Arizona republican., 1902-05-20
GuaIamalan
 Earthquakes.

Extending across the western part Of Guatamala from northwest to south east are the ranges of the Sierra Madra mountains. Still nearer the Pacific and cnly thirty CT forty miles distant from it is a belt of volcanoes more nearly parallel with the saacoast than with the Sierra AIadra behind it. This volcanic belt extends clear across the country. The cones of the volcanoes rise in q long broken TOW. nearly all of them plainly visible from the sea
 The volcanoes along q part of this line are still active. but most Of the eastern volcanoes are now extinct.
 The country along the base of these old volcanoes is very frequently dis turbad by earthquakes, most of which do little damage, but occasionally they are very severe. It is in the neighbor- hood of this volcanic belt that the re-
 cent earthquake shocks have occurred. The towns which have suffered so se- Vsreiy from tha shock extend almost iH a straight line along tEe belt of vol canic mountains.
 Quezaltanango. which has been al most obliterated and has suffered
 flightful loss Of life. was built of lava
 blocks quarried at the fcot of the vol
 cano that 0VerioOks the town. IL bears
 q Mexican name which means Green Feather Town" one Of the chief in Gustries cf the place being feather hats and masks used by the natives in their dances and scenic performances. The town has been noted also for its manu- facture of WColen and cotton cloths It will probably be many years before il recoVers from this afIliction.
 The ether day a European newspaper told what q terrible blow had been in licted upon the prosperity Cf the Canary islands hy the ruin Of their c@chineaI industry. CochineaI. as is well known. is an animal dyeStuff de- rived from an insect that is brushed from the cactus in various parts of the world and used to produce scarlet and other red tinJS- Among the towns that had been partly destroyed by th" re- cent earthquakes is Alnatitlan. but the terrible shocks the other day scarcely i inflicted mere damage upon it than the
 ruin, q few years ago. of its cochineal industry. which had given il great prorcsrity. Auatitlan had d popula l tiCn e I3aG0 before the discovery of
 aniline dyes gave the death blow to it's cochineal interests. It was formerly ! republic. but most of it's population
 sought employment in other districts: 1 if Amatitlan had not been reduced al-
 most to a hamlet the destruction of life there by the recent shocks would have been far greater.
 | Antigua is also included in the list of
 sufferers. Its present damage. however cannot be compared with the effect cf | the terrific earthquakes in 1173 which ! overthrow nearly every building in the
 town. Antigua is not far from the city l of Guatemala. which. though severely
 shaken. has escaped without much in- 1 jury.
 Santa Lucia, also severely damaged l is large town which became fam0u, ! through the discovery there Of statues
 and curious bas reIiefs in which the | lccal Indian artists displayed talent
 at least equal to that of the Aztec and 1 Maya sculptors.
 Many ether towns are mentioned as | having been severely injured but wo | have heard nothing as vet of the dam
 age done in tha country. The region 1 between the volcanic belt and the Pa
 cific is mostly covered with large coffee ' plantations the culture thriving not
 only alc2g that coast. but also east
 ward to the center e the elevated plateau which comprises the most of i Guatemala. That republic leads Cen