containing upwards of 6,000 inhabitants, and is described as a very handsome place. The air is salubrious, the climate temperate, the soil extremely fertile, and the market well supplied; the inhabitants are chiefly employed in agriculture and sugar manufactories. San Juan Amatitan, situated in the vicinity of the lake of that name, is a favourite wateringplace with the citizens of Guatimala. It is situated in a plain surrounded by very high mountains, which give it, Juarros says, a somewhat melancholy aspect; but, being in the vicinity of the lake Amatitan, and having a beautiful river flowing on the eastern side of it, the fine climate and its contiguity to the capital, occasion it to be very much frequented for the purpose of drinking the waters of the river, which is a specific in many cases; others retire thither to take the baths, and others again for their recreation. The streets are broad and straight, and the houses are commodious. The church contains a famous effigy of the infant Saviour, which was originally placed in a little hermitage at Belen, a village three leagues distant; but the archbishop, to prevent the mischiefs occasioned by large meetings in retired places, ordered it, in 1789, to be transferred to the church of San Juan, whither a vast concourse of worshippers annually repair on the first Sunday in May. The inhabitants employ themselves in fishing for moharra, crabs, and cray-fish in the lake, which they dispose of in Guatimala; in raising melons and water-melons for the same market; and in the manufacture of baskets and mats. The inhabitants of Villa Nueva de San Miguel in like manner subsist by fishing on the lake, and raising bananas for the capital. Villa Nueva de Petapa is a well-built village, situated in a delightful plain, four leagues from the metropolis. There are some very good houses, a handsome church, and an oratory; the streets intersect each other at right angles, and there is a spacious plaza. The in

habitants cultivate maize. San Christoval de Amatitan, about three leagues from San Juan Amatitan, is celebrated for a species of lizard found there, which is believed to be a cure for cancers; the Indians are said to have used this medicine from the earliest periods. San Domingo Mixco, situated on the declivity of a mountain, and commanding a view over the extensive valley of Mixco, is famed for its mineral spring; the inhabitants are carriers and potters, and cultivate maize. Santa Catalina Pinula stands at the foot of the ridge of mountains called Canales, two leagues S. E. of Guatimala. In this place is a seminary for the education of young females, an establishment not to be found in any other village. The institution has obtained the royal sanction: the individuals on the establishment maintain themselves by the produce of their gardens and their bee-hives. At Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Jocotenango a village contiguous to Old Guatimala, is held an annual fair for horses, mules, and merchandise, which is numerously attended. La Ermita de la Asuncion, the mother-church of that which was subsequently built in the plain of La Virgen, is a small place situated in the valley of Las Vacas, on the river of the same name. Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, is a modern village, built for the gardeners who supply the market of the capital: the church was consecrated so lately as 1803.

In the alcaldia-mayor of Chimaltenango, which extends about twenty leagues in length and as many in breadth, the principal places are: Santa Ana Chimaltenango, the head town, about eleven leagues from the metropolis; the public square is very handsome, having on one side an extensive sheet of water. Tecpanguatemala,* formerly a residence of the Kachi

* That is, above Guatimala, or, Upper Guatimala; for such is said to be the meaning of tecpan. So, Tecpanatillan was a distinct place from Atitlan.

quel monarchs.

Here was built a second church in the kingdom. The climate is still colder than that at Santa Ana, and is favourable to the growth of wheat, maize, peaches, quinces, apples, pears, &c.; the neighbourhood abounds also with timber, which is sent to Guatimala in planks. The inhabitants, who exceed 3,000, have a high character for industry and other estimable qualities. Patzum contains 5,000 inhabitants of the Kachiquel nation, who are very industriously occupied in similar pursuits; and the climate is much the same as at Tecpanguatemala. Patzizia is a large village, containing not fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, all labourers; the climate is cold and humid. San Andres Itzapa contains about 1,500 persons, who raise wheat, maize, pulse, and vegetables, and feed large herds of hogs; the climate is cold, but dry. Here is held a large annual fair on the eve of Saint Andrew, the patron saint. San Sebastian del Texar is placed by Juarros in the alcaldia of Sacatepec, although within the valley of Chimaltenango: it is remarkable only for a medicinal spring. San Martin Xilopetec stands in the mildest climate of the valley, where the sugar-cane is cultivated with success, affording full employment to several manufactories; the population is considerable. San Antonio Nexapa, San Juan Alotenango, and San Miguel Milpa Dueñas, are also heads of curacies within this province.

That which first claims the traveller's notice among the natural curiosities of the valley of Guatimala, is the gigantic Volcan de Agua (water-volcano), which is thus described by Juarros. "This mountain is of a

conical figure; its base extends over nearly all the western part of the valley of Guatimala. On the side towards the city, the ascent by the road from the base to the summit, is three leagues and a half; and from the side towards Alotenango, it is more than four leagues. The circumference at the bottom is eighteen leagues. Cultivation is confined to the lower parts of 20*

VOL. II.

the mountain; the middle region is covered with thick forests; and during the great part of the summer, the city is supplied with snow from the upper region. On its skirts are numerous mineral and medicinal springs, and many Indian villages, besides a great number of detached houses and farms. On the summit is a concave space, resembling a crater, measuring about 140 yards by 120. From the edge of this crater, a most beautiful prospect presents itself in every direction;-Old Guatimala, with its fertile fields and numerous farms, the village and lake of Amatitan, with all the surrounding country, can be distinctly seen. Looking westward, the provinces of Suchiltepec and Soconusco, and even the plains of Chiapa may be discovered; to the eastward, the provinces of Zonzonate, Santana Grande, and San Salvador, with the lake of Gilopango, may be distinguished; on the north and south, the view is bounded by the two oceans. The mountain, seen from the plains, has a magnificent appearance in every direction: its conical figure, the great variety of colour on its surface, the various cultivation and gardens which adorn the base, its belt of forests, and its snowy summit,* give it a highly picturesque as well as majestic character. Although there can be little doubt of its being an extinct volcano, there exist no tradition of its having ever emitted fire. The eruption of 1541 consisted merely of an immense torrent of water, carrying with it immense stones, and, if Father Remesal may be believ

* In another part of his work, Juarros describes this mountain as covered to the summit with trees that always retain their verdure; yet, it is stated above, that it supplies the city during great part of the summer with snow. He affirms, moreover,. that it is the most lofty in the kingdom. The fact we apprehend to be, that it loses its snow at certain seasons of the year; and if so, its elevation does not reach the region of perpetual snow.

ed, the crown of the mountain itself.* Humboldt supposes that subterraneous water had no small share in producing the stupendous phenomenon of Jurullo, but that volcano emitted flames and discharged lava.

Old Guatimala is to the northward of this mountain, which stands between two volcanoes, the Volcan de Pacaya on the east, and the Volcan de Fuego on the west. From each of these, there have been violent eruptions from time immemorial. The most remarkable on record were, that of July 11, 1775, from Pacaya, and those of the years 1623, 1705, 1710, and 1717, from the Volcan de Fuego. There happened one as recently as the close of the eighteenth century, but, as it was unattended with any serious consequences, it excited little attention, although it lasted several days. The waters of a spring on the side of Alotenango were observed to have become heated, during the eruption, to such a degree, that cattle were unable to pass through the rivulet running from it. The Volcan de Fuego is included in the alcaldia of Chimaltenango. At its base, near the village of San Andres, there is a thermal spring, the water of which is very hot, and is held in great repute for its medicinal virtues: it is called Saint Andrew's Bath. At a short distance is another warm spring, that emits a strong sulphureous smell, and is deemed an efficacious remedy for cutaneous complaints. The general figure of this mountain is conical, but its summit is divided into three points, in the westernmost of which may be seen several openings, which frequently emit flames, pumice-stones, sand, and smoke. The Volcan de Pacaya stands to the eastward of Old Guatimala, but southward of the present capital, and three leagues from Amatitan. This mountain has also three dis

*Probably, an accumulation of snow on the summit, which might add to the apparent height of the mountain.