New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-30
THU, GUATEMALAN CAPITAL
CITY BUILT TO WITHSTAND L-Ni H.
QUAKES.
c,. TOW WALLS. pRIsoN.LIKE WINDOWS
' AND Luxurious lSsrn cocn TIN ,n'
mrxrs IN THE corNTEY-wisE "a aD'
. MIx,srrArloS OF THE YOUNGER

$50 ,rxrp,oI-S INNER CoLh "'''
,,,,x.,s IN THE couNTEY-wlSh Nd
yIx,srE.rloN or THE fOoN"1'"
BARRIos.
o,,, Feb. l5.-It Is difficult TO anaiyze
,,o varied feelings or separ"'e NV ,,. M.
80 ,hopcbts aroused by the ms ''e' " uG..nt
49,, rh city Is new an" ''". w ~,
inns ,hcr we have seen Copah' III 'he b'
'fo"' o. y, Aha verapaz. Is only Il laiht Suese,uo''
paFtH'en' " triar arrangement of public buildings
ihc'' n,oza but COhan SITS with the oiSnl! vi
aIonno '"' shelf of the mountain. with limbs ana
- hanging over the mouh'all-siue' ""l'' "0
ur"p IN The valley. situation as different from
ie' ,v Of the Hermitage rs mounaln-slde Is from
'i' ,a,n The valley in which Guatemala Guy Is
lever a tho most extensive | have vet seen In the
io'' The mountains appear 10 have been phoheu
co., IN order 10 give ample room for the capital Vi
. nrorrpssve republic.
Tho climb from san Antonio to the summit vi inc
ort,,n which forms a breaStwork on the north was
r severe upon the bcStias and upon ourselves p''
,be grand panorama which was spread before Us w'h
tbe summit was reached caused us to forget 'he
s.,o In tho pleasinC spectacle We could then APP
oca,e in some degree the feelings OF Mahom''
whom after days of weary marching in the DESERT tIe
wonderful panorama OF Damascus opohe" "po" us
as,on,,hed sight, and he turned back without ch''"S
the city, saying L" 1t would tempt M from IaradlS'
Ne saw long lines OF low white walls, haii houoh
IN
inc dome and turret and campanile high above all
thor structures the struggling fort. san jose with
Guns sucges,ivcly pointing toward the city' the cru
cathedral Cerro del Carmen, on an e'Va'io" as nieh
as the fort and looking from the distance more iAe
n fort than Christian church, and back Oh an anu
giving something OF character to ai WAS 'he cN"''
volcanic cone Of Aqua and the active volcano FueGo
which pulled an occasional bail OF SMOKE lh'o I''e
utramarinc vault above II. Tie scene was oeii-'l.
fho iu,nr
pated upon closer Inspection
The Gran Hotel where we had engaged r""hlS' i
10 Guatemala what The Murray ih' i I" W" i"'"'
Here one meets the crandccs OF this country ior'Sh
representatives and strangers making any pr'''"No'S
q, nosit,on in their own country. and the few travel
lers who drift here In search of pleasure ana 'e "N
element OF new and strange sights. The rooms III
the hotel are fairly good. and the suite assigned 10
us makes quite effort at elegance in' ''""
dboe too was fairly good and would satisfy any one
accustomed to Central American cooking bn' hohh-
can be more epidemic inviting than inc sanitary '
ranCements. The avaOry is diScuStnGy hi'N' anu
were II not for the birds which throne 'he
low fat roof, the patio womb pe d vault VI YUM
pressed poison.
The visitor Is at once impressed with The strange
intermingng Of centuries and of civilizations Inc
sixteenth and the nineteenth centuries clasp hahuS'
and savage and civilized joslle each olhcF' NO wv"
miles out from the city are numbers Oh "r"n'i"'
people and the monuments Of religion when had
been forgotten before the Conquest 'erro d'i 'ar'"
sneaks 10 MS of the times of the Conquest ana com
memorates the soldier, priest, icohocaS'' ""o'
with gun and hammer. destroyed altar ana tempe
and carved image. and by the same forceiui arE'
ments converted the people TO the new religion l."
those early DAYS cannon mounted upon the Wills
which inclosed Carmen and the union OF pINSc"
and spiritual thunder must have been productive u,
great good to the unbaptized heather and powerful
incentive to turn from the error OF his ways
A constant tide Of halfnakcd lndos drifts through
the streets bearing upon their backs 'he hea\E
burdens which they have brought from the mountains
We have passed them on every tran since Ie'N'"s
senabu. We have slept 10y their side In many
rancherias and have eaten with them 10y the riNT-
side In the deep baranca bottom quiet and inohenSNe'
they are the degenerate remnants OF the muil'uuea
who met Cortez and his fellow advcntlrers Oh every
plain and in every mountain pass between the w!
OF Mexico and the Isthmus OF Panama The centuries
which have INTERVIEWED since then have for these po
pie been marked by increasing ignorance deeeherA-
TON and poyertv Even the descendants OF the
lauphtv Casfan have shared the degeneration OF the
native race and the rulers Of the country are not
and have not been since Rafael Carrera. spaniards
but Indios, Ladinos.
The centuries have witnessed strange inter
r,incling OF blood. COrtcl set the cXampl" when
Lis followers have emulatcd. and now the native
Central American Is "eVerybodys child" Disease
and deCeneracv have followed tits mixing Of races.
as they always follow the Intcrminginc Of white AMI
black The eblood Indian Of the Carrera stamp
retains the natural vigor of his ouiche ancestors
and though uncduCaed, rules with exceptional Wis
dom when in'rusted With power.
The kingdom Of Guatemala carved ont by Cortez.
consisted Of territory lying between The sthmua
Of Darien and Tehuantepec and the Caribbean sea
and the Pacific Ocean, and its capital was Ciudad
Vicja located IN a delightful valley between Aqua
and Fuego. The country had then been occupied less
than a quarter Of a century. and the charming valley
at the foot OF the giant mountains was tempting alike
10 soldier and priest The towering mountains had
for Them no rerrors for there blackened ruins
nor gaming walls 10 tell the awful destruction they
c,uld produce. In 1911, during terrific storm. a
mass OF water burst from The summit OF Aqua anu
swept with everincrc aSng veloci,y down its SIDE"
II rushed In one Wild wave upon the devoted city,
s,yceuing II ont Of existence Not building. hardly
Il person. remained alive to describe the awful scene.
The widow Of Alverado. the associate Of and general
undor Cortcz WAS living here. she sought safety IN
n cathedral and was buried by the falling rooi While
clpging TO the altar. Oudad Nicja was then ADAM
doncd and the second capital located at An'ig ua
further up the valley.
For 23O years the new capital grew In importance
and Increased in proportions. Aqua was quiet only
Il single column Of smoke Indicated that volcanic hro
still glowed lnGer Iucgo. Public and private build
iDgs Increased In numbers and magnifconCe. Inc
Spanish Government erected the Paiac" OF the NccoV
and placed II the elaborate arms OF spain. ana
!ncloscd u square with Government buildings ihc
Church filed the city with ca,hcdras. converts ana
monasterics Eighty immense caihedrils. large eonE'
accommodate the entire population OF Europe. We're
erected Antigua, the ecclesiastical establish
mcnt included many converts. monaStcrics and
schools.
The fate Of Qudad Nicja had been forgotten. ana
no thought OF mpcnding danger filed the hearts 81
the people with dread when in 1913 once more came
disaster and the crumbing ruins OF churches and
cathedrals remain TO tell how complete was the
destruction of Antigua. Eighty caihcdrals built
when the fabulous wealth Of the country was poured
Into The lap Of the Church. stood on tine evening
Of that evcntiul day. bIrdencd with wealth oil
statuary and carving. filed with gold and silver
ornaments and paintings Of fabulous value. As dark
hess came upon the city the earth began to rock ana
move, TO sink and Sweil like the Of the sea.
lkel n.dc 10 q