The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-06-17

epduiSH SolNl0lS anu IdISc UOuN VI
natives, to journey through the painless
forests from the city of Mexico to this
place, which he reached late in the year
1923. Here he found populous city,
named, like the volcano, Almolonga,
meaning in the aboriginal language
'Spring of pure water 1t is said that
232, 600 well armed Indians came out to
meet the invaders and offered vigorous
resistance; but the superior arms of the
Spaniards, and above all the terror in
spired by the cavalry, were too much for
the Indians, who had never seen horses
before and believed horse and rider to be
one frightful supernatural being. At the
king was slain and the subjugation of his
followers was accomplished. Alvarado
completely destroyed their capital RACED
the temple Of their idols to the ground, and
built on its site a Catholic church. On
July %, 1924, the festival of st. James,
the patron saint OF Spain-Alvarado as
ans who had accompanied him, and as
many Guatemalans as could crowd around,
under tree which is still standing; when
the chaplain, Fray Juan Godinez, said
mass, invoking the protection of the
apostle and christening the city OF which
this church was to be the centre, san
niaoh do i71lo1a1arAs Ja,,,
the Gentleman" For fifteen years Alva-
RADIO kept thousands of Indians hard at
work building the new city upon the
ruins of their own. But in 1541-only II
years after its beginning-there came a
calamity which entirely destroyed the
place and buried nine tenths of its inhab-
itants under the debris. Accounts of the
catastrophe say that it had rained inces-
sanity for three days and on the fourth
thief ury of the wind, the ceaseless light
ming and dreadful thunder, were indie
scribable. At two o clock in the morn
ing earthquake shocks became so violent
that the terror stricken people were I'M
body of water came tearing down the
mountain side, bringing with it trees and
great masses of rock, and entirely over
whelming the town with an avalanche of
earth and ashes. Dense darkness added
horror to the work of destruction, and
hardly soul escaped. Alvarado himself,
with company of cavalry, happened to
be off on an expedition but his palace
was crushed and in it persisted his young
and beautiful wife-Donna Beatrice de la
Queba, the daughter of a noble family of
CASTLE The cathedral which sat on
mound 40 feet high, was buried to the
roof; but years and years afterwards,
when the sand was dug away and all the
holy relics We're found uniniured, the
miracle OF their preservation was attrib-
uted to st. James, who certainly acted
1.-The gentleman in this instance. Enough
remains OF Alvarado's house, half cover
ed with sand to indicate its original mas
sive grandeur. As this earliest governor
of Guatemala had the reputation of keep
ing great stores of gold and, silver in his
honse-the treasure Of conquered Indian
kings-many excavations have been made
in the ruins. So far, they have resulted
in no remunerative discoveries, but have
disclosed some fine carvings and wonder
ful freScoes and other evidences Of the
beauty Of the home to which Alvarado
brought his l-fated blide. To-day low
proved house stands above it's ruins, with
this inscription over the door: "Complime-
talia Escuala Para Ninas, "a free school
for girls. The tree under which tradi-
ton says Alvarado and his soldiers first
camped, and where Padre Godinez sane
titled the short-lived city by religious ser
vices, looks rather too t1ourshing to have
been large enough for the purpose nearly
four centuries ago. Alas for romance,
Our visions of c0nquistadores with lance
and halberd and the blood red banner of
Spain We're badly disturbed by the reality
of a Stubebaker wagon from South Bend,
Ind, and several empty bottles bearing
the brand of a Chicago brewer under the
sacred shade. The fountain of Almolon-
ga, which gave the aboriginal city its
name and first induced Alvarado to select
the spot as the site of his capital, is a
large, natural basin of clear and beautiful
water shaded by trees. Sad to say it has
been walled up and partitioned off into
apartments for bathing purposes and
laundry work; and here all the women of
the vicinity come to cleanse their dirty
linen. No attempt has ever been made to
excavate the greater portion of the buried
city. 1t must have been very rich, for the
Spaniards had collected there all the
treasures they could lay hands on. After
three and three quarter centuries it rests
secure, and above it houses are built and
fine estates cultivated. When somebody
goes searching intelligently in this second
Pompeii he will no doubt be well reward
ed. The old church was dug out of the
sand and patched up, and is yet in use.
In one corner is gruesome chambers,
filled to the brim with bones and skulls
taken from the ruins. What time there
will ha To toll ts,,b;ol, =. ,,,l,;oI.3 ,,,l,a..