The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1897-09-11
GUATEMALA.
SOME SIGHTS AND SCENES IN
ITS HISTORIC CAPITAL,
"A First Glimpse From Car Window
lGuatamalas's Capital a Little Paris
Houses as Picturesque as Castles -Ousted
by BarriOs-A Marvellous Climate.

ny barr1OS-A marvellous Climate.
Guatemala la Nueva, -snecia1
Cofrespond ence.-During the first $50 wears
al'er the conquest this small country in
dulged in the unheard-of extravagance of
;hree capitals all named Guatemala City. The
hrst, founded by A!varado in 1924, was buried
about twenty years later under floods OF sand
ana water Vomited from the Volcan de Aqua
ne second capltal-noW spoken of as Guat-
emala la Antgua-was built a few miles
east OF the former site, and in 1773 was al
mos completely destroyed by an earthquake.
Finally the slQw-going people awoke to the
'eallzatlon that it might be better to build
somewhere else than close under the noses
or two active volcanoes, and erected their
thllo capital thirty miles north of the ruined
cltlcs, in the valley of the Hermitage -
ueatcmaIa Ia Nuava, as the present capital
IS called, is by all odds the handsomest and
largest city in Central America Its situation
is IDEAL 5000 feet above the sea, in the "tierra
se1nplada, or temperate zone, surrounded
ol al sloes by green hills and pastures cof-
zee groves ana sugar plantations, ipclosed
WITHIN Gordon of deep raVines Geogra phi-
caily IL lies almost in the center of the re-
pubNc, eightyfour miles by rail to the Pa
enc port OF San Jose, but separated from the
Atlahtlc ports by 100 leagues of devious trails.
(He1mitage) Valley got it's name from the haIf
church, half fortress in the midst which was
Dullt by Jesuit monks a hundred wears he
lore the new capital, and still stands. pic.
turesQue landmark.
HFrOm Il Car Window
Inc first glimpse of it from the car win
COWS, as the train winds slowly around the
hllls that encompass it, reminds you of the
great plain of Bogota in Colombia The owe
10
between the Cerro del Carmen and the
Guacula de Buena Vista, to the northern
norlzon, bounded by range of the ~ dean
Norolilera' while in the background tower
c cre to coiossal twins Fuego and Aqua, their
craters constantly yelled in ever-changing
e!ouus' BUT the city Of 10000 people is not
olstlnsulshable until close upon it-onlv 4
confused mass of trees and foliage pierced
Dy cnurch towers, with here and there
GUNNER OF white walls Coming nearer vo,,
see a curious fortress, built of adobe with
painted squares to initiate stone threaten
ing the town 1t IS supposed to protect nv
having all It's guns pointed that way Then
YOU pass an enormous Dlue-painted peniten-
llarE-Dlg enough to accommodate the entire
population should they $50 wrong'' en- masse:
a 1e" suburban residences, the newer one,
tWo-stor1ed. in spite of earthquakes: ther
some workshops belonging to the railway |
company, and then you steam into a fine
Drlck station. 1t might be the railroad denot
at Cleveland, Buffalo, or any other Of onr
smaller cities, so far as appearances 60 ex-
cept that a few soldiers, loungine al,out
wear the uniform Of officers in the French
army. Inc walls of the waiting-room are
decked with pictures Of Coney Island ex-
cursion boats, roadway insurance companies, |
calendars, and advertisements, printed in |
English, and of firms in Chicago, Phila- |
aelphia Boston. etc. The policemen, though |
tanned to che Swallowed livery of the bur-
nished sum-" are, beyond doubt, importations |
Isle yyio NoyrV nry
same broad expanse of upper lip and rich !
brogue in their rendition of Spanish, and |
club you-on- the slightest provocation air, |
dressed in the full uniform of New York City, |
helmet buttons, billy" and ALL There are |
hacks in waiting, too-the counterparts OF |
those which pick up fares" at our Northern |
depots-only that the drivers of these are
much more civil.
Guntemnla's Capital n Little Paris.
Tramcars start at regular intervals from
the station door, the conductors blowing
whistles and ringing bells, till you think
Fuego has overfowed again, or conflagra-
ton has broken out somewhere. A large,
closed mail wagon, like those used in Wash
ington, stands ready to receive the mail; and
at the custom house the officers speak to
you in good deal better English than you
can address them in Castilano. You enter a
street car, made in New York, in which all
the official notices are printed in English in
whistles like mad, and you are whisked
away as fast as horses can travel when dashed
necessarily, through roughly paved streets
bordered on both sides by the one-story shops
and dwellings that prevail in earthquake
haunted regions. the city. spreads out six
miles or more, and it's population of many
nations and tribes mingles the sixteenth and
nineteenth centuries most curiously In Gus
toms and business ways. Clearly, it is town
not to be seen at glance, nor understood In
vic
proud of their capital and love to call 1t the
Paris of Central America. or "Pequina Paris"
in their own vernacular. 1t is trite saying
that paris is France" and an equally true
one that Guatemala la Nueva is Guatemala,
the other cities Of the country following Its
lead in all things. The streets are wide and
straight, substantially paved with rough
stones, lined with narrow sidewalks, and
lighted by electricity, and tramways run in all
directions. The architecture is that of South
ern SPAIN The houses are Of stone, or OF
adobe made to initiate it so perfectly that no
body can tell (which is which," generally
one-storied for safety, but large and COM
Portable.
Picturesque rs Castles.
Truly, in this country every mans house Is
his castle and some of them are large enough
to shelter regiment. AS in other parts OF
Spanish America, they are not particularly
prepossessing outside-blank walls, painted
glaring white, each casa with an enormous
WINDOW reaching 1rOlu tuOOI " CC1AAh6, AoSSN
with heavy iron gratings which project SO
far over the sidewalk that pedestrians must
look sharp not to dislocate their elbows In
passing Entrance to such house is through
a massive porte cochere'-the only door
leading to the street, made solid, and strong
enough, with bolts and bars and padIocKs
galore to serve as fortress or prison; but
when the great door is left open passers-by
got rayishing glimpses Of verdure and beauty
Within the patio with it's central fountain.
nalms. and flowers, and often with statuary
and other works cs art. Towering high above
the low, white houses are the domes and
towers of more than score OF grano oio
churches, the cathedral dWarhng them az.
Many of the older sanctuaries cover Wnole
squares, and are richly adorned INSIDE ana
their gardens were once marvels OF Deauly.
But all these suffered terrible setback When
Dictator Barrios-uncle of the late Presloen'
of the same name-banished the clergy VIII
ruthless hand and confiscated to the state az
much of their property in money, lands ano
edifices as he could find use for. Ihus IL II
that almost all the public buildings IN Guate'
mala's capital, postoffice, custom house, prls,
nns- barracks. colleges. ETC.. are transIormee
ecclesiastical edifces. It was, indeed, boil
act on Barrios' part to deal the church such
blow, for before that time it was lord OF al
while now it is absolutely powerless.
Ousted by BarriOs.
The Gran Hotel, in which we are domiciled
rs said to be the best one between Mexico an
Peru. 1t is the Palace Hotel OF San Franclsce
on, lower but not otherwise smaller scale
;. snoloc on Il