Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-07
GUATEMALA STOPS
i PAPER CURRENCY
After % Years Trial, Re-
public Is Now Issuing
Silver Money.

y new coin has made it's appear.
ance in the money-changing marts of
the world. 1t is called the quetzal
and Is the silver standard of Guate
mala. After IS years of a paper
money regime. the Central American
republic is now issuing silver money
TO be followed shortly by gold coins
and smaller fractional ones OF COPPER.
"A step forward in finance - in
keeping with other developments of
this most populous and perhaps most
. richly endowed of all the Central
American countries" says the Nation
al Geographic Society. Guatemala
possesses the largest railroad mileage
OF any country between Mexico and
o.. South America, and although figures
vary from time to time, the value of
Its exports. we'll up in the millions,
will be found each year ranking first
or second among Central American
countries
Leadership Traditional.
'Guatemala's place near the front
OF the Central American procession
is traditional. At the coming of the
first Europeans the region was inhab-
tied by the Maya Quiche Indians
: fierce fighters. but among the most
= highly civilized peoples of their time
= Their history reads like a romance
and the remarkable ruins they have
5 left indicate Il widespread realm of
power and influence. The Spaniards
made Guatemala the administrative
center for all of Central America and
part of Mexico.
After throwing off the Spanish
yoke. the country was for a time part
of the empire of Mexico, but In 1923
all independent nation was formed
under the title of the Central Ameri-
, can Federation, embracing also the
present Honduras. Salvador, Nicara-
" qua and Costa Rica. One by one the
states seeded and formed independent
republics.
Another unsuccessful attempt to
unite several Central American coun-
tries was made in 1921. A treaty rati-
fled by Guatemala, Honduras and Sal
vador resulted in federation known
as the Republic of Central America
with Tegucigalpa. the capital of Hon
duraS, the administrative seat. The
new republic, however, was short
lived. Guatemala today continues in
a solo role with the other nations of
the world, although many cooperative
agreements, especially in relation to
international railroads. have been
made between the members of this eff
fervescent Latin-American family.
Has Strategic Position.
"Guatemala has an area about equal
to that of the State Of Louisiana and
ts the second largest OF the Central
American republics. AS ii is about
midway between the United States and
South America, and fronting on both
the Caribbean and the Pacific. it occu-
pies strategic position. both political
ly and economically. Mountains near
the west coast. however divide its
population unequalIy. The highlands
between LOCO and 5000 feet above the
sea, are by far the most thickly set.
tied part of the country. The long
gradual Atlantic slope is of little i'm
portanCe aside from the timber cutting
OF the northern part; the coffee plan
tatlons of the Coban plateau and the
banana raising of the Lake Izabal re-
gton.
Coffee might justly be said to be
the commercial patron saint of Guate-
mala, for other potential riches have
been overlooked or ignored in the de-
yelopment of great plantations to help
keep America and Europe supplied
with the cup that cheers. Volcanoes
that SO often level it's buildings and
houses make rich return in deposits
OF volcanic ash that renew the soil
and make fertilization unnecessary. A
large part of the chicle that goes into
the manufacture of chewing gum in
the United States comes from Guate-
mala. Banana farms in the tropical
lowlands have lately begun to rival
the coffee plantations III production.
Guatemala City. the nations cap
ital, presents. another example of the
progressive spirit of the country
Practically destroyed by a violent
earthquake in 1917, there are hardly
any traces of the catastrophe in the
orderly, well built city of churches,
theaters, clubs. shops and homes of
today.
Natives Largely Indians.
About so per cent of the popula
ton is of pure Indian blood and al
most half the remainder are half
castles. In the mountains of south
western Guatemala live thousands of
pure blooded Indians, maintaining the
traditions Of their forefathers. They
have won the admiration of travellers
for their physique, cleanliness and
IcrupulouS honesty. One visitor tells
Of trying to buy a ring from an Indian
girl. who refused to sell because it
was not pure gold, and she did not
wish to sell a stranger an imitation!
The nature lover finds the tropi-
cal lowlands of Guatemala a fascinat-
ing land. with their dense forests
covering more than a million acres.
Giant trees are linked together by
trailing vines above a gorgeous carpet
of orchids, waxen begonias, the pc
culiar blossoms of the pantain, and
scarlet poinsettias
The new coin bears the name of
the bird that is the national emblem
Of liberty of Guatemala. The quetzal
is more truly a bird of liberty than
the American eagle, for the uuetzal
will not even live if kept in captivity.
It is still, as it was to their Maya
ancestors, a more or less sacred SYM
Dol to the Guatemalians. 4 story is
told concerning the part a quetzal