The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-05-06
Guatemala's Capital.
ru, largest and HandsOmest City In Central
America.

ArrNALA LA NUEvA, March :, 1897:
,.~.o. tle first $50 years after the con-
..... inns small country INDUCED in the
.,t...fl nj extravaganza OF three capitals
9lmed Guatemala city. The first,
.,.-...d by Alvarado in 1924, was buried
.l..,. 10 years later under floods of sand
-. v4ter yomited from the Volcan de
.-a The second capital-now spoken of
..-latemala la Antigua-was built few
,...4- aast Of the former site; and in 1918
e.- augst completely destroyed by an
..s. lake Finally the slow going peo-
sal. .H kt 10 the realization that it might
...- to build some where else than
ller the noses of two active volca-
...- 4ud erected their third capital 80
lrth of the ruined cities, in the
..t II the HERMITAGE Guatemala
N..a dis the the present capital is
uy all odds the handsomeSt and
we'll as the most modern and
.... --'e city in Central America. Its
$ ideal; ), 600 feet above the sea,
rag templada, OF temperate zone,
laej ON all sides by green hills and
flee groves and sugar planta-
osed within a Gordon OF deep
. geographically, it lies almost in
...-e of the Republic, 81 miles 10y
r.e Pacific port of San Jose, but
from the Atlantic ports by 100
....,- devious trails, without even a
..-. Ad between. Ermita (uelmit-
res got its name from the half
alt fortress in the midst, which
s- 10y Jesuit monks hundred
lttore the new capital, and still
d picturesque landmark The
npSe OF it from the car windows.
... 5ajn winds slowly around the hills
... rslmpass it, reminds you of the
Ia of Bogata, in Columbia. The
bud, .'.a3eIs over a wide and lovely land
tween the Cerro del Carmen and
de Buena Vista, to the northern
nounded by range of the Andean
ia. while in the background tower
-sal twins, Fuego and Aqua, their
instantly yelled in ever changing
But the city of TO-, 900 people is
punishable until close upon it
ontused mass OF trees and foliage,
by church towers, with here and
thinner of white walls. Coming
.r. - yea see a curious fortress, built of
with painted squares to initiate
ilreatening the town 1t is suppos-
eteet by having all its guns point
Aay. Then you pass an enormous
uted penitentiary-big enough to
-modate the entire population should
80 wong Ell masse; few subur-
a>.lences, the newer ones two
- iu spite Of earthquakes; then some
-lol> belonging to the Railway Co.
YOU steam into a fine brick sta
might be the railroad depot at
...aHl, Buffalo, OF any other Of our
titles, so far as appearances go,
that a few soldiers lounging
wear the uniform of officers in
- French army The walls Of the
ing room me decked with pictures
eaey Island excursion boats. Broad
.0 smauec Companies calendars and
.aserenls printed in English and of
lineage, Philadelphia, Boston,
.e policemen, though tanned to
tauwed livery OF the FURNISHED
sle beyond doubt importations
Emerald Isle via New York the
itd e2panse of upper lip and rich
their rendition of Spanish and
a-0n- the slightest- provocation air;
ID the full uniform of New y orl1
ac.net. buttons, billy and all.
Ute hacks in waiting, too-the
part of those which pick up
at our northern depots-only
b. drivers of these are much more
Iram-ca start at regular inter
gil the station door, the conductors
- whistles and ringing bells. until
Hak Fuego has overlooked again, OF
-AagratiOn has broken out some
Where. 4 large closed mail wagon, like
'' used in Washington, stands ready
GIVE the mall and at the custom
N.S" lie officers speak to you in good
trter English than you can address
- IA Castilano. You enter a street
made in New York, in which all the
ais notices are printed in English in
t4l Of Spanish. The conductor rings
@-t Whistles like mad and you are
wished away as fast as horses can travel
wien lashed necessarily, through rough
paved streets bordered on both sides
~ Tie one-story shops and dwellings that
prevail in earthquake haunted regions.
aud Is population of many nations and
Itles mingles the 10th and 10Th CEN
-1lleS most curiously in customs and bust
ness ways. Clearly, it is town not to be
seen at glance, nor understood in few
a}s visit. The Guatemalans are very
proud OF their capital, and love to call it
-' ialis of Central America-or Pequina
ans in their own vernacular. 1t is a
l'e saying that ''Paris is France and