El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-11-30

Copyright, 1919 by FRANK - carp enlef.
for the third time the city was reduced
to ruins. The people then decided TO
move, and they came to this place ana
laid out the town Of today
The new Guatemala was planned al
ter that Of the old city. 1t has many
plazas or open spaces, and It's streets
cross one another at right angles
There are Is streets and 10 avenues, the
streets crossing the avenues at right
angles and forming many square blocks
Of 500 feet On each side The streets are
wide and well paved Ihey are Dor
dered by sidewalks and lined by these
Spanish houses, which are painted IN
all the colors Of the rainbow.
In the center Of the city IS great
plaza uDon which IS one OF the largest
cathedrals on the continent, and where
there are also the city hall, the Eplsco-
pal palace, the old mint and the Portal
del Comm rciOs consisting OF Ilne stores
which look out upon arcades facing the
plaza.
The cathedral here is worth seeing. It
is planned after that OF Mexico CITY, IN
the form Of a Latin cross, with three
aisles running down the center and 9TH
er aisles on each side, making IlVe IN
all. 1t covers a great area ana It's 81
gantic towers can be seen for miles
over the country.
at first it was planned to cost but $780,
600. The expenses upon II nave, now
ever, been many times that, ana II IS
now one of the gorgeous buildings OF
Latin America The pulpit is plated
with gold and there is gold crown
above It. Gold emblems hang from each
OF the pillars and there are scores OF
paintings Of saints IN gold frames on
its walls The altar is of Capara mar
bic with beautiful carvings, and the
whole church is magnificent
Leaving the cathedral and driving
about through the city, one sees fine
churches or church buildings in almost
every block In the past the people
were much more deVOut than they are
now and the priests had more power
Today some of the old converts have
been turned into government offices
and the administration is rather op-
posed to the church than in favor OF II.
One of the most interesting Of the
ecclesiastical buildings Is the church
of Santo Domingo. It was begun when
when the city was founded. and was
completed at about the same time that
Thomas Jefferson left the white
house. The stones of this church are
said to be laid in a mortar mixed with
milk and sugar cane juice, supplied
by one Of the nabobs Of the past. In
its vaults are the mummies OF the
The church of San Francisco, which
was begun in 1900, had its mortar
mixed with the whites Of eggs, but
just how many eggs were employed IS
not known. This church once had a
convent connected with it. and at one
time it was used as pantheon for
the burial Of distinguished persons.
The church has now been taken over
by the government, and the general
post office occupies the convent.
4 Coca Mission Field.
And just here 1 would say that
Guatemala is a splendid field for mis-
sionary work The people are Catholics,
but they have q religion like that Of
the middle ages and they need regene-
ration. The indians are divided up
into tribes, and many Of the tribes
have a mixture of Catholicism and Of
their old faith. They have their priests.
but they also have medicine men and
fire and devil worship. This is so Of
the CLUTCHES, who are descended from
the Toltecs, who ruled Mexico before
the Aztecs. There are several hundred
thousand of them.
As # is now the church is very poor,
and with the opposition of the govern
ment it is difficult to support the
clergy. The priests are not free to
speak as they please, and the power
and wealth which they had in the past
have disappeared. As to Protestant
mission work, there is some carried
on by the Presbyterians, the MethO-
dists and the Evangelists.
What is wanted is not a new faith,
but a regeneration, reVivingA and
moderEizatiOn Of what the people be-
neve now, and this can be much more
easily and effectively accomplished by
our Catholic church as il is today.N
TheGfer and Bull Ring.
But you must not think that Gustte-
theater and a well patronized bull