE.
1823.
...e.n.«..9 3 ^'-'^^
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE
VISCOUNT MELVILLE,
FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY, &c. &c. &c.
My Lord,
Permission to lay before the Public an English Version of the History of Guatemala, under your Auspices, is an honour that calls forth my anxiety as well as my gratitude ; the latter for your condescension, and the former, lest the production should not be found to merit such a ^distinction.
Sensible that the sanction of your Lord- ship's name will draw attention toT^^ards any work it is affixed to, I shall dee'm myself pocuHáBy-fortunate, should the present one pass the ordeal pi public examination, without subjecting me to censure for having unworthily sought eminent patronage to an undeserving performance.
I am.
My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient.
And very humble serv^mt,
J. BAILY,
JSktmihgtaH, January 1823. ^
PREFACE.
As Spanish America will probably, in a short time, open a most extensive field for the employment of British capital and Bri- tish industry, and ultimately prove an inex- haustible source of advantage to the various branches of our manufactures and commerce, every work, how humble soever its preten- sions may be, that, upon good authority, can iumisli something in addition to thfe very slender stock of information we already pos- sess, of any portion of that interesting Coun- try, will, perhaps, be acceptable to the Public.
With the hope of contributing towards a more general knowledge of the Kingdom of Guatemala, the following Work has been translated: should that hope be realized, the prodiiction will be duly appreciated : on the contrary, if nothing worthy of notice be presented, it will share the fate of many other books, and either be wholly neglected or soon fdrgotten. The Author, Don Do- mingo JuARROs, being a dignified Secular
VI
Ecclesiastic, and Synodal Examiner of the Archbishopric of Guatemala :> his rank gave him access to Records in the departments of Government, as well as to those of the different Convents : the exercise of his offi- cbi daties occasioned him to visit vtarious parts of the Country, which aflforded him every fiacility of makiog observatiions upon tíiem ; of the more remote districts, to which personal inspection did not extend, his con*- nexifon with the Clergy enabled him to ob- tain accumte information ibom the heads of the different Curacies, so that it may be fairly said, his materials have been dtawti from sources that stamp upon them the cha* rajcter of authenticity : for these^ or for the manner in which they have been usedj, the Translator does not presume to solicit parti- ciliar fkvouí ; they are submitted to the tribunal of Public Opinion, before which, tíb^ir merits, aini his own humble eflfortft to make them known to the English reader, will receive such an award ^s is impartially due to them.
In a country where Catholicism governs with autooratic despotism^ and where the
vil
genei^l mass of population possesses no more o£ the lights of science, than the ruling T^wer, for. reasons well adapted to preserve an unlimited s:way, thinks proper to permiJ), ^ follows^ almost as a, matter of course, that when, an Author, who is. a dignitary of thte Church, writes a History of that Counv- try^ hawr liberal soever in sentiment, and little tinctured with bigotry he may be, the minutite of religion will, from various and ^ery cogent causes, form, á prominent fear- ture in his worlt ; and the original of the present account abounds, in passages; of this description : but as introduoing> thi» portion of it into the Translation would have nearly doubled the size, and cons^uentiy much in- creased the price of the book, without con- tributing to. make it more generally inte- resting; many chapters have therefore been entirely omitted : yet, that the reader may not remain wholly uninformed of their import, he is presented with the heads of some of them, viz. Of the Metropolitan Church of Guatemala, with a History of the Image of Nuestra Señora del Socorro worshipped in it, — Of the Convents in the City of Guate-
via
mala. — Of the Nunneries and Religious Houses for Females. — Of inferior Religious Orders or Fraternities. — Of the Parishes and Chapels of the City, with their Religious Festivals. — Of the Coronation of the Image of St. Joseph.-^— Of Festivals celebrated in the Cathedral. — A Chronological Account of the Governors and Captains-General of the Kingdom. — Idem of the Archbishops and Bishops of the different Dioceses. — Idem of illustrious Ecclesiastics, and other individuals who have flourished in the Capital, — and se- veral others of similar character.
Should the Volume be the means of excit- ing diligent and scientific inquirers to .make farther researches, in a Country that presents so many objects worthy of careful investiga- tion, the intent of its publication will be amply fulfilled.
J. B.
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0
STATISTICAL DESCRIPTÍÓN
GUATEMALA.
PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.
The ioDumerable advantages^ and the great uti- Kty resulting frooi tiie study of history, are uni- versally acknowledged. It not only delights the mind, by recounting the extraordinary events of distant countries^ by relating the prowess of those who have preceded us in the calendar of titoe, and by recording the exploits of our ancestors ; but it will teach us the manner in which we ought to conduct ourselves on occasions of difficulty, by holding up to view what prudent and sensible Dden have done in similar circumstances ; it will animate us to the performance of noble actions^ by setting before us the glorious examples of oul» predecessors ; and it will eternize the memory of heroes, long since withdrawn from the great theatre of life, who by their achievements have dignified the human race. From these advantages the city of Guatemala has been hitherto excluded; fts annals have found no recorder ; and its history
has had no existence, except in the earnest desire of its trne patriots.*
Geography and chronology being indispensable to our purpose, we will treat of them before en- tering upon our historical part, in order th^t our readers may set out upon a road provided with every convenience for pursuing an unobstructed journey. With this intention the following Pre- liminary Treatises have been composed. In the first, the history of Guatemafa will be commenced, by giving a geographical description of the whole kingdom ; in the second, this will be followed by a chronicle, or chronological index of the rise, progress, and incidents most worthy of notice, and an accQ^n( qf the principa^ political bodies of the chief city. These, it is hoped, will smooth tl?e vmy fof pfriipn» who possess the requisite talents, an4 sufficient store of ipi^ftnation, tp iju- deirtake a work so much desired ^s Ihe Djstpry Qf Guateinala, on a more extensive plap*
Iq prder that the information conveyed l^y tbft eq suing pages may be distinguished by critip^l ex^tness, recQurse has iU)t been bad iq boqk? 9^ geography s^pd geueral histories of the Indies; works which, from their great extensioq, caunot be free from mistakes and inaccuracies, bow care* ful soever their authors may have been to avoi4 them ; but we have drawn our materials frons (he chronicle of the provinces, from the records of the Ponunican and Franciscan conyent^^ in th^ city of Gu^teiijiala, froip authentic mpnuscdptsf,
♦ The menarchs of Spaki have been 8o folly convinced of the great mpoiti^n<;e of Ihi^ iubj^cl, tli^t %l^y hur^, nt ymm» periods, commanded the history of the kingdom of Gus^tem^^ to be written, as appears from the Ordonnances of Dec. 19, l&aa, Aug. 16, 1572, Sept. 23, 1580, and Feb. .18, l&él.
aod from the communications of persons whose ireracity can be depended upon. But with all these advantages we do not pretend to a total exemption from errors, and some truing incor- rectness ; for there are many causes which may occasion mistakes in the relation of facts, when the narrator has not been a witness to them ; and in die description of conatries, if be has BOt tra- velled over thenk Such causes arise from the carelessness of informants, the insufficient expla- nation of waiters, the ambiguity of terms by which they cqmmunicate their ideas,, and the fallibility of the human memory. The reader is entreated to bear these in mind, if by chance he should meet in the following treatises with any observa- tions (hat may be found inaccurate.
fi 2
TREATISE THE FIRST;
Succinct Notices of the natural and political History of the principal Places.
Towards the end of the fifteenth century, it pleased divine Providence that the light of Chris- tianity should dawn in the horizon of thf vast regions of the west ; that the inhabitants of the ancient continent should become ^acquainted with the reality of millions of their own species, who, in the judgment of many learned men, existed only in the imagination of a few philosophic indi- viduals ; and that a country should then be dis- covered, which, for its immense extent, and the rarity of its productions, received the name of the New World. A discovery of so much importance required that those who had made it, should im- mediately commiunicate their good fortune to all the world with the most scrupulous exactness ; but although three centuries have elapsed, we see, with the greatest astonish nient, that provinces, and even whole kingdoms, on this spacious con- tinent, are at this time as little known to the world in general, as if they had but just bee» dis- covered. This is the fact, not only in the Arctic and Antarctic lands, where the Spaniards have never set foot ; but it is the case also in those countries which they have been in possession of ever since their first arrival. With a blush for our ignorance, we must reckon in the latter number
the kingdom of Guatemala, one of the richest ie America, not so much from its mines of gold and mher, as from the incredible numbers of useful and rare productions in the animal, vegetable, and mineral worlds that are found in it. To be con- vinced of the truth of this assertion, it is only necessary to open a book of geography, and we shall perceive that provinces the most flourish- ing, and places the most important, are not no- ticed ; where towns are mentioned, it is scarcely mpre than to record their names: the few that are described in any thing like detail, are repre- sented under so many circumstances of error and falsehood^ as to remain as much unknown (so far as their actual state is concerned) as they ever were. How can this kingdom be known so fully as it deserves to be, so long as there does not exist a correct delineation of its provinces ? How can such a description bé furnished by the inha- bitants of the old world, when we, who have been born and brought up in Guatemala, encounter djflicultiés in acquiring correct information re- lative to very many places within its boundaries? These reflections have induced me to undertake this task, notwithstanding iserious apprehensions that my talents are too humble for the skilful per- formance of such a work, as well aé the'cónvic- tion of its remaining in some respects incomplete^ from the ciróumstance of niy being the first to at- t^Bpt the subject ; but the want of a work of this nature leads me to hope it may befayourably re- ceived by the public. It has been 'my study to avoid toó great a prolixity, and with this view a detailed description of villages has been omitted ; for it wpuld occasion numerous repetitioris^ and
produce a narrative at ^ttee insipid and «M)iid«- ioBoüYs, 'as in facft they differ kmt very litde froA each other; therefore sneli only as ofi«r some* thing peculiar and worthy of being known wrll meet with particular notice.
CHAP. I.
Of the Kingdom of Oualemdla in general.
This kingdom received its name of Guatemala from the word Quanhtemali (which in the Mexi- can language means a decayed log of wood), be- cause the Mexican Indians» who accompanied Alvarado, found near the court of the kings of Kachiquel^ an old worm-eaten tree, and gave this name to the capital. The Spaniards continued it to the city which they built ; and from the city they gave the same appellation to the whole king- dom. Some writers have derived it from iJ-liate- z-mal«ha, words that, in the Tzendal language^ signify a mountain that throws out water; doubt- less alludiqg to the motintain on the skirts of which the city of Guatemala was built. The kingdom of Guatemala extends from the 82nd to the 95th degree of longitude west of Green- wich : and from the 8th to the 17th degree of north latitude ; so that in length it is 13 degrees, making 227 leagues (Spanish) of 17i to a degree, or 260 English geographical leagues ; but the tra- velling distance may be calculated at more than 700 Spanish leagues, from the Chflillo, which bounds the territory of the audiencia of Mexico to Chiriqui, where the jurisdiction of the province of Santa Fé de Bogota terminates. It embraces & degrees in breadth from the most southerly
lands of Í>o6ta Rjoa^ to the most northerly jmrt of the province of Cbiapia. The range of the land frofB one dea t(k tlie other, that is, from the Pacific to the Athialtic, where i( is the greatest^ is 180 leagues ; and, where least, not less than 60. Oii tbe westy the kiogdom of Guatemala is bounded by the Intendei^ia of Oaxaca in New Spain, on the nM>tthf«wést by the Intendencia of Yucatan, on the southeast by the province' of Vera-gaas in the kii^dom of Terra Firma, a district of the au- diencia of Santa Fé; on the south and souths Vest by the Pacific Ocean, and on the north by the AUantic Ocean. Tbe jurisdiction of the royal cfaancery of Guatemala, therefore, extendi on the shores of the Atlantic from the coast of Walls in the Bay of Honduraá, to the Escudo de Veraguas ;♦ and from the bar of the river Parre- doQ in the province of Soconusco, to the month of tbe river Boruca^ in tlie province of Costa Rica on tbe Pacific; and by land from the river Cbilillo in tbe provinée of Oaxaca, to the district of Chiri* qui in tbe province of Veragua»*
The air of this region is generally salui>rious, eaioept oá the sea coast t6 the northward. Tbe whole of the country is an alieraation of mouch tmua and plains, whicb causes a diversity of tom^ peratáre higbly &vourable to the productkMls of every cfa'mbte^ The soil is so fertile as to yield fi!QÍts,oven on the mountains, withoué cultivation; and so great is the variety, thiat there are reckoned more f ban 40 genera ; and in many of these tber^ are distinct species. There are, for example, 3 spe¿ CÍ66 of plantain, 4 of apples, 5 of pineapples, 5
. * A small Assert iriand ti^r tbe ooast of the province of Veraguas id 9 de^. 21 mio. north latitude, and 82 deg, 4^ miii* west longitude : it was discovered by Columbus.
8
of peaches, 3 of sapotes, more than 10 of jocotes^ and. also of many others : from these advantages there is always a great abundaoceof fraits in every season of the year^ The species of flowers that beautify the gardens are not less numerous ; and the plenty of culinary vegetablea is equally copi- ous. There is a great variety of grain, as the maize^ which is so fruitful as to yield 100 for one, and in some parts even 500 fold, besides pro- ducing two, and sometimes three harvests a year; wheats barley, rice, and sessamum, a soft of Indian corn. Of pulsé, there are various species of kidney beans, garbanzos, or-Spanish peas, lentils, beans and several others: to speak generally, this soil is not deficient in any thing, either for the necessaries or for the luxuries of life.
Besides those just mentioned there are many other productions that would supply the means of carrying on an extensive commerce ; for in- stance, a great number of very valuable woods, such as cedar, caoba or red wood, granadillo, ronrón, brasil, purple wood, mahogany, guayacan, mangrove, and many others ; many medicinal plants, ñ*uits, and woods, as jiote, palo de la vida, copalchi, sarsaparilla^ hellebore, contrayerba, musk, canchalagua, calaguala, tea, coffee, ginger, mecboacan, julep, cassia, tamarinds, &c. A pro- fusion of gums and balsams, estimable for their Aragrance, curative virtues, or other uses; as tur- pentine, Carana, Leche de Maria (a gum) dragons' blood, amber, white and black balsam, and oil of balsam ; a number almost infinite, of productions ihat minister both to the necessities and the luxuries of life: among them are cochineal, achiote, pepper, lacre, bastan) saffron, chiapa pepper.
Tanilla, hides, sulphur/ saltpetre, sal ammoniac, purple (from the murex), mother of pearl, tortoi- «hell, cordage, sail cloth, cotton of various kinds, jtobacco, and, above all, sugar, cocoa, and indigo. /These are the principal articles of the commerce of the: kingdom, and the two last are the best that are known of their species.
The different kinds of animals bred in this country aré almost innumerable; for besides nearly all those common to Burope, and peculiar to America; as the danta, the armadillo, the tepis- quinte, the alligator, the guana, lories, and parrots of various kinds and exquisite feather; there are some that are peculiar to tliis region, as the zor- rilla a small fox, and the quezal, a beautiful bird, the plumage of which is highly esteemed.
The earth abounds with mines of gold, silver, iron, lead, talc, and other minerals. There are several volcanoes, from which, at various periods, there have been many and great eruptions : the most celebrated are those of Tajuraulco iii the province of Quezaltenango; Atitanin the province of Solóla; Guatemala in the province of Chimal- tenango ; Pacaya in the province Of Sacatepe- ques ; Izaico in ttie province of Zonzonate4 those of St. Salvador, and St. Michael, in the inten- dan'cy of St Salvador ; and thosje of Momotombo and Mazaya in that of Nicaragua.
The kingdom is watered by rivers and small streams iunumerable. Of these some disembogue into the sea to the northward, and others to the southward ; of the first, the most navigable : are the Fresh Gulf, the Motagua, the Gama lecon, the Ulua, the Lean or. Leones, the Aguan, the Limones, the Rio tinto, the Plantain river, the
10
Pantasm», the Mo^aito, add the St. Juan. Among the sMODd^ tbe principal d^e the Guisti^ the Sami^lá, the Xkale^» the Michatoyat^ the Slave rÍYer, the Paza, th^ Zonzonate, tbe Lempa^ tbe Viejo, the Ntearagna^ arid the Nkoya. Therie are also several lakes of which the i»08t céle-^ brated is the lake of Granada, the largest; the Attta», the Peten^ and Amatitan.
This r^oü was formerly possessed by people of nmny differ^at nations, each governed by its ch^, and who were continually at war with each etber ; hence it is that the present inhabitants speak so many different languages ; some isHsriHg the Mexican, others the Quiche, Kacfaiqnél, Sub* tdjili MaiD) Pocomam» Poconchi, Chorti^ Sinca^ and many more* Altboegh these tribes are Of diff^rei^ origin, various in their mann^*s^ opposite ki their inclioátiofiíS) profess distinct faiths^ adopt dissimilar customs, and spaak each its pecoliar language^ yet at the present day they all concur fttt the exercise of the Catholic retigioii, which is the only ^^e professed throughout tbe provinoei^ with tbe exception of some few idolaters^ wbotai all tbe efforts and zeal of the ministers of the gos^- pel have not been able to* bring widmi the pale of Christianity.
The principal pwtt of the Gmtnl^'y wad snbdued in 1524, and foUtowing years, by Pedro de Alva- rado. At that period it was more populous than it now is; for by the oensus taken in t77&by ^der (^ tbe king, the population amounted to tíé »ore than 797^214; whereas, at the time of the conquest it was so numerous, that we are assured it was imposed of more than 30 different na*- tions«
n
Í8 adhbitíiMer^ by tíié i>ojui «awdieicia of QaH^ témftla, th<e pre&mknt of ^bich id foremor rad 0aptai£hgetieral of thé kmgdotn^ having a gveái xmmhfit &i iútériM officers for tiie better regula^» tíon of the protiDdes. The «plritfi&i affftirs aro dhiBCted by the archbisbop <»f GUtat^naia and three safiragans, except in the finiaU district <tf Pe«et>^ which i8 tmdcfr the charge of the b}sh>op of Ync&tati. The ecclesia^tit^ divi&fioti of the kitig^ dom oo«si0tsi of fo«ftr bishoprick&i/t^^. Guatemala» I^M fit quality «of metropolitas e^teud^ over the ^erfcote kingdom ; btrt t)be peculk»* territory of the ardibi6hopríck WOuatemaJa igt^etches 214 teagues irwa tkie plaius of Motocititá, 4he tnost westerly i^SRage'of thedioce^, to «be boundaries of the tfuraey of CowciKaigiia, the most -easteriy; ^nd 216 tei^ues from tibe Fresh G>iilf o» the norths ward to the shores of the Pacific southward. Ill this district there are 108 curacies, 23 collated CHr^ades of regulars^ 16 under charge of the Do- ttddcaüs, 4 of the Frandscaws, and 3 of our Lady of Mertsy ; 4f24 parochial churches, and 53d,765 iabtdbrrtants. This bishoprick was erected by Pope Paúl the Third, by a bull bearing date December 18, 1Ó34 ; Ihom that period to the present time the chair has been occupied by 7 archbishop» aaá 16 bishops. The second bishoprick is Leooi having jurisdiction over the intendancy oí Nica* ragua, and the. government of Costa Rica : in it there are 39 curacies^ 3 establishments for the conversion of infidels, 88 parochial churches, and 131^932 inhabitants. From its erection to the present time this diocess has had 37 bishops. The third is Ciudad Real, its jurisdiction com-
12
préhends the three dii^isioos of the intendancy of Cbiapa ; it coutaios 38 curacies, 102 parish churches, aud 69,253 inhabitants. The fourth is Comayaguá, the jurisdiction of which is confined to the intendancy of Honduras ; within its terri-* tory there are 35 curac^ies^ 1 establishment for the conversion of infidelsr 146 parish churches^ and 88,143 .inhabitapta^*: .
The civil ^government of the kingdom is at pre- sent divided into 15 prOvinices, of these 8 are su- perior alcaldías^ viz. TotOnicapau, Solóla^ Chi- maltenango, Sacatepeques, Zonzonate, Verapaz, £sc\iintla, and Sucbiltepeques ; two are corregi- dorships, Quezaltenaogo, and Chiquimul^ ; one a government, Costa Rica; and four are intendan- cies, Leon, Ciudad Real, Coraayagua^ and St. Salvador. Five of these provinces are situated on the shores of the Pacific; five on the Atlantic, and five interior.
^ In computing the number of inhabitants of the kingdom, parishioners of the diooess, and inhabitants of the provinces, recourse has been had to the census taken by order of the King of Spain in 1788, as being the. most recent and complete that could readily be consulted, because it gives the niimbérs in the separate. provinces and di^iripts* It may, however, be consi- dered too low.; for, by comparing it with the enumerations made by order of the bishops, there will be found a material dis- crepancy; if we aidd tog'ethei^ the numbers of the different dis- tricts of the bishoprick'of Comayagua in the royal census of 1778, the.amount will be no more than 81,143; whereas that taken by order of the bishop in 1791, makes the number 93,501. In Chiapa, in 1778, the number given was 62,263, but by a census in 1796 it was 99,001 : similar increase has been per- ceived in the other two diocesses. '
13
Of the Provinces oh Hie S^a Coast to the * " Southward: ' ^ '^
Chiapa is the first province ÍD'tbis,dir,ect^^ proceeding íVooi New Spain. It is bounded on the west by Oaxaca, on the east by Totpnicapan and SuchiltepequeSy on the north by Tabasco^ on the north-east by Yucatan, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. It enjoys every kind of climate ; its soil yields all the productions of the kingdom, animal as well as vegetable ; and it also produces the shrub which bears the Chiapa pepper. Father Remesal asserts, that the nations who inhabited this district came from^ the pro- vince of Nicaragua, and intrenched themselves so strongly here, that the kings of Mexico could never succeed in subduing them. When the Mexican empire fell, they spontaneously offered themselves as vassal» to the king of Castile, and in his name rendered homage to Ferdjnand Cortes; but verjr soon after revolted. Cortes sent Diego de Mazariegos with a small force in 1524 to pacify them: in this object he easily succeeded, though he. was scarcely returned to Mexico before they again rebelled. In 1527, Mazariegos came a second time to chastise them^ but they were not subdued without fighting se- veral obstinate battles. From that period, there reigned an uninterrupted peace between the Spaniards and Indians of this part until 1712, when the people of the province of Tzendales, joining with those of Chiapa, amounting in all to 32 towns^ formed an alliance against the
14
invaders, became apostates to the faith they had long professed, profaned the sacred edifices, put many ministers of the gospel to crnel deaths, paid impious aidoratioa to au lodiaii female, and committed many other atrocities. By the zealons exertions of Toribio Cosio, president of the royat audiencia, who set out immediately from Guatemala, with a well-appointed force, the whole of the revohed towns were recovered to the Catholic faith, and the former peace and tranquillity restored. Thi« important service was rewarded by bis n^ajesty'Ss conferring the title of Marquis of Torre Campo upon the pre- sident. On the 2Ist of November, the day on which the victory was obtained, there is annually celebrated a solemn thanksgiving in the cathe- drals of Guatemala and Ciudad Real^ at whiqh all the constituted authorities attend.
What now forma the intendancy of Chiapa, was, in the period of its Paganism, divided into five provinces, peopled by as many different na- tions, who have, to the present day, preserved their: distinct idioms, viz. Chiapa, LI'anos, Tzen- diales, Zoques, and Soconusco. Of the fast, the Spaniards formed the government of Soconusco ; and of the other four the alcaldía' m^yor of Ciudad Real : by a royal order in the year 17({4, the latter was again subdivided to form the al- caldia mayor of Tuxtla, which is composed of the districts of Chiapa and Zoques ; whilst those of Llanos and Tzendafes remain to that of Ciu- dad Real. In 1790, the intendancy of Chiapa was created, »nd these three district^ were united under the jurisdiction of the jntendant, who resides in Ciud^id Real, and has a deputy
u
im ea^ti of the places, Tuxtía^ Soeonuseov and GcHDitaq.
Th/e first dtViaUm^ or that of Ciudad Rral, con-r taina 1 m^y, which is the capital, and the oaly 000 of the provinee, 1 tows, and 60 tillages; tba$6 arq dÍ¥Ídad into 20 curacies, and all together contain a population of 40,277 souls.
Ciqdad Real is the capital of this diirision of the iaténdancy, and of the bishopriok of Cbiapa. It was foundod by Diego de Mazariegos with the view of l^oeping in subjection tíie proYÍnce, which with so much difficulty he had reosYored. On the 4tb of March, 1528^ this commander afrr Sduibled tbe chiefs of his army» and apptointed 3 akaldeis, 6 regidors, a chief alguacil, a majorT doofto, and a procurator. On the 31st of tbo same month the naw town was begun on the spot whene the city now stands. It waa ai first calkd YjyUa, Bfial> then Villa Viciosa, anid afterward YiUa de St Christoval da loa Uanoa» by wUcii litóme it is mentioned in soixie public docuaienta in <¥^ year I53l : finally^ by an order» dated 7lb July^ ldp<$»tbe Emperor Charles the Fifth conuoandied a ahoul4 be called Ciudad BeoU and granted to it tliQ hononrs of a city ; the preceding year he b^d assigned to it armorial hearings, mz. a sbi^v with a irii^fr between, two mountains^ upon one of thwk a (^latle, Or^ and a lion rampant ; on the ^HMfiiit of the other a palm-itree, Vert, and an» «their lion ; the whole upon a field» Gulea The «bvreh of Villa Real was dedicated to the An-t mMtjiation of the Yii^n^ but when tbe name of tha towu. was changed to St. Christoval^ tbe same 9^p^Uatian was given to the church ; Pope Paul the. Third elevated it to die episcopal dignity, adK)
16
tiomiuated the lic^ntiate/Juan Artea^a^s^. friar o( the order of Saint Jago, as the first bishop. For the service of the church there is > á cb^ter, composed of' a. 'déáp, an árchdeacotí, a ^reéefi^xj an instrnctor of th^ ctergy ^maestre escuela), > and a canon ; there «aré also a curate-rector, a oht^f sacristan, 6 chaplains, and 4 acolytes; there i» a collie, whkli is' a^qaagnificent building, ahd a very handsoine chapeL The city contains ^buSt* one parish, that of the cathedral; it has four convents, viz. our Lády of Mercy, founded in the year 1537 ; St Domingo, in 1545 ; St. Fran- cisco, established iñ 1575 ; and St. Juan de Dios, the hospital of which was built by Juau Bautista Alvares de Toledo, bishop of Chiapa ; and the convent of La Concepción, for females ; there was also a college of Jesuits. Besides these there is a church dedicated to our Lady of Cha- rity ; without the city there are two oratories, one of St. Nicholas^ the other of St. Christbptier; and 5 barrios, or wards of the Indians, with their respective chapels. The population is small, being only 3333 individuals, and about 500 In- dians in the barrios.' In this city were born Frandi^co Salcedo, of the order of St. Fran- cisco, Who was highly esteemed for his sanctity» and of whom, by a certain class of people, many miracles are related ; and Diego del Saz, of the same order, a man of most exemplary virtue, whose body is said, on the same authority as the preceding miracles, to have remained 50 years uncorrupted after its interment. In the vicinity of the city there are several caverns, where very beautiful specimeus of stalactites^ are found. Ciudad Real is situated in 16 deg. 35 min. of
17
north lat. and 94 deg. 16 mio. long, west from Greenwich; distant 130 leagues north- west of Guatemala.
St* Fernando de Guadalupe, a town situated on the bank of the river Tulija, nine leagues distant from Túmbala; its population is rather more than 200 Indians, with a few Spanish and Mulatto families. The soil is fertile, and well suited to the cultivatiou of cocoa, sugar^ pepper» and many other articles; the river supplies an abundant variety of fish ; the climate is hot, but by no means in the extreme. The town was founded by the intendant Don Agustine de las Cuentas Zayas, in the year 1794, with the view of facilitatiqg the navigation of the Tulija, and, by its means, of opening a communication with Campeche, the lake of Términos, the garrison of Carmen, and other contiguous ! points : the suc- cessful progress of this design during the firstsix years has clearly shewn the advantages of the un- dertaking.
St. I>omingo Sinacantan, a very ancient village, that formerly belonged to the Mexican empire, and from which the Mexicans directed their attacks upon the Chapanecos ; contains about 2000 inhabitants. . In the vicinity of this place there is found a species of small stones of a steel colour, and of a cubic figure, two or three lines in length, called St Anne's stones ; they are very medicinal, and it is asserted that persons suffer- ing under hysterical affections, receive relief from drinking water in which they have been boiled.
St. Jusin Cham u la, a village remarkable only for its numerous population, which exceeds 6000 persons.
c
18
St. Bartholomew de los Uaeos i» also a wetj lar^ Tillage ; it has two churches, and the popH^ lation, including that of some contiguous culti- vated possessions, amounts to 7410 so«ils.
St. Domingo' Comitan, is the residence ef tkie deputy4ntendant of the province, and celebrated for its coi«fiierce; Hiere is a good convent of th« Dominicans ; with the inhabitants of some nei^ bouring plantations the population amounts to 0815 persons.
St. Jacinto Ocosingo, chief place of the pro- vjiice of Tzendales, has more than ^K)0 inha- bitants.
St. Domingo Palenque a village in the pro- vince, of Tzendales, on the borders of theinten- 4aii€Íes of Ciudad Real and Yucatan. It is the bead of acuracy; in a wild and salubrious climate, but very tiikily inhabited, and now cetebrated from having within its jurisdiction the vestiges of a very opulent city, which has been named Ciu- dad del Palenque ; doubtless, formerly tbe capital of an empire whose history no longer exists. This metropolis, — like another Herculanenm, not indeed ov^erwhelnied by the torrent of another Vesuvius, bnt concealed for ages in the midst of a vast desert, — remained unknown until the middle of the eighteenth century, when some iSfMiniards having penetrated the dreary solitude, iWnd themselves, to ^beir great astonishment, witbia sight of the remains of what once batdbeen ai superb city, of six leagues in circumference; the solidity of its edifices, the stateliness of its paJaces, and tbe magnificence of its public WQfks, were not surpassed in importance by i*s vast extent ; temples, altars, deities, scutptnres»
19
and monumental stones, bear testimony to its great antiquity. The hieroglyphics, symbols, and emblems, which have been discovered in the temples, bear so strong a resemblance to those of the Egyptians, as to encourage the supposition that a colony of that nation may h^ve founded the city of Palenque, or Culbuacan. The same opinion may be formed respecting that of Tulhá, the ruins of which are still to be seen near the village of Ocosingo in the same district.
DISTRICT OF TUXTLA.
The second division of the province of Chiapa is that of Tuxtia, which has been before n>eii- tioned as having formed part of the alcaldía mayor of Ciudad Real, and afterward consti- tuting a separate alcaldía; it is now a sub- delegation of the intendancy of Chiapa, contain- ing 19,898 inhabitants, distributed into 33 villages» which form 13 curacies.
The most considerable village in this district if» Tuxtia, the chief place, and residence of the al- calde mayor, who is coadjutor of th^ deputy-in- tendant. The population consists of a few fa- milies of Spaniards, some of Mulattoesy and a much greater number of Indians, the whole amounting to 4280^ persons. There are here a dj^tom-house, a post-ofl5ce, and a manufactory of tobacco. It is 140 leagues distant from Gua- temala and 18 from Ciudad Real.
Chiapa de Indios, a very ancient and large vil- lage, founded by Diego de Mazariegos in 1 527. It has two churches, and contains 1568 inhabitants.
Tecpatlan, capital of the province of the Zo- ques has 2290 individuals.
c2
20
DISTRICT OF SOCONUSCO.
The third division of this province is Soco- nusco. It extends 58 leagues along the shores of the Pacific, from the plains of Tonalá, that border upon the jurisdiction of Teguantepeque, to the river Tilapa, which divides it from Suchiltepe- ques; its breadth ranges from the sea to the mountains, which, where greatest, is about 16 leagues. The climate is extremely hot ; the coun- try level, pleasant, and fertile ; it is watered by 15 rivers, that increase the fruitfulness of it to a great degree; yet, from want of hands, very little of the land is under cultivation, consequently its precious productions are taken but little advan- tage of. It abounds in woods of the most exqui- site kinds, delicious fruits, and medicinal plants : indigo, achiote, vanilla, leche de maria (a vaiu- able gum), cotton, pita (a species of flax), and a great many different sorts of drugs. The prin- cipal articles of the commerce now carried pn> are cocoa, the most esteemed of any in the kingdom, and fish caught in the rivers, and on eight fishing- banks 0Ú the coast. There is also some salt manu- factured; and that produced upon the^state called St. Paul, where no other process than condensing the water is required, is as good as the most cele- brated of Teguantepeque. In proportion as the valuable products of the earth in this beautiful country are numerous, the abundance of wild beasts and reptiles^ is so great as to render it tn^
* AnioDg the innumerable reptiles that infest the province of Soconusco, and others on the coast of the Pacific, there is a spe- cies of wasp called Ahorcadoras Thangers), which deserves parti- cular mention, from the singularity of the only remedy for pre-
21
tolerable and almost uninhabitable. This was the first province in the kingdom that Pedro de AI varado conquered in 1524; it originally ap- pertained to the jurisdiction of the audiencia of Mexico, but in 1553 it was transferred to that of Guatemala. It contains 20 villages, and se- veral plantations, forming together 5 curacies; the number of inhabitantis amounts to 9078. The vernacular language of Soconusco is the Mam» but the natives generally speak the Spanish.
St. Domingo Escuintia is now the head of a curacy ; it was formerly the residence of the go- vernor, and then of the inteudant's deputy, until the year 1794, when a violent tempest destroying the cacaguatales or cocoa plants, and other trees, the commerce and population were both so mych di- minished, that the sub-intendant removed to Ta- pacbula^ a village that carries on a moderate commerce, and contains about 2000 inhabitants of all casts.
The province of Chiapa lies between M deg. 40 min. and 17 deg. 30 min. north lat., and 93 deg; 16 min. and 95 deg. 46 min. west long. : in which space there are 1 city, 1 town, 1 valley, and 109 villages : the whole population is 69,253 souls.
THE PROVINCE OF SUCHILTEPEQÜES.
The second province, in travelling from west to east, is Suchiltepeques ; bounded on the west by Soconusco, on the east by Escuintia, on the north by Quezaltenango, on the north-east by So- lóla, and on the south by the Pacific : its length by
.Tenting the death of persons who are stung by them, which is to plunge the sufferer immediately into the water; or to compress the throat in the manner of hanging, until he is nearly esLhausted.
22
the coast is 32 leagues ; and the breadth frofn the sea to the mountains 22 ; but all the villages are contained within the small space of 12 leagues; there were formerly many more, and much more populous than they are at present; for it only contains 8 curacies, formed by 16 villages; and the inhabitants of these, of the salt-works, farms, and manufactories, do not exceed 15,000. The climate is warm, but less so than that of Soco- nusco. The province is watered by 16 rivers ; of these the Sámala^ that runs through the districts of Quezaltenango and Totonicapan, and the Na- gualate, that discharges itself into the sea, under the name of the Xicalapa, are the most important. It is fertile from its situation and abundance of water, and well wooded ; it produces all the fruits, timber, gums, and medicinal plants, pecu- liar to the climate ; but the chief article of com- merce is cocoa, so excellent in quality as to be preferred by many to that which is produced in Soconusco. The cultivation of this valuable commodity is materially decreased since the pro- vince of Caraccas has been the great mart for it ; but recently it has been attempted to bring back the traffic to its ancient footing, and not with^ out success, as former harvests only produced about 4000 loads, and the last yielded half as much more, or 6000. The people of Suchiltepeques also trade in cotton and sapuyul.* The Quiche
* Sapuyul is the kernel of the sapote, a fruit about six inches in length ; the kernel, which is from two to three inches, is en- closed in a shell, like a filbert ; around the shell there is a pulp of a fine scarlet colour, as beautiful to the eye as it is delicious to the taste ; over this there is a hardish rind. The Indians and poor people mix the sapuyul with cocoa to make chocolate. The abundance of sapotes is so great in this province, that the fruit
27
jnotber-churcfa ; its popuMion is now 1720 Iii- ilians, 18 Spaniards, and 346 Ladinos ; it is the head of a curacy, and was anciently the capital of the alcaldia mayor of Guazacapata, which com- prised a part of the villages of this province ; but about the middle of the la^t century it was added to Escniatla.
Santa CruzChiqiiimula, two leagues from Gua- zacapan, although the least ancient, is now the most papulous place of the district ; it contains iieveral families of Spaniards, 1108 Ladinos, and 6144 Indians, who are chiefly employed in the cultivation of rice, with which they supply the capital.
THE PROVINCE OF ZONZONATE
Is the fourth, and, unlike the foregoing, is of very small extent, being only 18 leagues from east to west, and 13 from north to south; but it is very populous, reckoning 24,684 inhabitants, in one town, and 21 villages, which form 8 curacies. It is bounded on the. south by the Pacific ; by the province of Escnintla on the west; by St. Salva- dor on the east ; and by St. Salvador and Chiqui- uiula on the north. The climate is very hot, its productions all those peculiar to such a tem- perature, and of the best qualities; its principal branches of trade are balsam, turpentine, gum lac, amber, and other resins; it yields also cotton, cocoa, sugar, indigo, sessamum, and rice; a con- siderable trade is likewise carried on in mats, that are woven of different colours by the natives, and used in Guatemala for covering rooms, &c. In this province stands mount Izalco, a volcano, well known for its repeated eruptions; that
28
which took place in April 1798, was. very violent, and lasted several days. The principal rivers of this province are, the Paza, which divides it from Et^cuintla, and another called Rio Grande, fornn- ed by almost innumerable springs of water, which have occasioned the name Zezontlatl to be given to a town situated on its bank ; this name in the Mexican languages means 400 springs of water; by corruption of the word, the town is now called Zonzonate.
Santissima Trinidad de Zonzonate, the capital of the province, is situHed on the Rio Grande; it is a pleasant town, although the climate is very hot ; here the alcalde mayor resides ; there are also royal magazines and a treasury. The town council is composed of 2 alcaldes, a standard- bearer, a chief alguazil, a provincial alcalde, and a syndic. There are 441 Spaniards, 2795 Ladinos, and 165 Indians. Each of the orders of St. Do- mingo, St. Francisco, St. Juan, and La Merced, has a convent here. The church is very spacious; besides vjrhich there are three oratories, viz. Vera Cruz, Calvary, and our Lady of Pilar. On the opposite side of the river it has a suburb called the Barrio del Angel, in which there is a chapel ; the communication between the town and suburb is by means of a stone bridge ; in the vicinity there are 3 small Indian villages, numei'ous cot- tages, and also gardens for the recreation of the people of the town, which is situated in 13 deg. 35 min, north lat., and 90 deg. 26 min. west long.; distant 45 leagues from the metropolis.
Acajutla, a port, or rather an open bay. without shelter. 4 leagues distant from the town of Zon- zonate : which, notwithstanding the difficulties
29
and badness of the coast, is the anchoring place for ships coming from Peru with freights of wine, brandy, oil, raisins, olives, skins, and other pro- duce ; in return for these they take away indigo, sarsaparilla, naphtha, tar, and other commodities of the country, in which this province carries on a very considerable comu^erce.* The place was discovered by Pedro de A) varado, in bis voyage to Peru in 1534.
Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Aguachapa is one of the best villages of the province, carrying on a considerable trade; the population is 164 Spaniards, 1383 Ladinos, and 2500 Indians : in the vicinity there are several manufactories of sugar, which is esteemed the best of the kingdom.
Izalco was formerly so populous a place, that by an order of the king two curates were ap- pointed to it, each with his parochial church, the first called the Assumption, and the second our Lady de los Dolores ; at present the population is diminished, but even now it exceeds 6000 souls.'
THE PROVINCE OF ST. SALVADOR.
The fifth province is St. Salvador, or Cuscatlan, which word, in the language of the country, signi- fies the ** Land of Riches ;" it was conquered in 1525 by Pedro de Alyarado, but the Caciques having revolted, were again reduced to subjection in the following year by the same commander,
* At the solicitation of Don Juan Bautista Irisarr^^ it is in contemplation to build a town near this port, to encourage the navigation of the South Sea, which is capable of producing so much advantage to the kingdom. By an act of the 5th Feb. 1802, the superior government granted permission to carry the design into effect, and committed the execution of it to Irisarry.
30
on bid return from Honduras ; and because the victory, that completed the final conquest, was acbieyed on the 6th of August, the day on tvhich the festival of the transfiguration is celebrated by the church, the principal city was called St. SaU vador. For the same reason the royal standard is on that day carried in procession, with all the pomp and accompaniments peculiar to many places of America ; the sword of Pedro de Alva- rado^ that is carefully preserved in the Mexican village, is also carried in triumph. The celebra- tion of this ceremony is now transferred to Christ- mas, because the 6th of August is in the rainy season, when the principal persons of the city are absent. The province of St. Salvador is 50 leagues long, and 30 broad ; bounded on the west by Zon- zonate ; on the east and north by Comayagua ; north-west by Ghiqnimula, and on the south by the Pacific. It is more numerously peopled than any other province of the kingdom, as the number of inhabitants amodnts to 137,270 Spaniards and people of colour, dwelling in 2 cities, 4 towns, 121 villages, several valleys and estates. The Indians of this district are highly civilized, and all speak the Spanish language. The most valu- able trade of the whole country 'is carried on here, the.principal branch of which is indigo, now become almost exclusively a production of this province; for although in the others already de- scribed, there were several manufactories where it was prepared, at present there is but a small por- tion of it produced out of this district. The cli- mate is warm ; the soil yields all kinds of fruits, woods, gums, animals, and other commodities peculiar to the coast; its mines afford silver,
31
iroD, lead^ ochre, gypsum, and bole armoniac; ftsh is abundantly supplied by the beautiful lake Texacoangos, another called Gilopango^ aod many riven;, among which is the Lempa/ the largest of the kingdom, which taken at its lowest ebb exceeds 140 yards in breadth. Within the jurisdiction of the province is the Balsam coast, where the tree i)roducing that precious liquor grows in great abundance: in quality it is the richest and best known, consequently most highly esteemed in all parts of the world.* This region is governed by an intendant, who re- sides in the district of San Salvador, and has a deputy resident in each of the other three, mz. St. Michael, St. Vincent, and St. Anne ; there is also a deputy in each of the villages, Saeatecoluca and Chalatenango.
DISTRICT OF ST. ANNE.
In continuing the former course, that is, from west to east, the first district in this province is that of St. Anne ; it contains 6 curacies composed of 19 villages, which together include a popula- tion of 11,000 souls. The climate is milder than any other of the intendancy. Its chief commerce depends on sugar, some indigo, cattle, and sheep. The principal place is Great St. Anne's, so called to distinguish it from others of the same name,
* This has always been so highly esteemed, that in 1562 Pope Pius the Foarth, and in 1571 Pius the Fifth, granted permission that the American balsam might be used in the consecration of the holy chrism. This valuable plant not only yields the white and black balsam, but a .nut, from which the oil of balsam is extracted, and flowers, from which the spirit of balsam (aguardiente de balsamo) is drawn ; it also produces the sub« stance that the liquor called balsamillo is made of: they are all eminently serviceable in medicine.
32
as M^ell asi from its numerous population, which exceeds 6000 persons; of these 338 are Spa^ niards, 3417 Ladinos, and the remainder In- dians.. The deputy^ntendant resides here. It has a spacious church and a post-office, and is also the station of a regiment of militia of 567 men. It is 45 leagues from the metropolis.
Chalchuapa is a large well-built village, of good proportions, with a mixed population of Spaniards, Ladinos, and Indians, whose prin- cipal occupation is breeding hogs.
St. Pedro IVf atapas is the best town in the dis- trict; the church is a very handsome edifice, Jiighly adorned, and richly endowed. It is the chief place of a curacy, containing 4000 inha- bitants; of whom 400 are Indians, who dwell in a part distinct from the others. It is governed by two Spanish alcaldes, nominated by the intendant. The commerce of this place is in indigo, sugar, maize, and various other productions. In the envij'ons there are five iron founderies, which an- nually produce upwards of 1500 quintals. The lake Guija is about 2 leagues distant from the tovvn ; the length of it is about 8 leagues, and breadth 3; affording an abundant supply of mo- harra, and other kinds offish: the river Lempa takes its source from this lake.
DISTRICT OF ST. SALVADOR.
The next and principal district of the province is St. Salvador, containing the capital and 50 other towns jind villages, divided into 11 cura- cies, and peopled with 68,660 souls. It has been already said, that all the productions of warm climates grow in this [Province; but its
55
IraJe is principally confined to the cuítiva- tion of indigo, to which indeed the inhabitants devote their attention almost so exclusively as to neglect the growth of other articles of the first necessity. The city of St. Salvador, situated in 13 deg. 36 rain, north lat. and 89 deg. 46 rain, west long, is the capital ; it stands in a delightful valley, surrounded by mountains covered with wood, which terminate on the north-east in a vol- canOy that at different periods has caused great devastation by its eruptions. The city was trans* ferred to the site it now occupies, about 10 oí 12 years after it had been established on a spot called the Bermuda. It was founded in 1528; with the rank of a town, by order of George de Al varado, then lieutenant of his brother Pedro, and was intended to keep the province of Cus- catlan in subjection. With this design he sent Diego de Alvarado, as alcalde mayor, and lieu*^ tenant of the captain-general, with several other officers of rank, from the city of Guatemala ; who having fixed, upon a spot proper for building á town^ laid the foundation of it on the 1st of April, 1528; when Diego de Alvarado, 2 al- caldes, a chief alguacil, and 6 regidors, nomi- nated by George de Alvarado, entered upon their respective offices. The town having increased considerably, the Emperor Charles V. fey a de* cree, dated Sept. 27, 1545, granted to it the ho- nours and rank of a city. The church was dedi- cated to St. Salvador, and Father Pedro Ximenes was. the first curate appointed to it ; at present it is served by 2 curate rectors. In addition to the church there are four oratories, viz. Calvary, St. JBstevaq^ St. Luciai. and the presentation of the
Sé
Virgin : in the latter, an image of the Virgin Mwf and Child is adored by the people, and supposed to be a powerful auxiliary to the city under every public calamity. There are 3 convents, the Do^ minican, founded in 1551 ; the Franciscan, in 1574; and La Merced, in 1623: belonging to these, and to the church, there are no less than eo religious fraternities. The intendant, his asr «essor, the royal treasurer, and public accountant^ reside here. There are a post-oflSce, custom- house, factory of tobacco, and consular deputar tion, 2 battalions of regular militia, amounting to 1534 men, embodied in the year 1781, and a town counciK The inhabitants amount to 614 Spaniards^ 10,860 Ladinos, and 585 Indians. The streets run in right lines, the houses are commodious^ and the market well supplied. Distant 60 leagues E. S. E. from Guatemala. The principal town$ of the district are Nejapa, Tejutia, St. Jacinto» Suchitoto, Cojutepeque, Texacuangos, Olocuilta^ Tonacatepeque, Cbalatenango, and Masagua, all of them heads of curacies, served by secular mir liisters.
ST. VINCENT
Is the third district of the province, comprehencb- fng 5 curacies, in vrhich there are 20,310 inhabt- tonts dM^elling in the chief town; the town of Titiguapa, 12 villages, various dispersed farms and manufactories. The warmth of the climate 2S rather more intense than in the preceding pro#- viipice. Its trade is limited chiefly to tobacco an^ dying materials.
St. Vincente de Austria^ or Lorenzana, is the ^ief .town of the district, Alvaro dé Quiñoneé
35 .
Oserio^ president of the royal au^ietlcia, settled i4 with a number of Spanish families in 1638; an4 ia reward for tliist service, the king created him marquis of Loreúzana, which title, at his death, cfcescended to his son, Diego de Quiñones, who, by virtue of it, nominated a judge, for the due administration of justice in the tpwn; but tbid appointment was annulled by a decree of the so- vereign, dated April 30, 1643, as the civil juris- diction properly belonged to the alcalde mayor of St. Salvador. *The*town of St. Vincent is 74 leagues from Guatemala, between the cities of St Salvador and St Michael ; 14 leagues east of the former, 23 west of the latter, and in 13 dcg* of north lat. ; situated on the skirts of a loftjt mountain, the ascent to the summit of which is » at least 2 leagues. At the base of this mountain there are several caverns, wherein are some warm springs, the waters of which are extremely fetid, and burst forth with an incredible noise. Two deep rivers nearly cjrcgmvallate the town, one on the north side, and the other on the south. The climate is warm and humid, but healthy. Th^ principal church is sufficiently ample, being abou,t fO yards in length: a short distance from it there is another^ dedicated to our Lady del Pilar, whicl^ has three vaulted aisles of beautiful architecture find costly decoration, though now a little dilapi- dated ; it was built at the sole expense of a de^ vout private gentleman, Don Francisco de Quin- tanilla. A little farther to the westward stands the oratory of Calvary, and there is a Convent of Franciscans now building. It has a town councih The population is qo^po^ed oí 573 families, 41,
D 2
S6
of which are Spaniards (218 ÍDdÍYÍ(luaIs), and 477 of Ladinos (3869 individuals).
Sacatecoluca is the largest village in this dis* trict^ and one of the finest in the kingdom ; it is situated at the base of the volcano of St. Yincent, directly opposite the town of St. Vincent, which is on the north side of it» The population is
|
Families. |
Individuals. |
|
Spaniards 62 |
209 |
|
Ladinos 902 |
3087 |
|
Indians 299 |
1592 |
There are 2 Spanish, 2 Ladino, and 1 Indian aU caldes, for the administration of justice in their respective casts.
Apastepeque, a large village, celebrated for m fair held on the 1st of November, for the sale of « dying woods, &c. It is about a league from the town of St. Vincent, on the skirts of the same mountain, in a mild climate. It is the residence of a few Spanish families. At present it is the head of a curacy, formed in 1774, previous ta which period it was annexed to the church of SU Vincent.
Istepeque^ a village celebrated for its tobacco^ which is deemed the best of any produced in the kingdom. .
Tepetitan, a village adjoining to Istepeque^ here there is a royal factory of tobacco.
ST. MICHAEL
Is the fourth and most easterly district of the province, bounded on the north by Comayagua, on the east by Cholultecar» on the west by St
ST
Vincent, and'oii the south by the Pacific. The climate is intensely hot and insalubrious^ in .consequence the po ulation, at present, falls short of what it formerly was; there are, how- ever, now 35;300 inhabitants in the city of St^ Michael, the towns of St. Alexis, and ChapeU tique;- 40 villages, and some dispersed farms,, which altogether form 7 curacies. The trade of this division consists generally of indigo and to- bacco. On the coast there are 2 ports, one called Jiquilisco, the entrance to which is 6 league» eastward of the bar of the river Lempa : it is shut in by several islands, that shelter and defend the anchorage. Many persons suppose this to be the Bay of Fonseca, discovered in 1522 by Gil Gon- zales Davila. The other called Conchagua, a large bay, capable of receiving ships of any ton- nage, is situated on the boundary between thia district and Cholulteca. The capital is the city of St. Michael, in 12 deg. 60 min. north lat., arid 86 deg. 46 min. west long. Luiz de Moscosa founded it in 1530, with the privileges of a town, by command of Pedro de Alvarado ; and in the^ year 1599, it was advanóed to all the honours o£ a city. It has a good church, decorated with» costly ornaments ; 2 convents, one of the order o£ St. Francis, and another of La Merced ; I ora- tory, and a town council. The population amounts to 5539 souls, viz. 239 Spaniards, and 5300 La- dinos. It is 12 leagues from the sea,; 37 from St« Salvador, and 97 from Guatemala. - St. Juan Ghinameca» the head of a curacy, is á large place, chiefly inhabited by Ladinos,* whose number exceeds 2400. It enjoys a fine air and most agreeable temperature, the soil around it pro-
itacés all thé species of grain, fruit, and vegé-~ tables peculiar to oiild climates ; and with these Goramodities it supplies the city of St. Michael.
The Estanzuelas, a small establishment of La- dinos and Mulattoes. It is only remarkable for a mineral spring, the waters of which will petrify the leaves of trees, or whatever falls into it
CHAP. III.
Of the Jive Provinces situated on the Shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
PROVINCE OF VERA PAZ.
Pursuing a course from west to east, the first province to the northward is Vera Paz, called by: the Indians Tezulutlan: it was, at first, named by the Spaniards Tierra de Guerra, or thé Land; of War, from the warlike spirijt of the natives, whom they were unable \o subdue by arms,» ttiough the attempt was repeatedly made. Charle» the Fifth bestowed on it the name of Vera Paz, because it embraced Christianity only from hear-; ing the gospel preached. The religious fathers of St. Domingo undertook this diificult conquest in the year 1537, and by 1552 had brought nearly all the province under the dominion of the church.: They then entered the province of Acala, and pursued their pious labours ; but, in 1555, Fathers .Domingo Vico, and Andres Lopez, fell martyrs to their holy zeal on the 29th of November, In 1603, and following years, the Dominicans con- verted the province oCMa^iqhé, contiguous to Vera! Paz, and the inhabitants of 8 villages received the sacrament of baptisni. In 1674, 1675, and 1676^
39
fhe fathers of the same order made several other attempts to convert another nation, called Chol^ situated to the north-east of Vera Paz, with so much success^ that 2346 natives were baptized, and set* tied in 1 1 villages ; but the new disciples soon after Mrithdrew to the mountains, where they remained tintil the year 1688, when the alcalde mayor of the province undertook an expedition to their retreats in search of them, brought back such as he met with, and afterward settled them ia the valley of Urran, where their posterity have remained to this time. The nations of the Acalas, Mopans, Chols, and Lacandons, contiguous to Vera Paz, for the most part remain unsubdued. This district is entirely occupied by Indians» there being neither Spaniards nor Ladinos inha* biting it, except a very few in one or two villages, for the purpose of maintaining the sovereignty of the Spanish monarch over the territory, which i$ governed by an alcalde mayor. The spiritual concerns of the province were, at first, confided to the bishop of Guatemala ; in the year 1538, they were placed under the direction of the Bishop of Chiapa ; in 1559, it was made a dio*- cess, and bestowed on Pedro de Ángulo, the first bishop, who had been one of the earliest adven- turers to preach the gospel in it, and who laboured most strenuously to instruct the natives^ He was succeeded by Thomas de Cardenas, Pedro Peña, and Antonio Hervias, all of the order of St. Do*- mingo. Finally, Juan Fernandez Rosillo occupied the episcopal chair until 1607, when the diocess of Vera Paz was added to the mitre of Guatemala. The Dominicans have the ch?irge of administering the sacramentBi The whole of this division con*
40
8Í6ts of 1 chief town, 13 villages, and 3 snialler pnes. The whole population is 49,583.
The province of Vera Paz is bounded on the north by Yucatan, -on the south by Totonicapan and Solóla, on the west by Chiapa, and on the east by Chiquimula and the Fresh Gulf. The land is very rugged and marshy, from the con- tinued rains that fall throughout the year, and the almost innumerable rivers by which it is in-^ undated. Notwithstanding these disadvantages the air is salubrious, the climate in some parts is warm and dry, but in others it is humid. The forests produce trees of immense size, the trunks of some of them being not less than a hundred feet high, and of proportionate circumference. Excellent timber of various kinds is to be met veith in abundance; one species, the Guayacan, is considered incorruptible; the Drago, which yields the gum called dragon's blood ; amber, copal, mastic, almacigo, various kinds of balsam land aromatic plants ; the achiote, age,, and many jkinds of drugs in profusion. The mountains af- ford protection to great numbers of wild beastsf and nionstrous animals, as the danta, tigers, lions^ and others peculiar to the country. The rivers are not less remarkable for the variety and mag^ Xiitude of their inhabitants ; but the manati, or sea calf, surpasses all others in size. The birds court attention, from the almost endless diversity of feather* and song, with which they beautify anc^
• Among tfie birds most esteemed for their plumage in Verai Paz, the quezal holds the first place: it is found also in the province of Quezaltenango, whence it most probably obtained its name. It is peculiar to this kingdom, and the most beautiful of all the feathered tribe: the plumage is of an exquisite emerald -green, the tail feathers are very Jong, ^nd t|ie natives make usq
41
enliven the woods : of these a spedes of partridge, as large as a common fowl, is not the least esti- mable. Cotton yarn is the principal branch X)f commerce carried on here.
The capital is styled, .imposingly enough, the imperial city of St. Domingo Coban. It 4s nn- doubtedly the largest settlement of Indiana throughout the kingdom, as it contains upwards of 12,000 inhabitants. It is the residence of the chief alcalde, as it formerly was of the bishop of Vera -Paz. Lat. 15 deg. 15 min. north long* 91 deg. 16 min. west, and 50 leagues from Guate- mala.
The other places of this province offer nothing that can claim attention; the most populous are St. Paul, RabinaU St. Matthew, Salamá, and 3anta Maria Cahabon.
New Sevilla, now dismantled, was a towa founded by some Spaniards who came from Yu- catan about the year 1544; it stood in a plain on the bank of the river Polochic, about 3 leagues from the Gulf, in the jurisdiction of Amatique.* It was disfranchised and abandoned in 1549, by
of them as ornaments in their dances ; they were formerly sent to the kings of Mexico as a very valuable present. Great care was taken not to kill the birds, and they were released, after being deprived of their most beautiful spoils. The birds them- selves, as if they knew the high estimation their feathers are tield in, build their nests with two openings, that by entering at one, and quitting them by the other, their plumes may not be deranged.
* The alcaldía mayor of Amatique, which was united to the wardeuship of the Gulf, extended 35 leagues from east ta ^ west, and 30 from north to south, was bounded on the east by the province of Honduras, on the south by those of Acasaguas- tlan and Vera Paz, on the west by lands belonging to the un- reclaimed Indians, and on the north by the sea ; it had but one town and three villages^ which being desolated by frequent pes- tUcntial epidemics, the alcaldía was abolished»
4á
an order from the king in 1547/ in consequence of complaints made to his majesty on the part of the Indians of Vera Paz.
DISTRICT OF PETEN.
Between Verapaz, Chiapa, and Yucatan is the celebrated lake Itza, or Peten, of an oblong figure and about 26 leagues in circumference : in some parts there are SO fathoms depth, and in others still more ; the i^aters are good, and produce ex- cellent fish. The Peten, or Great Issland, is about two leagues from the shore, and was the chief place of the Itzaex Indians ; it is steep and lofty, and on the summit there is a plain nearly a quarter of a league in diameter, where the In- dians and their king Canek resided. In 1698 ai garrison was established in this place, in conse- ijuence of an order, dated 23d of January. Fpur other smaller islands lie at short distances from the principal one ; all these five islands, the whole of the eastern side of the lake, and the neigh- bouring range of mountains, were formerly nu- merously peopled by diflfereut Indian nations; but at present there remain no more than seve» villages in the whole territory, with a diminished population of only 2555 individuals. The tem- poral affairs of the district belong to the king- dom of Guatemala, and it is under the immediate government of the warden (castellano) of Peten ; but its spiritual concerns are under the bishop of Yucatan's guidance^ and intrusted to the care of five curates. This region was subdued by Mar- fin de Ursua y Arismendi, governor of Yucatan, who dis^played the royal standard in Petep^ and took possession of the island, in the king's name.
4a
©ft tEe rsfh of March, 1697. The soil of thki cantoD is Tery fertile, always yielding two har- tests of maize in the year ; it also produces Chiapa pepper, Brasil wood, balsam, vanilla cotton, cocoa, pine apples, plums, and other fruits ; indigo, cochineal, and achiote are not the least valuable of its productions. The climate is temperate, the air hea^lthy, the country agreeable, with great plenty of game, fine pasturage^ and many navigable rivers.
The principal place is the fortress of Peten, in 16 deg. north lat. and 91 deg. 16 rain, west longi 165 leagues north-west of Guatemala ; the castle called Nuestra Señora de los Remedios and SU Paul, is the residence of the governor and the ecclesiastical vicar. Among the numerous idols preserved by the Itzaex Indians in this island, some bones that have been ascertained to be the remains of a horse, which, on account of its being diseased, Cortes left among them when he went on to Honduras, were held in great veneration by them. At the distance of 10 leagues from the Jake, the ridge of the Alabaster mountains begins; on it green, brown, red, and other coloured jasper is found. On one of the mountains of this district there were found, in 1797, some small stones per- fectly spherical, and so hard that. they might have been used as bullets for muskets and pistols^ and as balls for cannon of different calibre from 4 to 24-pounders*
THE PROVINCE OP CHIQÜIMÜLA
'*Has for its boundaries Verapaz on the west, Comayaguaon the east, Escuintla, Sacatepeques, and Zonzonate on the south, and the sea on the
44
Adrth. Within its territory there are 52,423 inha-^ bitants of all casts, 30 small towns and yillages, and many detached farms and manufactories ; the whole divided into 12 curacies, all served by the secular clergy, for the regulars have never had any cures in this province. The climate is very hot, except in one or two places, where it is either cold or temperate. The soil produces much maize, pulse of various sorts, rice, cocoa, melons, water-melons, cotton, and, above all, the sügar-^cane, from which they make panelas,* pne of their chief articles of commerce. There are excellent pastures in which are bred cattle» bogs, mules, and horses ; the two last are in great request among the carriers, who are very numerous in this country, for transporting their cargoes to the shipping, and from the Gulf to Guatemala: there are also some mines of gold^ silver, talc, and other metals and minerals; at present those of Alotepeque are the most pro- ductive» Among the rivers of this region, those of the first rank are the Fresh Gulf (Golfo Dulce), the Great River (Rio Grande), noted for a sort of fish called bobo,t more delicate than any other in the kingdom, and caught only in tbi£(
* In this country small loaves of unrefined sugar, of a brown colour, are called panelas, or raspings ; they are so extremely 9weet that they very soon cloy the taste ; there is an immense consumption of them in all parts of the country, being used not only for domestic purposes, but also for making brandy and cbica, a drink the Indians inebriate themselves with ; it is made in various ways, and from different materials.
t This ñsh can only have been called bobo (fool) in irony, as It is particul^irly swift and cunning, and cannot be taken without great trouble and dexterity ; it is from two to three feet long,'the skin thick, and the substance very rich and savoury : it must for these reasons be a distinct species of fish from that which Alcé- do describes under the name hobo.
45
river, and in that which flows by the city of Co* mayagua : the Great River has its source in the province of Cbimaltenango ; in its lengthened course it receives many other streams, and after-r ward takes the name of Motagua: it forms the boundary between this province and Honduras, and falls into the ocean eight leagues eastward of the mouth of the Gulf river: it is in contemplation to establish the introduction of the commerce of Cai?tile by this river, which iá navigable as far as Gaulan. The native language of the province m the Chorti.
An opinion has been entertained that this re« gion was once inhabited by a race of people whose stature may with truth be called monstrous» A writer of respectability affirms, that at the end of the 17th century, some skeletons were found on the farm of Peñol, the shin bones of which mea- sured from seven quarters to two varas in length (the vara is 33 inches English), and the others iu due proportion ; and that Don Thomas Delgado de Naxera attempted to remove some of them to Guatemala, but on taking hold of them they crumbled to pieces in his hands*
Chiquimula is divided into two districts that were formerly two corregidorships ; one called Zacapa and Acasaguastlan, the other Chiqui- mula; the first includes 8 villages situated in the western part, and the other 22 villages and other places in the eastern division. The two corregidorships were formed into one, denomi- nated Chiquimula and Zacapo, about the year 1760^ or soon after.
46
DISTRICT OF ACASAGUASTLAN,
The following are the most considerable places of this district, viz. St, Agustin de la Real Co- rona, or Acasaguastlan, a lai*ge place once the capital of the corregidorship, and residence of the corregidors: it is now the head of a curacy, which had so extensive a domain, that two separate cures have been formed from it, tiz. Sansaria and Tocoy. St. Pedro Zacapais a mo* derately populous place ; among the inhabitants there are some Spanish families, many of Mutat**^ toes, but many more of Indians ; it is the head of a curacy, and chief of the district, where the cor^ regidor's deputy resides.
In this district is the Fresh Gulf that was for^ tified in 1647, under the direction of the presi- dent, Diego de Avendaño, from which period it became much frequented, and for more than a century has been the only place on the Atlantic Ocean, where the ships of Spain, trading with this kingdom, have discharged their freights. It is a lake of fresh water, rendered navigable by the nu- merous rivers that fall into it, and measures «ix leagues across in almost every direction; the dis- tance hence to the capital may be about 72 leagues í it communicates-with the Atlantic by an arm that is called the Gulf River, at a point about 14 leagues from the lake, in 15 deg. 25 min. north lat. and 90 deg. 16 min. west long. ; so that the mouth of the river is in the centre of the angle formed by the coast of Walis or Yucatan, running north and south from Cape Catoche, 120 leagues distant from the said centre ; and by the coast of Honduras extending eas^t and west 68 leagues to
4T
(fate Point of Castile: this indent is called tlie Bay of Honduras. On the shore of the lake there i$ a fort called the Castle of St. Philip.*
Not far distant from the mouth of the Gulf River there is a bay called the Port of St. Tilo- mas de Castilla, from having been discovered on the day of St. Thomas Aquinias, 7th of March» 1604, vrhen Don Alonzo Criado de Castillo was president. The motive for preferring the Port of St. Thomas to the Port of Caldera at Point Castile, and Port Caballos, for unloading ships that arrive on the coast of Honduras, were the repeated attacks and captures made by pi^ rates at the two latter places. But it was found necessary, a short time afterward, to abandon the Port of St. Thomas, because, being situated on a spot where the soil was extremely barren, the cattle which transported the produce of the country to the ships, frequently perished for want of provender. It was, therefore, determined to establish the entry and export of the merchandise <rf both kingdo0is in the Fresh Gulf.
DISTRICT OF CHIQÜIMULA.
The principal places of the second district are the following, viz. Chiquimula de la Sierra, the capital of the province arid residence of the cor- regidor, which contains more than 2000 Indians, ■ besides 296 Spaniards, and 589 Ladinos. It is 50 leagues from Guatemala in 14 deg. 20 itiin. north lat, and 90 deg. 16 min. west long.
^ This garrison was established in the year 1655, and approved «f by ilk majesty*s edict in November, 1658; on the 26th of Fe- bruary, 1687, another edict was issued, commanding it to be ^aintaiucd in aa effective state of defence. • * ^
48
St. Jago Esquipulas is the best town of the dis* trict) though in á humid and unhealthy climate : it is seated on a plain surrounded by hills ; the houses are good, and the place is singular from having an inn in it, which is not the case at any other : there is a mixed population of Spaniards, Ladinos, and Indians. Lat. 14 deg. north, and long. 90 deg. 16 min. west.
Close to the town is the ¿llebrated sanctuary of our Lord of Esquipulas, one of the best ar- ranged, most capacious, and handsomest churches of the kingdom: the interior is divided into three aisles ; on the outside the four angles are adorned by as many handsome lofty towers ; at the extre* mity of the principal aisle there is a beautiful re« cess, wherein a crucifix is placed. This image was carved at Guatemala, in 1595, b^ Quirio Ca* taño, an eminent artist, and deposited in the mo- ther-church of Esquipulas, where it soou obtained such renown by the miracles it vouchsafed to operate in behalf of true believers, who duly paid their adorations to it, as to become famous^ throughout the whole country, and pious pilgrims came in multitudes to visit this holy^ image, not from the provinces of Guatemala only, but even from New Spain, whither its reputation had extended. The 15th of January is the festival of this wonder-working effigy, and at that period a concourse of 80,000 persons has been known to assemble in the town, some attracted by de- votion to assist at the solemnity, and others by the more worldly inducement of attending the great fair, which is held about the same time. As the old parish- church could not, by any means, accommodate so great an influx of
49
risitors, Pedro Pardo de Figueroa, archbishop of Guatemala, relieved the inconvenience by erecting the existing sumptuous edifice, to which the ashes of this venerable prelate were transferred in 1758> with extraordinary solemnity.
THE PROVINCE OF HONDURAS OR COMAYAGUA.
•
Is the third in succession, following a course from west to east by the sea-coast ; it lies east and west along the shores of the Atlantic, having the provinee of Chiquimula on the west, St, Sal- vador on the south, Nicaragua on the south* east and east, and the bay of Honduras on the north. The bay was thus named by the Spa- niards, who first came to subjugate the country, because when they wished to land, they were un- able to find anchorage along the coast on account of the great depth (hondura) of water. They also called it Hibueras or Calabazas, from the great number of pumpkins they found on. shore. The land io general is uneven, but fertile in the ex- treme^ producing maize, pulse, cocoa, sugar, and cotton; it abounds in cattle, and possesses more mines of gold and silver than all the kingdom be- sides. The climate is hot and humid, inconse- quence very unhealthy, which is the cause of its being so thinly peopled ; for many of the towns it formerly could boast of, have been abandoned, and those which remain are very much reduced in population.
The rivers and streams that water this dis-
w. trict ai*e very numerous ; of the largest may be
mentioned the Camalecon, that descends from
the district of St. Pedro Sula, and falls into the
nea ^6ut 24 leagues from the Gulf River. Pi-
z
50
raguas (lai^ecanoes) may navigate it for more than 60 leagues. The Ulaa falls into thie Atlan^ tic about 31 leagues from the Gulf River, and m navigable ; it has its rise several leagues above the city of Gomayagua. The Lean, or Leones^ disembogues. 46 leagues from the Gulf; it rises in the mountains of Mulia and Lean, and is not navigable above 30 leagues; contifvuing eastward along the coast, at the distance of 84 leagued from the Gulf, the Aguan has its astuary ; it rise» in the mountains of Sulaco, and runs a course from west tq east of 70 leagues ; it is navigable for piraguas about 40 leagues from its mouth.. The river Limones descends from the mountains of Olancho el Viejo^ and discharges itself 00 leagues from the Gulf River ; it is navigable for piraguas. Pursuing the same direction about 13 leagues from the Limones^ is the bar of the river Tinto, which is very deep, and rises in the dis-^ trict of Tegucigalpa. Half a league eastward of the latter is the Payas, navigable only for canoes. The Plátanos is the last in this direction ; h is a large river, falling into the Atlantic about 106 leagues distant from the Gulf River. There are some others that take a different course, and discharge themselves into the Pacific Ocean : the Nacaome and the Choluteca fall into the Bay of Conchagua.
On the coast of this province there are 6 dif- ferent ports : the first is Omoa^ a bay with good anchorage, forming a clear, saife, and well-sbél-* t^red harbour, sufficiently capacious to moor 20 or 25 vessels. It is 17 leagues east of the Fresh Gulf, in 15 4leg. 23 min. north hit and 88 deg. 56 min. west long. : the second, Puerto Caballos^
51
three leases eastward of the preceding, is formed by two bays ; but as its eotrance has little mdre than two feet water, is not much frequented/ The third is Puerto de Sal, 37 leagues from the Gulf^ yery small, and without good ancbor-i age, in 15 dég. 25 nun. north lat. Th^ fourth. Triunfo de la Cruz^ is a large bay, trending to Ihe south-east^ where vessels of any size may an- chor under shelter of three small islands called the Friars. The fifth is the Port of Truxillo, contiguous to the city of the same name, which h 68 leagues from the Fresh Gulf; the eútrancet to it id open to the north-north-east ; the points forming it, Castilla on the north-east, and Que-i mara south-west, are 6 leagues from each Other ; in the middle of the bay lies the Isla Blanca* The sixth is Port Cartago> 132 leagues from the Gulf River, in the territories of the uncivHized Indians. The whole of this coast was conquered by Christoval de Olid, acting under a conmiission from CoHés^ in 1523; but the interior was sub- dued by Pedro de Alvarado in 1530, and follow- ing years. Th^ province is governed by the In- tendant of Gomayagua, who has deputies at Te- gucigalpa^ Gracias a Dios, St. Pedro Sula, Ten-: coa, Yoro, Olancbito» and Olancho el Viejo. The (Spiritual government belongs to the bishop of Honduras. It i6 divided into two districts, viz. Comayagua, which comprehends all the western part, and Tegucigalpa, extending over all the eastern : the first was formerly a governitient, and the second the jurisdiction of a chief alcalde; but at prudent they form the intendancy of Gomaya- gua» contatniog 137 t^wns, villages, &c. and »3,601 inhabitants.
E 2
52
THE DISTRICT OF COMAYAGÜA Lies between the proviocesr of Chiquimula aad Tegucigalpa ; it has .94 villages, &c. and 59,265 inhabitants* The whole is subdivided into 25 curacies.
Truxillo, formerly the capital of the province and residence of the bishop, was founded in 1524, by Francisco Las Casas, whom Cortes sent against Christoval de Olid, who had revolt- ' ed: it received its name from the circumstance of the principal persons at its foundation being na- tives of the city of the same appellation in Estre- madura. In 1539 the church was declared a ca- thedral by Pope Paul the Third. In 1589 the convent of Franciscans was founded ; there was also a hospital called the Conception^ and a council; it had a numerous European popula- tion, which, combined with the fine climate, salu- brity of the waters, and other advantages, ren- dered it a convenient and desirable residence. It was situated close to the port of the samé name, where Cortes embarked on bis return to Mexico; the harbour is commodious, and was once defended by a fort mounting 17 guns, and some small pieces, but notwithstanding this pro-- tection, it was attacked, the town taken, pillaged, and destroyed by the Dutch in 1643 ; it remained in a ruined state until 1789, when the king of Spain ordered it to be restored, and the harbour to be fortified. It is now protected by three forts in a regular state of defence : it was attacked, in April, 1797, by two English ships of war and a brig; but they were repulsed after losing 11 men killed and 9 prisoners. The population at pre- l?pnt is not very numerous, being only from 80 to
53
100 Spaniards, and about 300 negroes. It is governed by a military commandant, invested with the usual jirrisdiction ; he has under his orders a detachment of 200 veteran troops. The towa stands on an elevation of about 30 yards above the level of the sea, between the river» Negro and Christales, distant 95 leagues from Comayagua, and 239 from Guatemala. Lat. 15 deg. 20 miu. north, and 86 deg. 6 min. west long.
Gracias a Dios, a city founded by Juan de Chaves in the year 1536, is situated in a pleasant valley at the base of a lofty mountain, from the summit of which descends a rivulet that flows close by and supplies it with water. In the early periods of this place it was one of the most flourishing of the kingdom^ and important as being the seat of the royal audiencia of the borders of Guatemala and Nicaragua in 1544. It has one convent of La Merced/ which is poor, and not numerous, but one of the most ancient belonging to that order in the kingdom. At this time the population is very small, and the city itself in a state of great decay. Its distance from Comayagua is 38 leagues, and from Guatemala, 166. Lat. 14 deg. north, and 89 deg. 16 mi», west long.
New Valladolid or Comayagua, the capital of the province of Honduras, is seated in a beautiful plain contiguous to a large river, from which it draws an abundant supply of excellent fish. In 1540 Alonzo de Caceres founded this place by order of FrSincisco Montejo, the governor of Honduras. In 1544 the king issued an order for establishing here the royal audiencia' of the bor- ders; but it was not carried into effect on ac^
54
.cot|ut of lh€ town's being then in its inñsincy ; and of its great distance from Guatemals^ the chief city, and the other provinces. A decree of Deceniber 20, 1557^ granted to it the title aad honours of a city ; the corporation was composed at first of I alcalde and 3 r^idors, appoioted by the royal audiencia ; but in 1558, the royal chancery ordered that .these oflScers should be elected annually. The governor of Comayagu^ ibrmerly had his residence here, as at present have the intendant of the province, and his assessor, the treasurer, add the receiver-general of the king's revenues : it is the head quarters of a bat- talion of militia of 7^7 men. The church is dedicated to the immaculate conception of the Virgin, and has been a cathedral since the year 1561, when th^ sovereign pontiff and the king, sanctioned the translation of the episcopal chair of Honduras from Troxilio to this place. The chapter is composed of a dean, an archdeacon, chaoter, rector, treasurer, penitentiary, and doctor of ^anon law. There are, a tridentine college» the grammatical professorship, in which was en- dowed, by royal decree, in 1602 ; 3 convents, viz. St. Francis, La Merced, and Juan de Dios, the latter maintaining an hospital; 2 parishes, that of the cathedral for Spaniards, and (^a Caridad for Indians. The town is situated in 13 deg. 50 miu. north lat. and 88 deg* 46 tain, west long. Distant from Guatemala 144 leagues.
St. Gil de Buena Vista was the first settleo^ent mad^ by the Spaniards on the coast of flondiiras ; Gil Gonzales Davila formed it oil bjis first arrival in 1523, even before Christoval de Olid took possession of the country for the catholic king:
55
it was situated Q^ar Cape Three Points, to th^ eastward pf the Gulf of Dulce.
El Triunfo.de la Cr^iz, (the Triumph of the Cross) was a town founded by Christoval de Oiidi and received its nau^e from bis having landed at this spot on the day of the Invention of the Cross, in the year 1523. Of these two places, nothing remaini^ at the present day but the name, nor of the town of St. Juan, settled by Pedro de Alva* rado, near Puerto Caballos in 1536. . Naco, a pleasant and spacious valley surround* ed by hills, lying between St. Pedro Zula and Puerto Caballos, deserves mention as being the place where Francisco de las Casas, and Gil Gon- :;ales Davila ordered Christoval de Olid to be beheaded.
St. Pedrp Zula, and the two following places, were formerly called cities, and in fact had cor- porations; but in the present day they are eu« tirely decayed. St» Pedro vras founded by Al- yarado in 1536.
St. George Olanchito still contains a small po- pulation, from wliich three militia companies of 110 men each are embodied '• it was fouuded iu 1530 by Diego de Alvarado^ acting under thj^ orders of his brother Pedro.
Sonaguera is now only a Ladino village, 20 leagues frona TTruxillo.
Yoro is a considerable town, maintaining four companies ojf militia of 100 men each : jthis and t})e three preceding places are heads^ of curacies.
Tencoa is a village that deserves n^ention» from a peculiar species of pepper cultivated in its vi- c?inity.
The valley of Olancho is memorable for the im-
ü6
inense richesí that have been collected from the River Guayape, that flows through it ; and even now the purest gold produced in the kingdom is to be found in its sands.
The valley of Morolica is celebrated for pro^ . ducing the best cheese of the country.
The valley of Copan is as remarkable at pre- sent for its excellent tobacco, as it formerly was for an opulent city, the court of the Cazique Co- pan-Calel, the conquest of which cost Hernando de Chaves a great deal of trouble and fatigue. Francisco de Fuentes, who wrote the chronicles of this kingdom, assures us that in his time, that is, in the year 1700, the Great Circus of Copan, still remained entire. This was a circular space, surrounded by stone pyramids about 6 yards high, and very well constructed ; at the bases of these pyramids were figures, both male and female, of very excellent sculpture, which then retained the colours they had been enamelled with ; and, what was not less remarkable, the whole of them were habited in the Castilian costume. In the middle of this area^ elevated above a flight of steps, was the place of sacrifice. The same au- thor relates that, at a short distance from the Cir- cus, there was[ a portal constructed of stone, on the columns of which were the figures of men, likewise represented in Spanish habits, with hose, ruff round the neck, sword, cap^ and short cloak. On entering the gateway there are two fine stone pyramids, moderately large and lofty, from which is suspended a haipmock that contains two hu- man figures^ one of each sex, clothed in the In- dian style. Astonishment is forcibly excited on viewing this atructure^ because, large as it ii?, there
57
18 no appearance of the component parts being joined together; and, aithongh entirely of stone, and of an enormous weight, it may be put in mo- tion by the slightest impulse of the hand. Not far from this hammock is the cave of Tibulca; this appears like a temple of great size, hollowed out of the base of a hill, and adorned with columns having bases, pedestals, capitals and crowns, all accurately adjusted according to architectural principles; at the sides are numerous windows faced with stone exquisitely wrought. All these circumstances lead to a belief that there must have been some intercourse between the inhabi- tants of the old and the new world at very remote periods.
St. Femando de Omoa is a fort built on the harbour of the same name, in consequence of a royal decree dated August 30, 1740, which or* dered that a fortification should be constructed on the coast of Honduras, to serve as a bulwark to the province of Comayagua, and afford a safe anchorage to the Guarda Costas employed in the protection of this part of the kingdom. The works were commenced in 1752, by the Lieutenant General Don Jose Vasquez Prego, .president of the audiencia, and were not finished until 1775. In 1780 the place was taken by the English; but tl>ey were forced to abandon it soon after on ac- count of its unhealthiness. At a short distance from the fort there is a village inhabfted by ne- groes; who are the only persons able to endure the climate. It is 17 leagues from St. Pedro Zula, 62 from Comayagua, and 101 from Guatemala.
Roatan is an island off* the coast of Honduras, ' 18 leagues north-east of the harbour of Truxillo ;
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the east point of it lies iu 16deg. norÜi lat. aud 87 deg. 6 nii.n, west long. It extends from 45 to SO miles in length, and from 6 to 10 in breadth, following the range of the coast; being surround- ed by reefs and rocks^ the approach to it is ren- dered dangerous, except by a few openings but little known. The principal harbour. affords good anchorage, but rather open to south-west winds : there are two entrances into it, the principal one is considerably narrowed by the shoals about it ; the other, called Lacanda, is but little known, being very difficult of access from the tortuous course that must be run to get in : however, vessels of large size may enter. The climate is warm and dry, consequently healthy; the surface is broken and mountainous, scantily supplied with water, but plentifully stored with game, and the shores afford fish in great abundance, particularly of the crustaceous kind. In the year 1642 it was taken by the English, who kept it until 1650, when Francisco de Villalva y Toledo compelled them to abandon the possession : he conveyed the Indians who inhabited it to a settlement in the alcaldia of Amatique, and left the island un- inhabited. In this state it remained until 1742, when the English again occupied and fortified it^ but were dislodged about the year 1780 by the president of Guatemala; in 1796 they resulned possession, and left a force of 2000 negroes to defend it ; but it was finally reconquered from them on the 18th of May, 1797^ by Don Jose ]Rossi y Rubi, who had been commissioned foe that service by the captain general.
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DISTRICT OF TEGUaCALPA.
In this district there are two towns, Teguci- galpa, and Xeres de la Choluteca, 6 small towns of Ladinos, 17 lodiao villages^ 13 mines, and several farms, together foroiing 10 curacies, con- .taining in the whole 34^236 inhabitants of all casts. This canton furnishes productions of ail kinds, timber of various sorts, a variety of ani- mals, and, above all, gold and silver, in which it is the richest part of the kingdom. It lies between the provinces of Comayagna on the west, Nica- ragua on the east and south, and the Xicaque Indians on the north. The chief town is Teguci- galpa, the most populous and flourishing place in the province of Comayagua : it is the residence of the deputy int^ndant ; has a royal treasury subor- dinate to that of Comayagua, a deputy minister pf the royal revenues, and an as^ay roaster. There is a corporatioj^ composed of 2 alcaldes, a standard bearer, and 6 regidors; a battalion pf provincial militia, of 767 men, and a squadron of cavalry of 166 men are stationed here. The principal public buildings are a spacious church, a Franciscan convent built in 1574, another of the order of La Merced, and two oratories, called Calvario and Dolores. The climate is healthy, though rather hot. The distance to Comayagua is 25,. and to Guatemala 148 leagues.
Xeres de la Frontera in th.^ valley of Choluteca, is the qdost southerly ^nd the hottest place of all the district; it hold^ the rank of a towu,^ and has a corpof^tipp (the men^bers of which are Spaniards) established by permission of the au- diencia. Tiiere is a sinall convent of La Merced
(50
Jhere. The town lies in 12 deg. 50 min. north lat. and 87 deg. 46 min. west long.
EI Corpus was the richest mine in the kingdom: it produced gold in so great a quantity as to ex- cite, at first, a suspicion as to the reality of the metal, and a treasury was established on the spot, for the sole purpose of receiving the king's fifths ; it however terminated unsuccessfully : the place is within the jurisdiction of Choluteca.
THE PROVINCE OF NICARAGUA.
This was the first province of the kingdom subdued by the Spaniards; it wai? discovered in 1522 by Gil Gonzales Davila, and settled by Pedro de Areas and Francisco Fernandez de Cordova, two officers who accompanied Davila. , On the north it is bounded by the provinces of Honduras, and Tologalapa, on the east by the Atlantic, on the south by the government of Costa Rica and the Pacific Ocean, and on the west by the district of Tegucigalapa. From west to east it extends 85 leagues, and from north to south about 75. The intendancy of Nicaragua inchjdes 6 districts ; of these Leon, which is the first, was formerly considered a government; the others, Realejo, Subtiava, Matagalpa, and Nicoya, were corregidorships ; but now all these different can- tons are united under the jurisdiction of thein- tendant of the province, who has six deputies, one resident at the city of Segovia, one in the town of Realejo, and one in each of the villages of Sub- tiava, Matagalpa, Mazaya and Nicoya : the spi« ritual government appertains to the diocess of Leon. As the temperature of this province is very hot, it does not produce wheat, but yields all the
61
Tarioús articles peculiar to the climate tñout bountifully : excellent grapes, and other delicious fruits, cocoa, indigo, and cotton, besides various medicinal drugs, and particularly the gum called caraña. The forests afford large quantities of valuable timber of several species, and also vari- ous kinds of monkeys and other quadrupeds, as welt as many different sorts of rare birds : there aré several farms, on which are bred immense numbers of cattle, that supply not only the con« sumption of the province, but of the city of Gua- . témala also; the soil, however, is not favourable for breeding sheep : the rivers, the coasts, and creeks, both on the Atlantic and Pacific, furnish an inexhaustible supply offish of all kinds.
Some of the rivers of this province discharge their waters into the Atlantic, and some into the Pacific. Of the latter, the most important are the Creek del Viejo, the river of Nicaragua, the Al- varado, and the Nicoya, which separates the pro- vince from Costa Rica. Of the former, the great river Pantasma, that rises in the jurisdictions of Segovia and Matagalpa, being joined by se- veral others, becomes a stream of considerable magnitude, and falls into the sea near the false Cape Gracias k Dios, where it forms a small har^, hour. The Mosquito, the Gold, the Iron River» and the river St. John, that flows out of the lake of Granada, and, after a,, course of about 40 leagues, discharges itself irito the sea: near its embouchure it forms three branches, one of which retains the name of St. John ; the second is called Taure, and the third Colorado. On the Atlantio there is one harbour, which is Ihe bay formed by the estuary of the St. John ; but, on the Pacific,
62 .
there are five witbia the limits of theprofiDoe: the firist of these is the harbour of Realijo, or Cardón, the best and most convenient of any in the kingdom : it is a lai^ bay, that may be en-^^ tered by ships of evefy tdnnage, and is capacious enough for. a thousand vessels to ride in perfect safety. Ships may proceed by different channels and creeks as far as the town of Realijo, 9 or 19 leagues distant from the sea, and may there be careened and uudergo repairs. The second is the harbour of Coziguina, also spacious, and with water enough for vessels of all classes. The third is Port St. John, not practicable for large ships ; but very safe for such as can enter it. The fourth is called Brito, and about 6 leagues farther on i» the fifth, called Escalante.
THE PROVINCES OF TAGUZGALPA AND TOLOGALPA.
Between the provinces of Nicaragua and Co* mayagua, lie those of Tagnzgalpa and Tologalpa^ inhabited by unconverted Indians of various na- tions^ differing in language, manners, and customs, and in a state of warfai'e with each other. They are but obscurely known by the name of Xica-^ ^ues. Moscos, and Sambos. The English, who had a small fort and a few huts on the banks of the river Tinto, used to trade with these Indians, but have been obliged to abandon the post. These two provinces extend along the coast on the At- lantic^ from the river Aguan to that of St. Juan^ which space takes in the 3 prominent points^ Capes Camarón, Graciog a Dios, and Punta Gorda. The first of these is 96 leagnes distant from the gulf of Dulce, between the rivers Tinto
63
aod Liiuoneft; the last is situated bet\yeen the rivers de Fierro and St. Juan ; and between these two lies the second, in 15 deg. 40 min. Qorth lat. and 82 deg. 16 min. west long. 130 leagues irom the gulf of Dulce ; in which space the coast runs from west to east, but from the latter cape, down to the river St. Juan, it takeá a direction from north to south. Inland these provinces are bounds ed by tthose of Coraayagua, Tegucigalpa^ and Matagalpa. The climate is- excessively hot, the soil is watered by upwards of 100 small streams and a few large rivefs* In Taguzgalpa there is a very picturesque lake.
THE DISTRICT OF LEON
Is the principal one of the intendancy, aud con- tains the cities of Leon, Granada, and New Se- govia ; the towns of Nicaragua, Esteli, Acoyapa, and Villa Nueva ; 28 villages, and many farms. These places are formed into 23 curacies, and the aggregate population amounts to 66,930 inha- bitants. The district is subdivided into four ju- risdictions ; that of the city of Leon extends over the city, the town of Navia, the valley of St. Pedro Metapa, and 5 villages ; that of Granada comprises the city, the town of Acoyapa, and 17 villages : Segovia has the city, the town of Esteli, and 5 villages; and, lastly, that* of Nicaragua, which only extends to the town and village of the same name.
The city of Leon, the capital of the intendancy and bishoprick of Nicaragua, is situated in 12 deg. 20 min. north lat. and 86 deg. 16 min. west long. 8 leagues distant from the lake of Managua, 4 from the shore of the Pacific, and 183 from Gua-
04
témala. This city was originally founded on the fepot now called Old Leon, by Francisco Fer-* uandez de Cordova, in 1523; but, some years afterward, it was rebuilt on its present site. The church was constituted a cathedral by Pope Paul the Third, and Pedro de Zuniga, of the order of St. Francis, one of those who first preached Christianity to the natives, was appointed the firsf bishop ; but, dying before his consecration, he was succeeded by Diego Alvarez Osorio, chanter of the cathedral of Darien, who took possession of the bi«hoprick of Nicaragua, and built the churcK in the city of Leon in 1532. This edifice is de- dicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, but had no prebends, on account of its insufficient re- venues, until 1624, when the king appointed the first dean and archdeacon ; curates, and a chief sacristan were elected by the bishop^ and the celebration of divine, service immediately com- menced. In 1681, a rector was appointed; and, in 1715, 2 canons. Besides the prebendaries, there is a competent number of chaplains and other ministers for the church discipline. There are 3 convents; a Franciscan, which is head of the province of St. George, was founded by the bishop Zuniga in 1579; one of La Merced; and another of 8t. Juan de Dios, which has under its care the hospital of St. Catherine. There was also a convent of Dominicans here, as well as an- other in the city of Granada, but they were both abolished in 1554. The Tridentine college of St. Kaiuon, established in the year 1675, by Andres de las Navas, is not one of the least estimable or- naments of this city. At it& first commencement there were only 3 professorships, grammar and
65
morality, the latter endowed by the king; but, in the present day, there are chairs for sacred his* tory, scholastic theology, philosophy^ medicine, and civil and canon law.^ There is but one parish in the city, but this has three supplemen- tary ones, with a, church in each of the 3 wards or divisions. The bishop and the intendant of the province reside here; the royal treasury of the intendancyis also established here. The city of Leon has a corporation, a post-oflSce, custom- house, factory of tobacco, a consular deputation, a battalion of militia of 767 men, and a numerous population, comprising 1061 Spaniards, 626 Mes- tizos, 5740 Ladinos, and 144 Indians, total, 7571 individuals. . i
Granada, a handsome and agreeable city, oh the margin of the great lake of Nicaragua, which; from this circutnstance, is most commonly called the Lake of Granada. Its antiquity is nearly the same as that of Leon, having been founded by Francisco Fernandez de Cordova in 1523. Its ^gure is that of a parallelogram, fortified" by 2 natural dykes, which serve as fosses. The situa- tion of this city, close to the lake, by which there is á direct cpn^muniqation with, the Atlantic, and its contiguity tp the Pacific Ocean, affords the most advantageous facilities for carrying on aa extensive commerce. The popul^ion consists of 863 Europeaa Spaniards and (Creoles, 910 Mes- tizos, 4765 Ladinos, and 1695vlndians, who in- habit a little village adjoining. Like Leon it has its corporation. The public buildings are, a sumptuous parochial church, a Franciscan cpn-
• By a decree, dated Aug. 18, 1806, the kin? of Spain gcaoled to v this college the, power of conferring junior degrees,
P
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Yénty dne of the most aDcient in the kingdom,' 9a* other of La Merced, one of St. Juan de Dios, with a hospital attached to it; and a church, dedicated to our Lady of Guadalupe, to which is annexed a content. The priucipal church is no* tioed as containing the remains of 4 bishops of Leon, and of Bernardiuo de Obregou y Obando^ founder of the congregation of St. Philip Neri of Guatemala. Granada stands in 11 deg. 30 min. north lat., 86 deg. 21 min. west long., 30 leagues south-west from Leon,^ and 216 east-south-east from Guatemala.
The lake of Nicaneigua is the largest of this kingdom, and may rank among the most exten* sive of the world ; being more than 180 miles long from west to east, and nearly 100 broad from north to south, having almost every where á depth of 10 fathoms, with a muddy bottom, ex- cept along the shore, where there is cl^m.sand^ The city is supplied with water from the lake, which also furnishes an inexhaustible abundaU'Ce of fine fish. It is rendered extremely picturesque, by the numerous small islands with which thosur^ ^ face is studded : these are all uncultivated, except Ometep, which is inhabited. On this there is a lofty mountain of a conical shape, that is an active volcano, and frequently emits both flames «itid smoke. The lake itself is liable to tetppes- iuous agitations, when the waves rise with vio^ 4ence, as they do in the open sea, under %he iiii^ petas oí a heavy gale. Although a great number ^^f rivers fall into this basin, and the River St. Juan is the only visible outlet, yet it is remarked as an extraordinary phenomenon, that there is no indication at any time of increase or decrease of
67
the waters. On the north, the district of Mata- galpa, and many large farms for breeding cattlet border the lake ; on the south are the city of Granada^ and the town of Nicaragua; on the east the River St. Juan communicates with the At- lantic^ and on the west is the lake of Managua, or Leon,. which extends upwards of 50 miles ra length, by nearly 80 in breadth, and is connected by a canal with the Nicaragua.
'The caistle of the River St. Juan is built on the banks of that river, 12 leagues below the lake, and 28 from the sea. There was a small fort, an- ciently called St. Carlos, that was captured by the English in 1665; but the presidents of Gua- témala, Don Martin Carlos de Meneos, and Don Sebastian Alvares Alphonso Rosico de Caldas, soon after succeeded in r^overing it from the as-^ ^ailants. In consequence of thid event, a royal 4lecree was issued, commanding that the entrance of the river should be fortified. In obedience to which, Don Fernando de Escobeda, the president, proceeded to examine the port and river, and or- dered the present fortress -to be constructed, which is a parallelogram built upon a small emi- nence of solid rock, with four bastions, a fosse, &c. . it usually has a garrison of 100 soldiers.
New Segovia, a city founded by Pedrarias Da- vSa, one of the first governors of Nicaragua. It baa a corporation, consisting of 2 alcaldes^ a chief alguacil^ and 3 regidors. A battalion of militia^ of 76i7 men, is stationed here ; and it is the resi- dence of the deputy-intendant of Leon. The num- ber of inhabitants is small, being only 151 Spa-r niards, and 453 Ladinos. There is one church ; formerly it had a convent of La Merced, and a
F 2
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hospicio of Franciscans, or a detached body of that order, maintained by the province of Guate- mala, for the purpose of preparing missionaries ta be sent into the province of Tologalpa ; but these missions having ceased, this establishment has been withdrawn : the convent has also been abolished, from being unable to maintain the number of members required by the royal regula- tions. This city has been repeatedly ravaged by the Mosco Tndians, aided by English pirates, i/i^hich has occasioned its inhabitants to change the situation of their abode three several time». It is in 13 deg. north lat. and 8($ deg. 40 min. west long. 30 leagues from Granada. To the westvvard of it lies the district of Tegucigulpa, that of Matagaipa on the south, and the lands of the Sambo Indians on the east and north. In this province there was formerly another city, called New Jaen, situated between the lake of Granada and the Atlantic, and the town of Bru- selas, on the borders of Nicaragua, of which no- thing but the memory now remains.
Nicaragua, a town inhabited by Spaniards, and Jin Indian village adjoining to it, are known by this name, which gave the appellation to the province, most probably from its having been the part by which the Spaniards first penetrated into it. The inhabitants carry on a traffic in cocoa, that is raised oti numerous plantations in the ad- jacent country: from a species of osier, growing in the neighbourhood, they fabricate chairs, boxes, paper cases, and curious articles of furniture. It lies 12 leagues south-east from Granada.
Masaya is a large village, carrying on a greater trade than any other place in the intendancy.
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The population amounts to 6000 individuals, of Mrhich only 83 are Spaniards. The scarcity of water is severely felt here, and the inhabitants are forced to supply themselves with this necessary article of life from a well of extraoridinary depth ; and although the descent into it is almost perpen- dicular; the Indian women sling their pitchers behind their backs, and go down to the water, by placing their hands and feet in cavities scooped out in the rocky sides, with a celerity that would not be credible to a person who had not ob- served it.
The volcano, called Masaya, is at a short dis- tance from this village, and was the most re- markable one in the kingdom at the time of the conquest. Historians relate, that within the cra- ter, about 25 or 30 paces in diameter, was con- stantly seen a substance like melted metal, red hot, which frequently boiled up to a considerable height with great violence and noise, emitting a light sufficiently bright to read by at a league distant, and that the splendour of it might be dis- tinctly perceived at sea 25 leagues off: the Spa- niards used to call it Infierno de Masaya (the Hell of Masaya). In the present day, however, it is totally extinguished. At a small distance from this, there is another volcano, called Nin- diri, remarkable for an eruption in 1775, when it discharged a torrent of lava that rolled into the lake of Masaya, in which it destroyed the fish, and heated the lands contiguous to its passage to so great a degree^ that all the cattle feeding on them perished..
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^ THE DISTRICT OF MATAGALPA.
It has been already iñentioned, that four dts* tricts of the intendancy of Nicaragua were for* merly corr^imientos ; they are uow, however, very much reduced in importance. Matagalpa and Chontales are bounded on the north by New Segovia, on the west by the govermnent of Li^m, on the south by the River St. Juan, and on the east and north-east by the province of Tologalpa. It produces great numbersof cattle, maize, pulse, and other provisions. The population amounts to about 20,000, dispersed in 12 villages, and many extensive farms, that forni 3 curacies, one of which is served by the order of La Merced, and the others by the secular clergy.
THE DISTRICT OF REALEJO
Is of less extent than that of Matagalpa, con- taining no more than 6210 inhabitants, and 3 vil- lages, besides the principal town. It li^ on the shore of the Pacific, between the districts of Cho- luteca on the north-west, and Subtiava to the south-east. Realejo is the chief place, near the harbour of Cardón, or Realejo, 4 leagues from the city of Leon, in 12 deg. 25 min. north lat and 87 deg. 6 min.. west long. It is inhabited en* tirely by Ladinos, chiefly aitücers, many of whom are ship and house-carpenters, caulkers, and smiths, employed in building and repairing ships ; for which purpose there are good dobks, and plenty of timber; also sail-cloth, tar, &€. The town was built in 1534, by some Spaniards, the companions of Alvarado in his expedition to Peru, who, having observed the advantageous
71
9»tu&tioB Of the harbour^ d^ermiued to eslablmb themselves on á spot so convenient and pro*- niistng.
Viejo is a place, at a short distance from the preceding, where, on account of its local supe- riority, the corregidors haye fixed their residence. It contains 2966 inhabitants, among whom there are only 59 Sjpaniards. In the estimation of the oommon people, this is a place of great religions importance, on account of an image of the Virgin, which is kept in the dhurch, and resorted to by multitudes of devout pilgrims from all parts, par- ticnbrly on the 8th of December, and the 2d of February, on which days the principal festivals are celebrate. The traditionary history pf this holy bijou may not, perhaps, meet with so im« plicit a belief from strangers, as it does from the datives, who assert, with a confidence which may serve to shew the firmness of their own persuasion, though it may fail to carry conviction to the minds of other^^ that this inestimable effigy was once the property of the immaculate virgin St. Theresa, who bequeathed it to her brother, and by him it was brought into this country, and bestowed upon the village of Viejo, as a mark of especial favour.
THE DISTRICT OF SUBTÍ AVA
Is also on the sh^re of the Paipifip Ocean, by which itis bounded on the south» by Healejo on 4he north-west, by the corregimiento of Nicoya 0n tb# SQuth*east, and by the government of Leon 4)» tl^e ^orth* It is 18 leagues long and 12 broad ; in this space there are only 6 villages and a few grazing farms; there are 3 curacies, over which
72 '
secular pastors preside. The village of Subtiava is the principal place, and one olF the most popu- lous in the kingdom ; it is inhabited only by In- diansy many of whom are employed in weaving, and they fabricate cotton quilts that are extremely handsome and durable, and generally esteemed throughout the country. Besides the parochial church there are 5 oratories. It is contiguous to the city of Leon; and only divided from it by a road.
THE DISTRICT OF NICOYA
Is the eastern part of the intendancy of Nica- ragua on the coast of the Pacific ; it has Subtiava on the west, the lake of Granada on the north, the government of Costa Rica on the east, and on the south the ocean. It stretches 23 leagues east and west, by 20 north and south. The land is of a very fertile description, though it yields but little, from want of hands to cultivate it; scarcely producing maize enough for the con- sumption of the inhabitants; who^ in addition to this scanty harvest, rear a few herds of cattle.' On the coast they obtain a few pearls, and a spe- cies of shell-fish, out of which they press a fluid that will dye cotton pf a beautiful and permanent purple. The climate is hot and humid, and the population so thin as hardly to number 3000 souls upon all the farms ; and in the only village of the canton, which is called Nicoya, situated on a river of the same name, navigable from the sea for vessels of moderate tonnage. _ It is 230 leagues from Guatemala ; in lOdeg. 15 min. north lat, and 85 deg. 21 min. west long.
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THB PROVINCE OF COSTA RICA.
The fifth and roost easterly province is that of Costa Rica, a name which at present seems to be only continaed to it in irony, as it is more poor* and destitute than any other. It extends from the River del Salto, which separates it from Nicaragua, to the district of Chiriqui, in the jurisdiction of Veraguas, a distance of 160 leagues from west to east; and from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, from north to south, a bout 60 leagues. Its limit, •on the Atlantic, is from the mouth of the river St. Juan to the little island called the Escudo de Ve- raguas ; and on the Pacific, from the River A 1 va- rado, the boundary of the province of Nicaragua, to the river Boruca, which terminates the king- dom of Terra Firma to the westward. The. cli- mate,is for the most part warm, but in some places it is very temperate : the soil yields coooa, tobacco, and other productions of warm climates; wheat, and such other articles as are peculiar to colder regions, are raised in the mountainous parts, but all in scanty proportions from the waiit of hands for agricultural employments. There are mines of gold, silver, and copper, but they are scarcely more productive than the surface of the soil is. On the Pacific there isa harbour, that of Caldera, or Esparza, and another on the Atlantic ; Matina, or the Bar of Carpintero, formed by the rivers Barbilla and Chirripo^ which unite four leagues above the sea ; the rivers Ximenes, Rebeutazon, and Moin, discharge them- selves into the Atlantic:' they have sufficient depth of water to admit piraguas 8 or 10 leagues inland. The Alvarado^ the Rio Grande, and the
74
Boruca, with several others of less note, descend into the Pacific. Within the government of Costa Rica there are 1 city, 3 towns, and 10 villages^ containing together about 30,000 inhabitants, a small proportion of each, compared with the ter- ritorial extent of it, and a great diminution of its ancient numbers. In the early periods of the Spanish occupancy, there were a governor and 4 corr^idors, who had their residences in Quipo» Chirripo, Ujarraz, and the four villages contigu- ous to Cartago; the jurisdiction of the first ex-^ tended to the coast of the South Sea^ of the se*- cond to the Atlantic ; and the two others were intermediate: these corregimen tos were abolished more than a century ago, and of many of the vil- lages belonging to them, there are no vestiges re- maining ; previous to that period it was an opulent district, from the advantageous commerce car-- ried on with Panama, Porto Bello, and Cartba^ gena, but tliis has long since been annihilated.
This province was partly converted from ido-» latry in 1560, and the following years, by Juan Pizarro, who fell a martyr to his zeal; Pedro de Betanzos, Lorenzo Bienvenida, and others of the order of St. Francis, from the province of Nom- bre de Jesus and Guatemala* who baptized great numbers of the natives, and established several convents £or their instructiou. The province of Talamanca yet retains its idolatry, and the care of its conversion remains witli the College de Pro- paganda fide of Guatemala. The civil adminis** tration of Costa Rica is confided to a governor, and its ecclesiastical concerns are under the di- rection of the bishop of Leon.
Cartago, the chief city of the province, 9Ad re^
IP
Mdedce of the governor, * is »iimteA in Ibe centre, 80 leagues from the bouQ4«nr of Nicaragua, and as fiw from Terra Fama, 30 leagues from the Port of Esparjaa# on the South Sea, and about as many (nsm Matina on the Atlantic ; in 9 deg. 10 jmu north lat., 82 deg. 46 min. west long., and 400 leagues easMt-south-east from Guatemala. It is under a benignant climate, surrounded by pleasant valleys that are fertilized by several rivers, and very eligible for cultivating the pro- ductions of Europe, as well as those of America. The eairly importance of this city may be inferred from its having the privilege of armorial bearings as^gned to it by a grant from the king, dated so early as August 18, 1565* It has now a corpo- ration, and a numerous population, consisting of 632 European jqind native Spaniards, 6026 Mesti- zos, and 1679 Ladinos ; in all 8337 individuals, with the peculiarity that the Spaniards, Ladinos, &c. live in separate wards of tlie city. The reli- gious establishments are a church, a Franciscan convent, the sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles, and 2 oratories*
Villa Nueva de St. José, next to the capital, is the most populous town in the province, inhabited by 1976 Spaniards, 5254 Mestizos, 1096 Ladinos, in all 8326. It lies in a y alley at a short distance /rom Cartage.
Villa Vieja has 6657 inhabitants, of whom 1848 are Spaniards, 3935 Mestizos, and 872 Pardos ; it is the head of a curacy, and has annexed to it.
Villa Hermosa, the population of which is esti-
* There are m the archives of this city, public records of the year 1523, whidi prove H to be. the moBt aocient city in the kiDgdtnii.
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mated at 610 Spaniards, 2396 Mestizos, and 884 Mulattoes, in all 3890 persons.
Esperaza, or £1 Espíritu Santo de Esperaza, now desolate, was once a city near the harbour of Caldera; it had a corporation, a numerous population, a parochial church, and Franciscan convent of St Lorenzo. In 1670 it was attacked by a French pirate, and pillaged, when the inha- bitants retired to the interior, and never after- ward returned to their habitations.
Bagases^ a town near Esparza, shared the same fate from the same assailants, and was in like manner abandoned.
Ujarraz, once a very large village, but now a place of very trifling consequence, and only re- markable for á resolution of the governor and council of Cartago, in 1666, to walk in proces- i^ion annually from that city hither, a distance of 2 leagues, to pay their adorations to the mira- culous image of the Virgin, which was in the church, in gratitude for her seasonable interposi- tion and deliverance of them from certain irreve- rent pirates, who had disembarked in the Port of Matina, with the hope of pillaging Cartago and ravaging the country.
St. Fernando, a fort built in the year 1743, to defend the harbour of Matina, was a hornwork formed of large beams of timber and palisades, on the bank of the river, about half a mile from the shore, where the passage is about 100 yards across; it was garrisoned with 100 men; this force was afterward reduced to half that number, but ultimately entirely withdrawn, and the work totally abandoned : it stood in 9 deg. 30 min. north lat., and 82 deg. 56"min. west long.
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CHAP. IV.
Containing "^ a Chorographic Description of the Five Middle Provinces.
The first province in this situation, travelling from west to east, is Totonicapan, or Guegué- tenango« one of the most popufous of the king- dom, containing 58,200 inhabitants, viz. 2750 La- dino§, and 55,450 Indians, dwelling in 48 vil- lages, and 2 hamlets (of the Ladinos), divided into 11 curacies, of which the following 7 ar¿ served by the secular clergy, vi^;. Gueguetenango, Chiantla, Momostenango, St. Christoval Totoni- capan, Sacapulas, Solomá, and Cuilco ; the other four are administered by the regular orders,' viz. St. Miguel Totonicapan, by the Franciscans; Santa Maria Nebah, by the Doininicans ; Mala- catan and Jacaltenango, by those of La Merced. This district is of an irregular figure, the greatest length being 66 leagues, and the breadth 50; it is bounded on the west and south by the province of Quezaltenango ; on the west and north by that of Cbiapa ; on the north-east by Verapaz ; and on the south by Solóla; lying between 15 deg. 12 min. and 17 deg. 20 min. north lat., and 92 deg. 16 min. and 93 deg. 26 min. of west long. , It is watered by the rivers Zamalá, Sija, Motocinta, Sacapulas, Zumacinta, St. Ramon, and Cuiico; It is governed by an alcalde mayor, and main- tains three companies of Urban militia, one sta- tioned in the capital, another in Gueguetenango, and the third. in Chiantla.
This province is divided into two districts, To- tonicapan and Gueguetenango, the former ex-
78
tending over the eastern part, is of a cold tem- perature, and yioids such productions as are na- tural to such a climate. The language of the na- tives is the Quiche. There are 2 Ladino ham- lets and 7 villages (Indian), 6 of which are very populous, the principal one having nearly 7000 inhabitants ; St. Francisco el Alto 5300, St. Christoval 3680, St. Andres Xecul 1200, Momos- ienango 5420, and St. Maria Chiquimula6000.
St. Miguel Totonicapan, the largest and su- perior place of the district, is the capital of the province, the residence of the alcalde mayor^ the head of a curacy, and a mission of the Francis- cans, who have in it a convent, with a guardian,* iDurate, and conventuals. Of the inhabitants, 454 are Ladinos, 578 Indian caciques, or nobles (de- scended from those of TIascala, who came hither with Pedro de Alvarado, and who are endowed with various privileges, such as having a governor of their own cast, being exempt from paying tribute, and some Other immunities), and 5817 Mase- guales, or plebeian Indians. The climate is cold and humid, and the chief produce a great abun^- dance of apples and pears of various sorts. There are 2 warm mineral springs of great efficacy as baths. The natives are expert in the manufac- tory of guitars, fancy boxes, and other articles of cabinet work, and of earthen ware ; they have besides some woollen manufactories. It is 5 leagues from Quezaltenango, 11 from Solóla, and 38 from Guatemala.
St. Luis Sahcaja, 2 leagues from Quezaltenan-
• Among the Franciscans, the superior of a monastery is called the guardian.
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go, átid 1 from from St. Christoval Totonicapan, is a village of Ladinos, inciMisiderable both, a» to its population and trade, but deserving of bdng mentioned, because it was the first establMiment made by Pedro de Alvarado, and its ctiarch the first that was consecrated to Christian worship in this country, and in which was preserved, until the year I6Ó0, an image of the Virgin, called the Victrix, that, according to tradition, was brought thither by Alvarado himself. On this spot the town of Quezaltenango haá its origin, but being transferred to the situatioti it now occupies, the descendants of Juan de Leon Cardona, whom Al- varado had appointed his lieutenant, were left at Safacaja; they lived disjiersed upótí the various- fartns until the year 1780, when they were united, to the number of 622, to formtfae present hamlet. St. Carlos Sija is another hamlet of Ladinos, containing 600 inhabitants, who, like those of the preceding, were dispersed on different farms until 1780^ wheB they also formed the existing esta- blishment^ which is annexed to the curacy of Os- tnncalco« It is situated under a very cold cli- mate, and carries on but a trifling trade in wh^at and cattle«
GUEGRJETENANGO.
ÍThis district form6 the western part of the pro- vince ; it enjoys a variety of climates, and its pro- ductions are diversified in proportion * in the cold parts, sheep, wheat, maize, and the peculiar fruits; in the mild and hot cantons, sugar, maize, vege- tables. Chili pepper, and such fruits as the tem- perature is suitable to. The native languages
«o
are the Quiche and the Mam : it coatains 41 rW- lages/divided into 8 curacies.
Concepción Crueguetenango is the chief place . of the district, as it anciently was of all the at- caldia, and the head of a curacy, and is occa- sionally the residence of the alcaldes mayor, who then occupy houses that belong to the government; Being under a mild and benignant climate, the soil produces excellent fruity but the population has so much decreased, as to number at present barely 800 Indians and 500 Ladinos, besides whom therecare a few Spaniards. It is 20 leagues distant from Totonicapan, and 58 from Guate- mala.
Chiantla, 1 league from the preceding town, is celebrated in the country for the sanctuary of the Yirgin of Candelaria; which, indeed, is not so dis- tinguished for immense opulence as represented by Gage, but it is much frequented by the inha- bitants of this and the neighbouring provinces; who perform pilgrimages to visit the shrine, par- ticularly on the 2d of February and 8th of Sép^ tember, on which days the great* festivals are cele- brated.. The image of the'Virgin is a specimen of native talent, and was sculptured in the city of Guatemala, by order of the Dominican fathers (as related by Remesal, fol. 149), at the time the place was under their directions ; they afterward resigned their spiritual office to those of La M^ced, who retained it until 1754, when the sanctuary wras secularized by a* royal decree. The climate is mild, and the soil fertile, produc- ing plentifully grapes, oranges, figs, pears, and other fruits. The chief article of commerce is lead, obtained from a rich mine that also yields
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some silver aod litharge. The population atnonnts to 400 Ladinos, a few Spaniards, and 280 Indians. The native language is the Mara.
Santo Domingo de Sacapulas is a large village, but inhabited by no more Ihan 1792 Indians, whose language is the Quiche. The climate is hot and dry, and the productions of the soil are similar to those in the neighbourhood of the sea coast. The large river Sacapulas runs close by the village ; in the pastures on the banks the natives collect salt, which rises upon the surface of the ground, after having been swept and irri- gated with the river water. This was one of the first places where the Dominicans preached the gospel, in 1537, and where they had a convent, founded in 1554, but is now a secular curacy.
St. Mathew Yxtatan, an appendage to the cu- racy of Solomá, is situated in a ravine, at a short distance from the river Lacandon, and has 1123 Indian inhabitants : the climate is very cold. The place is remarkable for a salt-spriug, the water of which, without any other process than evapora- tion, yields what is called the fine Quezaltenango salt, which is the principal article of the com- merce carried on by the natives.
St. Francisco Motocinta, a small village ap- pendant to the curacy of Cuilco, no otherwise deserving of notice, than for the phenomenon of a river near it; the water of which is of a poisonous quality, and so active, that animals drinking of it, die almost immediately ; when cattle are obliged to pass the river, the owners take the precaution of muzzling them, to prevent the cer- tain mortality that would be the consequence of allaying their thirst. The Indians of this place
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weave mats of a scarlet colour, that are much used in the country. The other villages of the district are wholly destitute of interest.
THE PROVINCE OF QUEZALTENANGO
Is the second, in continuation of the route already prescribed : it lies between 15 and 16 deg. of north lat., and 93 deg. 26 min. and 94 deg. 36 niin. of west long. ; from south-east to north-west, the length is 35 leagues, and from north-east to south-west, the breadth is 20, forming the figure of a spheroid. The province of Soconusco bounds it on the west, Totonica pan on the north and east, Suchiltepeques on the south, and Solóla on the south-east. The number of inhabitants is be- tween 24 and 25,000 Indians, and from 8 to 9,000 Ladinos and Spaniards : there are 26 Indian villages, and 2 small ones of Ladinos, forming together four curacies, viz. Quezal tenango, Saca- tepeques, Obstuncalco, and Texutia ; in spiritual concerns the first is a mission of the Franciscans, as the second is of the order of La Merced, the two others are served by secular pastors; the village of Olintepeque is appended to St. Chris- toval Totonicapan, and Tacana belongs to the curacy of Cuilco, both in the jurisdiction of Totonicapan. The temperature of t\e province is cold, and the soil brings forth all the pro- duce such a climate is favourable to, as wheat and maize, potatoes, peaches, apples, quinces, cherries, &c. The natives feed sheep, that are the best branch of their trade ; the others Mb wheat, manufactured cotton, and wool. The languages in use are the Spanish, the Quiche, s^ud the Mam. The government of the province ift
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administered by a corregidor, and it raatntains,^ battalion of militia of 767 men.
The most remarkable river is the Siguilá^ which in its extended course receives various names ; the first is derived from the village of St. Miguel Siguilá by which it flows ; in Olintepeque it is called Xiquigil, a word signifying " a river of blood,'' because, according to tradition, at the time of the conquest, the waters were polluted by the wounded and the killed \t\ the battle which Al- varado fought with the Queche Indians ; it con- tinnes its course by Quezaltenango, and is after- ward joined by another river that comes from the village of Zija ; it passes by Suñil^ and in this part it has several warm springs on its banks ; it then passes through the province of Suchiltepe- ques, where it is called the Sámala, and finally fells into the Pacific.
Quezaltenango del Espíritu Santo^ is the prin- . cipal place in the province, and received its dis- tinctive appellation (del Espiritu Santo) from the circumstance of Pedro de A I varado having achieved an important victory, on the day before the feast of Pentecost in 1524, by which success he conquered the entire Quichee nation. T'his was the first place founded by the victor in' hiá newly acquired dominion; it stands on a plain encircted bj mountains, 40 leagues east-sooth- east from Guatemala. It is beyond doubt the most important, rich, and flourishing village of the kingdom; surpassing in several respects many of the towns and cities. The population is great, mz.4B4: Spaniards, 5536 Ladinos, and 5000 In- dians. The Ladinos rear large flocks of sheep» and cultivate extensive tracts of land for wheat
o 2
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and maize. There are numerous artisans in alL branches, and 30 manufactories of fine linen cloths of various colours, serges, and coarse cloths of different kinds, in which 190 workmen are em- ployed, besides several looms for the manufactory of cotton goods. The corregidor of the province has his residence here, there is a post office, a depot of tobacco, under the direction of a factor,, an accountant, and four subalterns ; others of^n- powder, saltpetre, and playing cards, all royal monopolies ; a custom-house, deputy commis-. sioner of lands, and a vice consulate. The reli- gious establishments are, a Franciscan convent under the authority of a guardian, a curate, and 6 conve^ntuals, who administer the sacraments in this place, which is the head of a curacy, and in^ 5 other villages annexed to it; the principal church is capacious, rich, and well furnished, in which the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rosario is very curious, as well as in good taste; there are also 5 other churches. The market is better supplied than any other, excepting only that of Guatemala; the annual sales averaging 18,000. bushels of wheat, 14,000 dollars worth of cocoa, 60,000 of panelas, 12,000 of sugar, 30,000 of wool- len cloths, and 5000 of cotton cloth, and provi^ sions of all kinds in proportion.
EI Barrio de San Marcos Sacatepeques, half a league from St. Pedro, is a small village of Spaniards and Ladinos, amounting to 2500 per- sons, principally occupied in breeding cattle, and in agriculture; the produce of the latter being about 3000 bushels of wheat, 'and double that quantity of maize ; they also manufacture some woollen and linen cloths.
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Tajumulco, an appendage to the curacy of Texatia is a small village inhabited by about 1000 persons, regularly employed in the internal commerce of the province ; it is, liowevef, more remarkable for its situation at the base of a vol- cano of the same name, that is subject to frequent eruptions; at this place^ the soldiers of Al varado supplied themselves with excellent sulphur, and it continues to aíford a copious supply of that article.
The other villages in the corregimiento are not deserving of particular notice ; the most populous are St. Catalina Suñil 3000 inhabitants, St. Juan Obstuncalco 1300, St. Martin 1200, St. Pedro Sacat^>eques 1100, Santa Cruz Comitan 1300.
PROVINCE OF SOLÓLA OR ATITAN
Is of small extent but numerously inhabited, containing, 27,953 souls, residing in 31 villages; it lies between 14 deg. 25 min. and 15 deg. 10 min. north lat. and between 92 deg. 46 min. and 93 deg. 46 min. west long. ; bounded on the west by the province of Quezal tenango, on the north by those of Totonicapan and Verapaz ; on the east by Chimaltenango ; and on the south by Su- chiltepeques and Escuintla : it is divided into 2 districts, called Solóla and Atitan, that formerly were two separate corregimientos.
THE DISTRICT OF SOLÓLA
Contains 15 villages^ forming 6 curacies, viz. Solalá with 4 villages, served by secular clergy- men; Santa Cruz del Quiche with 2 churches; Chichicastenango 1 church ; Jocopilos 2 churches; Zacahah 2 churches,, and Joyabach 2 churches.
se
all belonging to the order of St Dotuii^o* Of the Indians of this district, some speak the Quiche and others the Kachiquel tonguea. The climate; productions, and trade, are nearly the same .as those of the district of Totonicapan.
The chief place of Solóla, and of the province is the village of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion de Solóla, or Tecpanatitlan ; in the times of Pa- gan idolatry, it was the residence of a prince of the youngest branch of the royal house of the Ka- chiquel es, as it is at present of the alcalde mayor ; being situated on the summit of a ridge of beigbte the temperature is cold ; the number of inhabi- tants is nearly 5000 Indians, among whom are many artisans, such as sculptors, weavers, potters, and various others. It is distant 28 leagues from Guatemala.
Santa, Cruz del Quiche is a village seated on an es^tensive open plain, fertile in the ei^treaie, producing grain, vegetables» and delicate frúit3, in proportionate abandalice. It is but moderately populous, and contains a Dominican convent with the title of a priory. The history of this place is singular, as itwas once the large and opulent city Qf Utatlan, the court of the native kings of Quiche, and indubitably the most sumptuous that was discovered by the Spaniards in this country. That indefatigable writer Francisco de Fuentes, the historian, who went to Quiche for the purpose of collecting information, partly from the antiqui- ties of the place, and partly from manuscripts, has given a tolerably good description of tibia c^taJ. It stood nearly in the situation tbat Sa^ta Cruz now occupies, and it is presumable that the latter was one of its suburbs; it wa«
«7
sorronnded by a deep ravine that formed a natural fosMN^, leaving only two very narrow roads a» en- trances to the city, both of which were so well ^defended by the castle of Resguardo, as to render it impregnable. The centre of the city was occu- fMed by the royal palace, which was surronnded by the iionses of the nobility ; the extremities were inhabited by the plebeians. The streets were very narrow, but the place was so populous» as to enable the king to draw from it alone, no iess than 72,000 combatants, to oppose jthe pro- gress of the Spaniards. It contained many very sumptuous edifices, the most superb X)f them was a seminary, where between 5 and 6000 children were educated; they were all maintained and provided for at the charge of the royal treasury ; their instruction was superintended by 70 masters and professors. The castle of the Atalaya was a remarkable structure, which being raised four «tories high, was capable of furnishing quarters for a very strong garrison. The castle of Res- guardo was not inferior to the other; it extend- ed 188 paces in front, 230 in depth, and was 5 «tories btgh. The grand alcazar, or palace of the kings of Quiche, surpassed every other edifice, and in the opinion of Torquemada, it could com- pete in opulence with that of Moctesuma in Mexico, or that of the iticas in Cuzco. The front of this building extended from east to west 376 gepmetricai paces, and in depth 728; it tvas constructed of hewn stone of different colours ; ita fcnrm was elegant, and altogether most magni- fioept? there were 6 principal divisions, the first contained lodgings for a numerous troop of lan^ cers, archers, and other well disciplined troops.
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constituting the royal body guard ; the second was destined to the accommodation of the princeis^ and relations of the king, who dwelt in it^ and were served with regal splendour, as long as tb^y remained unmarried ; the third was appropriated to the use of the kiug, and contained distinct suits of apartmeuts, for thcv mornings, evenings, and nights. In one of the saloons stood the throne, under four canopies of plumage, the ascent to it was by several steps; in this part of the palace were, the treasury, the tribunals of the judges, the armory, the gardens, aviaries^ and menageries, with all the requisite offices appending to each department. The 4th and 5th divisions were occupied by the queens and royal concubines; they were necessarily of great extent, from the immense number of apartments requisite for the accommodation of so many females, who were alt maintained in a style of sumptuous magnificence.; gardens for their recreation, baths, and j^oper places for breeding geese, that were kept for the sole purpose of furnishing feathers, with which hangings, coverings, and other similar ornamental articles, were made. Contiguous to this division was the sixth and last; this was the residence of the king's daughters and other females of the blood royal, where they were educated, and at- tended in a manner suitable to their rank. The nation of the Quiches or Tultecas, extended its empire over the greatest portion of the present kingdom of Guatemala ; and, on the authority of the manuscHpts mentioned above( which were com- posed by some of the Caciques, who first acquir- ed the.art of writing), it is relateil that from Tanub» who commanded them, and conducted them from
^9
the old to the new continent, down to Tecum Umam, who reigned at the period when the Spaniards arrived, there was a line of 20 mo* narchs. They first established themselves in the kingdom of Mexico, where they founded the fa- mous city of Tula, on the same spot where the , Tillage of Tula now stands, 14 leagues from the city of Mexico. At a later period, their king Nimaquiché, by the direction of his oracle, led them from Tula to found a new monarchy; this design however was not accomplished, and they led a wandering life for many years, until at length they arrived at a place where they deter- mined to establish themselves ; this they did, and in honour of their sovereign called it Quiche. This prince died during their unsettled state, and his son Acxopil succeeding him, led his numerous host into this region; he not only acquired the fame of having founded the Quiche monarchy^ but that of having afterward divided it into three separate kingdoms; he reserved to himself the dominion of Quiche; to his eldest son Jiutemal,* he gave the kingdom of the Kachiqueles, or Gua- temala ; and on his second son Acxiquat, he be- stowed that of the Zutugiles, or Atitan.
THE DISTRICT OF ATITAN
Is in the western part of the province, where the climate is generally mild, but here and there some parts are hot, and others cold ; the soil is fruitful,
* From the name Jiotemal the word Goatemala may derire its origio ; for it is rery natural that the country should at first be called the kingdom of Jiutemal : and afterward by corrup- tion it might become Guatemala : at any rate this etymology seems more probable than that given in, page 4.
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prodacing cocoa, maize» puke, all sorts of cali- nary v^etables, aniseed, drags, and a ?ery great Tariety of fruits ; among tbe latter, may be parti* colarly distinguished the aguacates, for their ex- traordinary size and excellence ; cochineal is also one of its valuable productions. In these articles, aided by the labours of cabinet-makers,carpeoters, and potters, the inhabitants carry on a tolerably lucrative commerce with the adjoining provinciefi^ and the metropolis. Tbe district contains IQ villages, the greater number of them lying round the lake of Atitan ; they form 4 curacies ; that of Atitan has 2 churches ; St. Pedro de la Liagiuia has 6 ; these 8 are served by the secular clergy ; PanajaeheJ has 6, and Patulul 3« all belonging to tbe order of St. Francis. The natives speak tbe Zutugil and Kachiquel languages.
The chief place of tbe district is Santiago Atitan, once the residence of the Zutugil kings ; the lords of a powerful nation, conquered by Pe- dro de Alvaradp in 1524 ; it stands on th^ south side of the lake, in a mild and healthy climate, and contains upwards of 2000 Indium inhabitants. This village was anciently a mission belonging to the Franciscan order, apd one of the earjiest founded in the province ; the house has been re- built in a better style than the original, preserving however a part of the first structure, in comme- moratioQ of its founder Gonzalo Méndez, and as a. record of the abstinence and mortifications of that apostolic pastor. It is 28 leagues west of Guatemala.
Close to the village is the lake of Atitan, one of the most remarkable in the kingdom, as well from its extent, as from its peculiarities ; it covers
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B l^igues from east to west, aiid mare tban 4 from north to south, entirely surrounded by iiiojantainfi and rocks of irr^ular form; from its margin there is no gradation of depth, which is at once precipitaos, and the bottom has not .b^^eO; found with a line of 3Q0 fathoms ; several d^rers.dkicharge theniselves into it, and it receives all the waters that descend from the mountains ; bait there is no perceptible channel by which this groat influx is carried off, a circumstance that inep^ers pt particularly worthy of remark; the winter is fresh,, and so cold that in a few minutes it benumbs, and swells the limbs of those who aj^tepiipt to swim in it: th^ only fish caught ii^ it ar^ crabs* and a species of small fish about the size of the little finger; these are in such count- ies myriads» that the inhabitants of all the 10 sarroiunding villages carry on a considerable fishery for them : the communication between one villi^e and another is carried on by canoes.
THE PROVINCE OF CHIMALTENANGO.
Proceeding Still in the same direction as before, the fourth province is.Chimaltraango, formerly the seat of the powerful nation of the Kachiqueles^ the king of which Ahpotzotzil, and hi^ brother 4^hpo;icahil, the ruler of Solóla, sent an embassy to Fernando Cortez, oflering to acknowledge themselves vassals of the Emperor Charles the 5th, and they received Pedro de AI varad o in a very friendly manner when he entered their states. This province, and that of Sacatepeques, form tc^etber what is denominated the Valley of Gua- temala, which, from the period of the conquest, wasunder tlie government of the ordinary alcaldes
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of the capital, who were called corridors of the valley, io virtue of a regulation of the council of the Indies, granting a territory of 5 leagues in every direction to each capital, until the year 1753, when the president of the audiencia, in confor- mity to instruction communicated by govern- ment, created two alcaldias mayors. The alcaldía mayor of Chimaltenango extends about 20 leagues in length, and as many in breadth ; between 14 deg. 38 min. and 15 deg. 10 min. north lat. ; and between 91 deg. 46 min. and 92 deg. 6 min. west long. On the west it is bounded by the province of Solóla ; on the north by Chiquimula ; on the south by Escuintla, and on the east by Sacatepe- ques. In general the climate is cold, but there are, here and there, a few spots enjoying a milder temperature. The soil produces wheat and maize, various fruits, as peaches, quinces, figs, apples, pears, &c. and excellent timber. The number of inhabitants amounts to 40,082, Spaniards, Ladinos, and Indians ; the greatest portion of whom are labourers : they are distributed between 21 vil- lages, and many detached manufactories, these form 10 curacies, all served by the secular clergy. The principal, places are,
St. Anne Chimaltenango, the capital of the province, and residence of the alcalde mayor, is a very large village inhabited by about 3000 In- dians, and some Ladinos, in a cold and dry, but healthy climate. It is seated in a very beautiful valley, and so exactly proportioned in its local elevation, that the drainage water of one half of the place, and from the gutters of the right side of the church, descend into the Atlantic, and of t)ie other part into the Pacific Ocean. The
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pablk square is very handsome, having on one side an extensive sheet of water. It is 11 leagues from the metropolis.
Tecpanguatemala is a celebrated place, that re- ceived its name from the Mexican Indians, and which in their language means the royal house of Guatemala^ from being the residence of the Ka- chiquel monarchs. Here was built the second church in the kingdom, and here, as at Sahcaja, a religious Franciscan remained to instruct the natives, and administer the sacraments to the Spaniards, who were left by Pedro de Alvarado. The climate is colder than at Chimaltenango, but favourable to the growth of fruit, such as peaches» plums, quinces, apples, pears^&c. &c, the inhabit- ants exceed 3000; they are of an estimable cha- racter and very industrious,carrying on a traffic in wheat and maize^ which they raise in abundance; in timber and planks that are sent to Guatemala.
Patzum has 5000 inhabitants of the Kachiqu€|l nation, who are very industriously occupied in similar pursuits to those of the preceding place; the climate too is nearly the same.
Patzizia is a large place, containing not less than 5000 inhabitants, who are all labourers ; the climate is cold and humid.
St. Andres Itzapa is cold and dry ; its inha- bitants^ about 1400, are employed in agriculture, and raise wheat, maize, pulse, and vegetables; they feed large quantities of hogs, and cure hams. The day before the festival of St. Andrew, there is a large fair for horses, mules, cordage, and other commodities, held here, which attracts a great concourse of buyers and sellers from the surrounding country.
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St. Martin Xilotepeque is in the mildest* clifñate of the valley of Cbimaltenango ; the sugar caoé cultivated here, aod is very productive, affording full etnployment to several manufactories of that article : there is a moderate population of Spaniards and Ladinos, besides about 4000 Indians.
These seven places are heads of curacies, as are St. Antonio Nexapa, St. Juan Alotenango, and St. Miguef Milpa Dueñas.
THE PROVINCE OF SACATEPEQUES
Lies betvreen the 14th and 15th deg. of north lat. and between 90 deg. 46 min. and 91 deg. 46 min. of west long. It is bounded on the west by Cbimaltenango, on the north a.nd east by Cbiqui- mula, and on the south by Escuintla. Although situated under a benignant climate, some places are cold, and others exposed to great heat; so that the soil is favourable to the productions of every temperature. The trade of the inhabitants depends principally upon supplying the capital with grain (chiefly nmize), fhiits, vegetables,^ hogs, poultry, fire-wood, coals, and other articles of domestic consumption. lu length it is not above 20 leagues, and nearly as much in breadth ; yet it is an alcadia, and in proportion to its extent is extremely populous, containing 42,786 inhabit- ants of all classes ; but iá this number, the popu- lation of Old and New Guatemala is not inóhided. The city of New Guatenmla, the towns of Old Guatemala and Petapa, are in this province, be- sides 48 villages, atid many detached farms. It' is subdivided into 18 curacies, of which there are 4 in New Guatemala, I in Old Guatemala, and 13 among the villages, &c. the heletds of which are
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AlmoloDgBy St. Juao, St. Pedro, St. Luke Sftca- tepeques, Amatitan, Petapa, Mixco, Pínula, Si. Juan del Obispo, St. Sebastian del Texar, Suttf- pango, Jocotetiango, and St. Raymond de fas Casillas.
The most remarkable rolcanoes of the country are in this district, the one called the water toU catio^ is the most lofty in the kingdom, and ex^ ceeded in height by very few in the world, it is of a conical figure, covered to the summit with trees that always retain their verdure, and pre- sent a most agreeable prospect to the eye. To the northward of this mountain standi the town of Old Guatemala, on the eastward' the Vofcano of Pacaya, and to the westward that called Vol* can d"e Fuego (the volcano of fire), which, accord- ing to the last demarcation of the provinces, pro- perly belongs to the jurisdiction of Cbiúaalte- nango. From both these mountains there have been violetit eruptions, the most remarkable on record was that from Pacaya, July 11, 1775, and thoáe from the Volcan de Fuego in the years 1623, 1706, 1710, and 1T17. At the base of the latter there is a thermal spring, the water of which is
* This moiiDtam bts been called a volcaaa by the &)ittiiianlt mth singular impropriety, as there exists uo traditioa of its having ever emitted fire ; nor have there been found, at any time, on its sides, or in the Vicinity of it, any calcined matter, or other mark of volcanic eruption ; the term volcano,' there<^ fore, cannot be justly applied. In 1541, there was a violent eruption, not of fire, but an immense torrent of water and stoaea was vomited fi^m the crater, that caused great havoc»; and destroyed the old city. Father Remesa!, in his History of the Province of St. Vincente, lib. iv. cap. 5, relates, that on this odciAioti, the crown of the mountain fell down: the height of this detached part was 1 league, and afterward, from the re- maining summit to the plains below, was a distance of 3 leagues» which, be aflirins, hé measured in 1615.
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very hot, and of great repute io the cure of several disorders ; it is called St. Andrew's Bath, from being situated near the village of that name: there is, near the same place, another warm bath, that emits a strong sulphuric smell, and is an efficacious remedy for the itch.
Almolonga is distinguished as having been the spot where the Spaniards first established the city of Guatemala, and is now sometimes called Cuidad Vieja (the old city). In 1542, the capital was removed to a situation about a league to the north-east of this place ; however, some Spaniards and Ladinos, and all the Indians, chose to remain in their ancient habitations. The cqnvent of Fran- ciscans was not removed, and the charge of ad- ministering the sacraments in the old town was intrusted to it. When the alcaldia mayor of Sa- catepeques was created, this place became the head of it, a distinction which it retained for many years. It was one of the largest, most beau- tiful, and best situated villages in the kingdom ; but, by the second removal of the capital to the valley of the Virgin, 9 leagues distant, it has greatly decreased in population, by a part of the inhabitants having established themselves in a little village (also called Cuidad Vieja), which was formed near New Guatemala; nevertheless, above 2000 Indians, and many Ladinos, remained in Almolonga. The parochial church is very splen- did, and the image of the Virgin, that is worship- ped in it, stands in very high repute. The climate is cold. The principal employment of the inha- bitants is supplying the capital with fruit, which they procure from the more distant villages. The natives of this place assume the privileges of no-*
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bility^ as being descended from the Mexicans» Tlascaltecas, and others, who leut their asmst^ anee to the Spaniards at the conquest; on tl)is account they are exempte'd from paying any other tribute thaá 2 reals a head, as an acknowledg* ment of royal service.
Old Guatemala, anciently a city, and the me- tropolis of the Jcingdom, now distinguished as a town, is the capital of the province of Sacatepe* ques ; and, by order of government^ the residence of the alcalde mayor. In the year 1799, it was invested with the distinction and privil^es of a town (in consequence of a royal decree, dated Aug. 4, 1786), when two alcaides and a syndic were^ppoÍDted,from among theSpanish residents, for its government, and the better administration of justice. It contains 3 parishes, Nuestra Se&orñ de iú^ Remedios, Nuestra Señora de la Cande- laria, and St. Sebastian, each formed of a division of the town, and sotne ^f the amall villages ad-* jacent. Besides the parish churches, there are two others, dedicated to the SantisskRaTri nidada del Chajon, and Si. Joseph ; and 3 hospiciofit» or religious houses, of the orders ofSU Francis, La Merced, and Bethlem, in wMcb reside a few religieax, who serve the church, and take care of the convent . The tatter h^* received the par- ticular a^robation of the king, from, having been the cradie of the Bethlemite order, and built at the sole expense of its founder. In the general chapter hjeld at Mexico» on the 1st Dec. 1798, this hospicio was confiroied, and an order made that a president and 2 conventuals, at the least, should always reside in it. Since the trans- bttian of the city, there have been from 7 to 8000
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lohabitaQts in this town; some Spaniards^ but the greater proportion Ladinos.
St. Juan Sacatepeques was, for some time, the head of the alcaldia ; it is now the most populous village of the province, containing upwards of 5000 Indians, 75 Spaniards, and 336 Ladinos ; the latter are chiefly employed in sugar manu- factories, and the Indians in agriculture : it is a: very handsome place ; the climate is cold, but not in the extreme; the air salubrious, the soil of great fertility, and the market plentifully supplied.
Villa Nueva de Petapa, a village of Ladinos, situated on a delightful plain, 4 leagues from the^ metropolis. It is well built, with a spacious plaza, or square^ and the streets running at right angles : there are some very good houses, a large and handsome church, dedicated to the holy con- ception, and an oratory. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the culture of maize.
There is another village of the same name,' with the addition of St. Michael, bearly a league dis- tant from the preceding, inhabited by about 1000 Indians, whose chief employment is supplying the capital with plantains, which grow on the lands about the village; and with the moharra, a species of fish, which they catch in a part of the Lake Amatitan. The two places were formerly united, and formed a large village^ that carried on a considerable trade. The Indians had their separate church, with a regular curate, and the Ladinos their secular minister ; but, in 1762, the place was so much injured by an inundation, that spread over a great part of the kingdom, as to determine the inhabitants to seek another domi* cile : on this occasion the Ladinos separated from.
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the Indians, and formed the village described in the preceding article. -
St. Juan Amatitan is a village of great cele- brity, and the bead of a curacy. It is seated on a plain, surrounded by very high mountains, wbich give it rather a melancholy aspect; but, being in the vicinity of the Lake Amatitan,*" hav- ing a beautiful river flooring on the eastern side of it, the fine climate, and the contiguity to the capital, occasion it to be very much frequented by the inhabitants of that city, who retire thither, some for the purpose of drinking the water of the river, which js a specific in many cases ; others to take the baths, and others again for their recrea- tion. The situation of the place is well chosen, the streets are broad and straight; the houses commodious', and the market well supplied. There is an oratory, and a large respectable church, which contains an image of the infant Saviour, that is held in such high esteem by the devout, as to attract a great concourse of visitants from the neighbouring, and even from distant villages, par- ticularly on the first Sunday in May, when the principal festival is celebrated. The sacred effigy was originally placed in a little hermitage, about 3 leagues distant, at a place called Bethlehem; but) to prevent the mischiefs occasioned by large meetings in retired places, the archbishop of .Guatemala ordered it to be transferred to the parish church in 1789. The inhabitants bre for the greater part Ladinos, the Indians amounting to about 200, each party having an alcalde of its ovRO cast. The people employ themselves on the lake, where they take moharra, crabs, and cray- fish, which they dispose of in Guatemala ; in rais*
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iog melons and water melons, for the same mar- ket^ and in tbe manufacture of baskets and mats»
The lake of Amatitan deserves notice, less for its size» which is about 3 leagues in length, and 1 in breadth at the widest part» than fortheadvan^ tages it affords» viz. the produce of fish is so great, as to furnish an abundant and never-failing supply for the consumption of the capital : it doea not produce those of the larger kinds, but the moharras, generally about a foot in length, are of excellent flavour; and the pepescas, a very small fish, not exceeding 3 inches in length, are a very great delicacy: it also affords crabs, cray- fish, and another species called pescaditos. The shores of. the lake produce salt, in which the in- habitants carry on a considerable trade. There are also on the borders of it several warm springs, very beneficial in many diseases, particularly in the complaint called güegüechos, -a swelling of the throat, to which a great propc^tion of the fe- males of the country are subject.
There is another village, called St* Cbristoval de Amatitan, about 3 leagues from St. Juan, that has latterly been brought into notice, by a dis- covery made in it of a cure for cancers, which is effected by catinga species of lizard found there (this remedy, indeed, does not cure when the complaiut has acquired great strength, but it nev^r fails to alleviate it): the Indians have used this medicine from the earliest peridds, but tbe Spa- niards only began, in 1780, to have recourse to it.
St. Sebastian del Texar, the head of a curacy, is situated in the valley of Chimahenango, and contains a moderate population, chiefly of La- dinos. The only object worthy of notice witjiln
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its jartsdictiofi is a medicinal spring, of gre^t •beDefit in several diseases. - St. Doiningo Mixeo, a village situated on the declivity of a mountain, commanding a view over die. extensive valley of Mixco, in which the city of New Guatemala is seated; The inhabitants ^re {jadinos add Indians ; the former carriers and labourers, and tlie latter employed in the culture of maize, and in potteries. Near this place there is a vitriolic spring, the water of which has bean found vecy efficacious in th^ cure of diarrhcea.
' St. Catalina Pinula-, a village of a moderate dze, inhabited by 6Ü Spaniards^ 567 Ladinos, and 851 Indians. It stands at the foot of a ridge of mountains, called Canales, 2 leagues south-^ east of Guatemala. In this place thei^e is a semi- nary for the education of females (an estajblish- ment not tobe found in any other village), in which several young persons lead a retired life, and others resort to it for the purpose of acquiring the arts and accomplishments appropriate to the sex. Those on the establishment of the college, as it is called, maintain themselves by the labour of their hands, the fruits of their gardens, and the pro- duce of their bee-hives, the wax of which they/ have acquired tíie art of bleaching in great per- fection v the regulation and government of this college are so tvell conducted, that it has ob- tained a royal confirmation.
Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Jocotenango, a irillage contiguous to Old Guatemala, once cour tained above 4000 Indians^ and a considerable number of Ladinos; they were mostly day lar bourers, in the employment of artificers, and in
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manuiactories^ When the capital was transferred from its old to the present situation, many of the Ladinos^ and some of the Indians, preferred re- maining in their accustomed habitations ; but the major part of the latter went to New Guatemala, and formed a village in theyicinityof the city, where they have continued, pursuing the same occupa^ tions they formerly followed. On the day pre* ceding the feast of Assumption, there is a fair hedd in this village for horses, mules, and general mér* chandise, which is usually very numerously at« tended.
The hermitage of Assumption is situated in the valley of Las Vacas ; it is a small place, in^ habited by a few Spaniards, Ladinos, and In-i^ dians ; first settled in the year 1620, or soon after, when the hermitage of the Virgin del Carmen was founded ; and, in order that á congr^atíon might not be wanting for that church, about 20 families of Indians were persuaded to leave the mountains called the Ganalitos, and settle near the hermitage, by obtaining for theni a rpyal de- cree, that exempted them from paying tribute. These families having greatly multiplied in the valley, where they lived dispersed, and wishing to be collected on one spot, in the year 1675, they presented a petition to the president, Don Fernando de Escobedo, praying that he would assign a place for their settlement, grant lands for their subsistence, and permit the curate of Las Vacas to transfer the church, that was situated on the River Las Vacas, in the wilds, to the new settlement. The request was complied with on the 2d of September, in the same year, as appears from the public acts passed before the notary.
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Perez de Rivera, and now preserved in the ar-^ chives.* A capacious church was immediately be* gun, but not completed until 1723, when it was dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgiii, be- cause the transfer of the first Indians who inha- bited the plaice had been made on the eve of that festival : public worship was performed, during the building of the church, at the hermitage del Carmen. This little village had formerly its peculiar curate, also an ordinary alcalde and 2 regidors chosen from the Spaniards ; and an- other alcalde and 2 regidors from the Indians; but, at present, from being so close to the ca- pital, it is considered as .one of the suburbs, and the jurisdiction of it belongs, to the alcaldes of the city : the curacy of the hermitage is united to that of Candelaria, in the metropolis.
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe^ a town occupied by Ladinos, and recently built, at the solicitatioa of the corporation of Guatemala, with the de- sign of employing the inhabitants in the cultiva- tion of fruit and vegetables, to supply the mar*^ kets of the city. On the 17th of April, 1799; the first stone of the church was laid by the arch- bishop andother persons of the first rank, and on the 12th of December, 1803, it was consecrated.
The other villages in the province of Sacate- peques do not present any thing worthy of being detailed ; we jnay, therefore, proceed with a de- scription of its principal feature, the city of Gua- temala, which shall form the subject of a sepi^rate chapter.
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CHAP. V.
The Topographical Description of the City of Old Guatemala.
Thb city of OJd Guatemala, once the metropolis ofthekingdofn^the seat of an archbishop, and one of the handsomest cities of the New World, was founded by Pedro de Aivarado, on the day of the festival of St. James, in the year 1524, on which accoiunt ü is generally called the City of Santiago ^ los Caballeros de Guateoiala; and supposed to be under the especial patronage of that saiut ; for w-hich reason the metropolitan church wai^ endoMi/ied by Pope Julius the Third, in 1551, with all the privileges and indulgences enjoyed by the celebrated chuirch of St. Jago, in Galicia, St. {Oeoijria is also considered patroo^ss d* the city, because the kings of the Kacbiquel nation, who re^ i^eiived the Spaniards with n^arks of friendship and j^ubmii^ion in 1624, but who revolted frooi them Í9 1526, were effectually subdued on St. Cecilia's day : in cammemoration of this victory, the royal £^tai^dard íb annually, an that festival, borne in IMfQceasiQi^ through the city, accompanied by the gOiVfirnoj, all the officern o/ state, the clergy, and ihe li^biUty ; and becauae the Me:icican and Tlas- Hfialteca Indians of Almolonga, aided the Spa- ^ards in the expedition agaips^t the Kaohiqueles^, Ih^ir descendant^ are entitled to join the annual jp^^mX, whiph they do, clothed ip jwilitary hs^ bits, armed with muskets and lances, ai^d dibr tinguished by appropriate banners; some of the chief persons of the tribes sling behind their «boulders bows elegantly adorned with feathers
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i^i¥l j^Wfla, i;irhich greatly add to the splendour of tbe exhibition. As the capital of the kiogdom» il was tbe cesideoce of the governor and captaior genera}, who is also pr^$ident of the chancery js^d the royal audiei^cia. The chancery, erected in 154% was tben^ as it now is» copi posed of a president, a regent, 4 oidoi*s or judges, 2 fia- cals, a chief jsilguacil, and a chancellor, SI secre»- taries, and a cooipetent number of subaltern ^flKcers,. The pMbliq bodies at the seat of go- Teroment are a general board of intestacy (Juz- gado-g^i^ral jde Intestados), and another of jands; the royal superior tribunal of accounts; the royal caxa-matriz, or general treasury; a boar^ 0f «ustojns; administration of the posl- ;office; a g0iieral directory of tobacco; adminis- tration of gunpowder, and playing cards ; tribur Utal of the cruzada (to direct the means of conr verting the Indians); (he royal consulate; the joyal mini; and the illustrious cabildo, or the counciJ.of justice and government of tbe most loyal and nobje city of Guatemala, to which body the Emperor Charles the Fifths in 1532, granted ar^iorial bearings^ — viz. a shield, charged with 3 mountajns on a field Gules, tbe centre one vo- mitii^fire^ and sufmounted by tji^e Apostle 31 Jano^, on horsel^tck* arm^, and blandishing a sword ; an Orle, wUh 8 shells Qt, on a field. Azure; crest, a crown. In 1566, Philip the Se- jcond granted the title of most loyal and most noble city. Tbe illustrious cabildo is composed pf 2 alcaldes, a royal standard-bearer, alguacil mayor, a provincial alcalde, 8 regidors, and a syndic. T^e royal and pontifical university of St. Carlos, and the Protomedicato^ or college of
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physicians, are noble ornaments to the city : the first of these bodies was founded by Charles the Second, in 1676, and confirmed by Pope Inno- cent the Eleventh, in 1687, who granted to it all the privileges enjoyed by the universities of Mex- ico and Lima; it has 12 professorships and a public library: the academic senate at present consists of more than 50 doctors. The latter was instituted by royal permission, in 1793, and IS composed of a president, 2 examiners, and a fiscal. The economical society of Friends of the kingdom was instituted in 1795, and confirmed by royal decree of the 21st of October, in the saine year, although its functions were suspended, in 1799, by royal authority; it had subsisted long enough to leave lasting memorials of its progress in the academies of drawing and models which k established, and which are carefully preserved ; and in the royal cabinet of natural history, that it laid the basis of. Besides these institutions» there are 3 schools for the gratuitous instruction of youth in the initiatory branches of literaturey and 2( classes of Latin grammar.
The city is the capital of the archbishopric of Guatemala ; it was made a bishoprick in 1534, by Pope Paul the Third, and raised to the rank of metropolitan in 1742, by ^Benedict the Four- teenth ; the bishops of Nicaragua, Chiapa, and Comayagua, are suffragans to it The service of the cathedral is performed with great diligence, and no less magnificence, by its venerable chap- ter, consisting of a dean, 4 dignitaries, 4 canons, and by 2 curate rectors, 2 sacristans, 10 chap- lains, 6 acolites, and other ministers ; 2 colleges, the Tredentine and the Infantes, and a numerous
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choir. There are 4 parishes, viz. the Sanctuary, St Sebastian, our Lady of Candelaria, and Los Remedios : 7 convents, the Dorakiican, the Fran- ciscan, and La Merced, which are heads of pro- vinces, and of the scholastic establishments ; St. Augustine, Juan de Dios, Bethlem, and the col- lege of Missionaries de Propaganda fide; the congregation of St. Philip Neri ; and there was EBUtnerly a college of Jesuits : 5 nunneries, viz. 2 of the order of La Conception, 1 Barefoot Car- melites, 1 Capuchin, and 1 of the Clarizas : 3 re- ligious houses for female^ ; 2 of the Dominican order, 1 for Spaniards, and 1 for Indians, and the third for the order of Bethlem : 2 seminaries for female instruction : 4 hospitals, viz. St. Pedro, for ecclesiastics, St. Jago, for Spaniards,. St. Alexis, for Indians, and Bethlem, for convales- cents; the first three are under the care of the fathers of St. Juan de Dios, and the fourth is superintended by the Bethlemite sisters: there are also 2 numerous communities ; one professing the rules of the third order of Franciscans, and the other those of the Carmelites; and 40 fraternities* The population of Guatemala, according to the census taken in 1795, amounted to 24,434 indi- vidualsof all ranks and casts;* among the no* bility there is 1 title of marquis, and many fami- lies, descendants of the most illustrious houses of Old Spain. The Guatcmaltecans are in gene- ral docile, humane, courteous, liberal, affable to strangers, and inclined to piety; but to these
* Since tbat period the number of inhabitants has increased very much, and it may now be stated, without danger of exag- geration, to exceed 30,000.
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good qoalitieis, weakness, pusiltanimity, ami in- dolence, are usually superadded; tbey possess genius, and an aptness for the arts, which is demonstrated by the great number of handi- craftsmen in all trades, among whom there have been produced artisans of superior talents ; but those who acquire most celebrity are the silver- smiths, sculptors, and musicians: the produc- tions of the sculptors are eagerly sought after, not only in this country, but in Mexico, and even some that have been carried to Europe have been highly esteemed by connoisseurs. The class of weavers is numerous, and their looms produce fine muslins and gauzes, calicoes, and common cottons that are used in general wear by the poor people of the country. The potters are also a numerous tribe, who furnish earthenware and china sufficient for all the provinces ; in the ma- nufacture of some articles they excel so much, as to turn them out of hand but little inferior to the porcelain of Germany. Among the females there are excellent embroiderers, mantua- makers, and florists, who make artificial flowers, that vie with the productions of nature ; great numbers of this sex aré employed in the manufacture of a species of cigars, called tuza, that are peculiar to this country; others spin cotton-yarn of every degree of fineness. This city has given birth to many il- lustrious men, eminently distinguished for their exemplary piety, and renowned for their literary talents ; the catalogue is. too long to give in de- tail, it may, therefore, suffice to mention a few who have acquired a lasting reputation ; viz. Christoval Flores, of the order of Franciscans,
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sprung from one of the most noble families of Guatemala, suffered a cruel death for preaching Christianity in Algiers, iñ 1627.
Diego de la Cerda, of the order of La Merced, was torn in pieces by four horses, at Constan- tinople, for preaching Christianity.
Bias de Morales, a Franciscan, of a noble race and exemplary life, was the promoter of various pious establishments, and died in 1646.
Alonzo Sanchez, a secular priest, who was distinguished for his estimable character and emi- nent virtues; he died in 1652; and such was the^ esteem for his abilities and good qualities, that he was honoured by a public funeral ; he was buried^ in the cathedral, at which solemnity the royal audiencia, the cabildos, clergy, and other persons^ of distinction, assisted.
Juan Bautista Alvarez de Toledo, of the order of St. Francis, and of an illustrious family,* who, for his great literary acquirements, was raised to • the highest dignities of' his order, to the Duns Scotus professorship in the nniversity of St. Car- los, and successively to the episcopal chairs of Chiapa, Guatemala, aud Guadalajara; he died in his native country in 1726, leavjng a great number of pious foundations of his own establishment.
Juan de Padilla, a secular ckrgyman, celebrated not only for his profound knowledge in theology,
* A vulgar error, by which Leal, Alcedo, and other authors, have been misled, would deprive Guatemala of the honour of having given birth to this eminent character, the only one of ber sons who ever obtained the mitre : it is asserted, but upon what authority does not appear, that he was a native of St. Sal* vador (city); this, however, is disproved by the registry of his baptism, in the books of the parish of the Sanctuary in Gua- temala»
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but for his skill in the mathematics, in which he made an extraordinary progress ; it is asserted that he left some curious and valuable manuscripts in this branch of science, but at present the only work we possess of this learned man, is a treatise on the principal rules of Practical Arithmetic, print-, ed at Guatemala in 1732: he died in 1749.
Miguel de Zilieza y Velasco, of a noble family, doctor and professor of laws in the university, provisor and vicar-general of the bishopricks of Guatemala and Leon; canon, director of the choir, and auxiliary bishop of his native place ; and ultimately bishop of Ciudad fleal» where he died in 1768.
Antonio de Pineda y Ramirez, first lieutenant of the Rojal Spanish guards; he was intrusted* with the department of natural history^ iu the ex- pedition which circumnavigated the globe under the command of Don Alexander M alaspina.
Ignacio Ceballos^ a man of noble extraction^ and great erudition, who*by his merit was raised to the dignity of dean of the churches of Mexico and Seville; he was a member of the Royal Spa- ^ nish academy, and his name is inscribed in the number of those who were employed in compiling the dictionary of the Spanish language.
Miguel Gutierres, ex-jesmt, after having served several honourable offices belonging to his order, died at Rome iu 1794: hist life, written in Latin by Luis Maniero, has been published.
Having noticed the political bodies, the popu- lation, and different classes of the inhabitants ; the soil, climate, buildings, and other particulars come nejft in order : to describe these distinctly, it wiH be necessary to advert to the 3 different
Ill
situations of the capital, which are designated ad Ciudad Vieja, Old Guatemala^ and New Guate- niala.
La Ciudad Vieja. The site chosen for this place, in 1524, between the two volcanoes, was only a temporary one, until a more convenient spot could be selected for its forióal establish- ment; but not discovering another situation of- fering, superior advantages to the. first choice, the inhabitants determined to reiiiain where they had already settled, and to es^teod their buildings a little to the eastward, upon the skirt of the moun- tain called the Volcan de Agua; aplace of great fertility, very pleasant, under a fine climate, healthy, and abundantly supplied with excellent water. On this spot, they commenced building the city on the 22d of November, 1527, and in a short space of time they had erected a decent cathedral, convents of Dominicans, Franciscans, and Merced arians; her mitas, or religious houses of Los Remedios and Vera Cruz ; houses for the cabildos, and a hospital. After 14 years* pro-- gress, farther improvements were stopped by a <»latmty. that finally .diE«:iíd;ed its fate: On the night of September the 11 th^ 1541, an eruption of water from the mountain took place, when a tor- rent so immense rolled down from the summit^ sweeping before it large trees and enormous rocks^ that the city was overwhelmed, the buildings de-* stroyed, and great part of the inhabitants buried beneath the ruins. This irreparable disaster compelled the survivors to seek another settle- ment, and they fixed upon the place where Old Guatemala stands, about a league north-east of Ciudad Vieja.
In a delightful valley, shut in by mountainá
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and hills that always retain their verdure, stands Old Guatemala, encompassed by meadows and lands which supply pasturage to large herds of cattle. Within' the circuit of two- leagues it is surrounded by not less than 30 villages, all of them deriving their main support from the various productions they furnish for the consumption of the city. The inhabitants of these villages are employed in all the useful trades ; there are ma- sons, bricklayers, bakers, butchers, weavers, gardeners, in fact, artisans and workmen of all descriptions; they raise maize, pulse, vegetables, fruits, flowers, in short, they supply the markets so well as to leave no wish unsatisfied, either with the comforts or delicacies of life. Two rivers run. through the valley, and present to the gardens and meadows, farms and country-houses every conve- nience for irrigation. The climate is extremely i^reeable, and in so happy a medium, that heat or^ cold neverpredominatestotheii\jury of vegetation ; but a perpetual spring presents its varied bounties. The city extends about 12 manzanas^ in the nar- rowest part ; the streets are broad, straight,, and well paved, running in right lines from east fco> west, and from north to south, except in the sub- urbs, where there are many both narrow and ir- regular. There are numerous fountains, supplied with water from three diflferent springs, and which is also diffused' into all parts of the city by pipes, so that there is scai^cely a house without 3 or 4 cis- terns regularly replenished : there are large reser- voirs in thestreets and public places ; that in the Great Square is worthy of notice, being con-
• A manzana is a solid square of bouses, formed by the inter- sections of streets at right angles. It varies in extent from 150 to 360 vards in front.
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structed entirely of stone, very well wrought, and filled by two different streams that fall into it on opposite sides. The consistorial houses de- serve attention, both for the solidity of building, and their excellent distribution, as well as for an elegant corridor fronting the square, formed by columns and arches of masonry. There are 38 edifices appropriated to religious worship and es- tablishments, viz. the cathedral, 3 parish churches, and 16 others, 8 convents for men, 8 for women^ the congregations of St. Philip Neri, and of Cal- vary, and 11 chapels. The cathedral isa mag- nificent temple, more than 300 feet long, 120 broad, and nearly 70 high, lighted by 50 windows; it has 3 aisles, and 8 chapels on each side, of which those of the Sanctuary and Nuestra Señora del Socorro are very spacious ; the decorations consist of beautiful statues, paintings of the best masters, many inestimable relics, and numerous utensils of gold and silver. The grand altar stood under a cupola, supported by 16 columns, faced with tortoiseshell, and adorned with medal* lions in bronze of exquisite workmanship ; on the cornice are placed the statues of the Virgin and the 12 Apostles, in ivory. In this sumptuous edifice, to which there are 7 spacious entrances, repose the ashes of Pedro de Alvarado, the con» queror of the country, of Francisco Marroquin, the first bishop, 8 of his successors, and of many other illustrious men. The church of St. Do- mingo deserved notice by its elegant design, great elevation, capacious vestibule, and splendid de- corations, among which was a statue of the Vir- gin del Rosario, nearly 6 feet in height, of massive silver. In the church of St. Francis, one of the
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largest ia the city, were 3 alcoves, beautifully and richly adorned, which contributed greatly to the splendour of the grand altar; the singularly curious chapel of our Lady of Loretto, in which the image of the Virgin of Alcantara* is wor- shipped ; at the portal there are several statues of saints done in stucco, and enamelled, which far exceed any thing of the kind in the kingdom. But the greatest treasure, in popular estimation^ belonging to the church, are the mortal relics of Pedro de San José de Betancurt,t that are pre- served under the safeguard of three keys, in a niche on the left hand side of the presbytery. The church of the College of Jesuits, and that of Nuestra Señora de la Merced, each spacious, and with three aisles, possess their due share of mag* nificence. The Dominican, Franciscan, and M er- cedarian convents, are the most remarkable for their size^ solidity of the building, neatness, and convenient arrangement of their respective offices. Of the convents belonging to the religieuses, that of La Concepción is the largest ; it is said to have been forme.rly inhabited by upwards of 1000 per- sons, nuns, pupifó, and servants. The dreadful
* This image is not without its miracle, for it appears (from recordsjuridically authenticated, obtained in the year 1601, and preserved in the archives of the convent), that it is the identical image which was worshipped at Alcantara in Estremadura, where the tradition was, that it had been found in the river Tagus, enclosed with the infant Don Pelayo, in a chest, and the preservation of the prince was attributed to the special protec- tion of his virgin patroness.
t Pedro de Betancurt was a priest, native of thie island of Teneriffe, who settled in Guatemala ; he was held in great esti- mation by the populace, who believed that he wrought miracles : the subject of his beatification was warmly debuted in the Romish conclave, but not carried^ however Pope Clement the Four- teenth, on the 25th of July, 1771, declared that his virtues were entitled to the most heroic degree.
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calamity of earthquake has repeatedly vipited this city, and has rendered all its local advantages unavailing : the most memorable disasters it has sustained from this cause, are those of the years 1565, 1577, 1586, 1607, 1651, 1663, 1689, 1717, 1751, and 1773. Wearied by these misfortunes, and of rebuilding only to experience repeated de- structions, the inhabitants at length determined, after the shock of 1773, which left one part of the city in ruins, and severely injured the rest, to change, for the third time, their situation, and choose a spot farther removed from the volca- noes, the prolific source of so many horrors to them, and where they would be less exposed to similar miseries; they therefore, after many exa- minations, chose the plain of La Virgen, in the valley of Mixco, where, in 1776, was founded the new metropolis, in virtue of a royal decree, bear- ing date July 21st, 1775, which ordained that the new city should be called New Guatemala de la Asuncion, because the last chosen spot was with- in the curacy of the hermitage, called La Asun- cion de Nuestra Señora.
NEW GUATEMALA
Stands on a spacious plain of 5 leagues diame- ter, watered by several small rivers and lakes, that greatly conduce to its fertility^ in a delightful climate^ where the inhabitants scarcely know a change of temperature. The city forms a square about 15 manzanas each way ; it is divided into 4 quarters, and the quarters into 2 barrios or wards, each superintended by its peculiar alcalde^ elected annually from the residents, and exercising his jurisdiction under the control of the judge of
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the quarter^ who is always a minister of the royal ^ audiencia. For the administration of spiritual concerns, the city is divided into 3 parishes, each extending its whole length from east to west, and embracing a third part of it from north to south ; the centre is called the parish of the Sanctuary of the Cathedral ; the northern side, St. Sebas- tian's, and the southern, Los Remedios. The streets, which cross each other at right angles, are 12 yards broad, the greater part of them paved : the houses, although rather low, to miti- gate the violence of future earthquakes, are built' in a good style, very commodious, and judicious- ly decorated, — nearly all of them enjoying the advantage of kitchen and pleasure gardens, with two, three, and even more reservoirs of water. The great square is a rectangle 150 yards each way, paved all over, and having a colonade on each side. The eastern side presents the grand en- trance to the cathedral, with the archiepiscopal palace on the right, and the college de Infantes on the left; on the opposite side stand the royal palace, the hall of the audiencia, and offices be- longing to that tribunal, the chamber of accounts, the treasury, and the mint ; on the north side are the houses of the corporation, prisons, markets, public granary, &c. ; and on the south side, the custom-house, and the marqtiezado de Aizinena, &c. In the middle there is a large stone fountain of very superior workmanship, supplied with wa- ter, brought by means of pipes from the mountains to the south-east, upwards of two leagues distant; from the same source twelve public reservoirs in different places and streets, besides many belong- ing to the convents and private iiouses, derive
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their supplies. This aqueduct is ia some places carried over valleys upon an extensive range of arches, and in others through hills by excavations, that have cost immense labour to complete. From the south-west there has been another stream of • VFater brought into the city by similar means, and although from a greater distance, it has, from the nature of the country through which it passes, been effected with much less difficulty. The ca- thedral is small, but in a fine style of architecture, and not yet completed ; the pedestals and capi- tals of the columns, the vaultings of the chapels, and many other parts of it, are executed in a manner that entitles them to the admiration of a scientific observer. . Many other churches and convents are still in a progressive state ; and, ex- cept the Jesuits college with its dependencies, andli of the minor churches, intended to be si- milar to those already mentioned in old Guate- mala. But besides those spoken of at the former place, there are the college of Seises, the female seminaYy called the Visit^^tion, the Hermitage del Carmen, situated on the summit of a hill near the city, and that of our Lady of Guadalupe. On the north-east adjoining the city there is an extensive suburb, divided into 2 quarters, and 4 barrios, over which the 2 ordinary alcaldes are the pre- siding magistrates : the parish of La Candelaria, and the college of the Visitation are in this divi- sion, the streets of which are crooked and irregu- larly built. Although not surrounded by so many villages as old Guatemala, the markets of the new city are equally well furnished with provisions of all descriptions from the same sources, and the great markets present a choice of vegetables, fruit.
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flowers, poultry, game, eggs, and other commodi- ties not often surpassed in any region.
New Guatemala is in 14 deg. 40 min. north lat», 91 deg. 46 min. west long., 9 leagues from old Gua- temala, ISOfrom Ciudad RealdeChiapa, 144 from the city of Gamayagua, 183 from Leon, 400 from* the city of Mexico, 90 from the Atlantic Ocean, 26 from the Pacific, 195 from the boundary of New Spain, and 480 from that of Terra Firma.
CHAP. VI.
Chronological Account of the City of Ghiatemála. ,
The existence of the antipodes was a problem, that for many ages excited the attention of philo- sophers, producing, as might be expected, opposite opinions among them : and although the hiero- glyphics, sculptures, and other monuments of Egyptian mythology, discovered by the Spaniards in the new world ; and the traces of the sacred mysteries of Christianity, almost effaced as they were by Paganism, but still perceptible among the natives, forbid our denying that there had been at some very remote period, an intercourse between the inhabitants of the two hemispheres, all idea of it was so completely effaced from the memory of mankind, that in the 8th century. Pope Zachary condemned as a heretic^ a certain Yirgilius, who had supported the hypothesis of the antipodes. The time at length arrived, when this important problem was solved by the science and intrepidity of Christopher Colon, or Columbus, a Genoese, the most eminent navigator, and consummate ma- thematician of his age» He, either from the pe-
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netratioD of his own comprehensive genius» as some assert, or as others maintain, from the information communicated to him by another mariner, who had been thrown upon these shores by stress of wea- ther, or other casualty, conceived the daring pro- ject of seeking a new route to the East Indies, by traversing the Western Ocean. He communicated his ideas to his own countrymen the Genoese, and to the kings of England and Portugal successive- ly; but they were rejected by each as chimerical. Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, however, gave a favourable attention to his proposal, and deter- mined to assist him with 3 barks and 1700 ducats. This was the only provision for undertaking an enterprise, the success of which stands unrivalled in the annals *of history,» and that gave a new world, and immense wealth* to the crown of Castile.
On the 3d of August, 1492, Columbus sailed from the harbour of Palos, commissioned as ad- miral and viceroy of whatever countries he might discover. After a navigation of rather more than two months, he arrived on the 11th of October at the island of Guanahani, to which he gave the name of St. Salvador : he then passed on to Cuba and Hay ti, which he called Hispaniola; and in the month of March, 1493, returned to Spain with the first intelligence of his glorious discovery. In recompense for this important service, he was -created on the 18th of May, 1493, admiral of the Indies, received a patent of nobility, and was ho- noured with armorial bearings, viz. a sea, argent, on a field, azure, and 5 islands, or, beneath a man- tle of Castile and Leon, crest a globe, with the motto, "Por Castilla y por Leon, Nuevo Mundo
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hullo' Colon" (for Castile and Leon Columbus discovered a New World). Emboldened by suc- cess, Columbus repeated his voyage, and his la- bours were rewarded by fresh discoveries. In his second, undertaken in 1493, he fell in with the lesser Antilles and St. Juan de Puerto Rico : he then proceeded to Hispaniola where he laid the foundation of the first city in America, which, in honour of the queen, he called Isabella. After this he embarked again, and on the 14th March, 1494, arrived at a large island^ to which he gave the name of St. Jaime, or Jamaica. Columbus renewed b¡s attempts, and they were attended with unabated good fortune : on his third voyage, which he commenced August 11 th, 1498, he came in sight of a large point of land tliat he immedi- diately named IslaSanta, but he soon afterward ascertained, that what he had taken to be an island was a great continent : he discovered the coast of Paria, the gulf of Ballena^ and several islands. In 1502 he sailed from Cadiz, on the 9th of March; on his fourth voyage, and shaped a course for the continent which he had discovered in N98. After experiencing many difficulties he arrived at the island Guanaja, from which he steered to Point Casinas on the coast of Honduras, where Bartho- lomew Columbus landed with a part of the crews, on the 14th of August, 1502, to perform mass: on the 17th they landed again, and took posses*- sion of the country, in the name of the king and queen of Castile. The admiral continued his re- searches, and on the 2d of November of the same year, he discovered Portobello: on the fol- lowing day he advanced about half a league up the river ¿ailed Bethelem, in the province of Ve-
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ragua : from this event his descendants obtained the title of Dakes of Veragua.
The -successes of this enterprising chief were too glorious and too interesting, not to excite the emulation of. others. The result was, that many were induced to pursue the route now opened for them. The first Spaniard who embarked on this arduous service, was Alonzo de Ojeda; who was accompanied by Americus Vespucius, a Floren- tine.* In the year l499, Ojeda discovered the gulf of MaracaibOy Venezuela, and the coast of Cumana.
In the year 1500, Vincent Pinzón fell in with the Promontory of Brasil, since called Cape St. Augustine, and the mouth of the river Marañon. In 1506, Pinzón and Juan Diaz de Solis disco- vered the coast of Yucatan.
In 1512, Juan Ponce de Leon searching for the island Bimimi, one of the Bahamas, or Lucayas, in which he had been assured there was a foun- tain capable of restoring to old age the vigour of youthj ^iccidentally made the. more substantial discovery of an extensive region, to which he gave the name of Florida, either from the season of the year when he arrived at it, being Easter, called by
* Americus Vespucius, one of the manners in this expedition, published a history, abounding in fables and inaccuracies, in which he styled himself the discoverer of the American conti- nent, and gave so high a colouring to his narrative, tiiat by the incautious be was believed actually to have made the discovery ; the affair being laid before the council of the Indies by the friends of Columbus Don Alonzo de Ojeda, was juridically examined on the subject; he did not hesitate to declare the falsity of Vespucius' assertion : the decbion of the judges was in favour of Columbus, but this did not prex^ent the pretender from enjoying the honour of it, or the glory of giving his own name to this fourth division of the world.
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the Spaniards Pascua florida, or from observing the meadows covered with flowers.
On September 25th, 1513, Vasco Nunez Bal- bao, the governor of Danen, descried the Pacific Ocean^ the existence of which was, until then, unknown; and, on the 29th of the same month, took possession of it for the king of Castile.*
In 1516, Juan Diaz de Solis entered the river La Plata. In the following year, the coast of Yucatan was again visited by Francisco Fernan- dez de Cordova; and in 1518, Juan de Grijalva, continuing the examination of the coast, found the island of Cozumel, the river Tabasco (named by him Rio de Grijalva), St. Juan de Ulna, and Pa- nuco: to all this region he gave the name of New Spain.
On the 10th of February, 1519, Ferdinand Cortes sailed from the Havanna^ to effect the CQuquest of New Spain; which was not com- pleted until more than 2 years afterward.
In 1520, Ferdinand Magelbaens passed the straits which bear his name, and discovered the Ladrone Islands, which he called the Archipelago of St. Lazarus. Leaving these^ he reached the Philippines, where he was killed. Juan Sebastian del Cano then took one of his ships, and returned to Spain by doubling the Cape of Good Hope ; thus being the first who circumnavigated the globe. In commemoration of this enterprise, the ship in which he performed the expedition (called the Victory) was long preserved at Seville.
* The ceremony which Balbao used on the occasion was this ; armed with a sword and shield, he waded into the sea until the water reached his waist, and proclaimed the Pacific Ocean to be- long to the kings of Spain.
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On the 13th of August, 1521, Cortes took the city of M exico^ the capital of the Mexican mo- narchs, making the Emperor Guatimociu prison- er; and terminated the empire^ then in the most nourishing state, after it had stood 200 years.
In 1522, Gil Conzalez Davila discovered the province of Nicaragua, which was afterward settled by Pedro de Arias, Davila, and Francisco Fernandez de Cordova^ officers who had accom- panied Gonzalez in his advance from Darien.
Cortes, having been appointed, by the Emperor Charles the 5th, governor and captain-general of all the countries he might conquer, dispatched Christopher de Olid into the province of Hondu- ras. This adventurer landed in a bay, about 50 leagues eastward of the entrance of the gulf of Dulce; this bay he called the Triumph of the Cross, from having disembarked on the 3d of May, 1523, being the day on which the church celebrates the invention of the cross. He laid the foundation of a town, to which he gave the same appellation.
The fame of Cortes* exploits spread rapidly through the country, and soon reached the court of the Kachiquel kings, who, of their own free will, sent an embassy to him, offering to acknow- ledge themselves vassals of the king of Spain. The chief received the ambassadors with all the kind- ness and affability so peculiar to him ; treated them with every mark of distinction, and gave assurances that himself, and all those under his command, would govern them with mildness in