Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 11.djvu/254

Rh 240 G U A T E M A LA The hottest months are April and May. In the summer, or rainy season, the morning has usually a clear sky ; about 2 or 3 o clock in the afternoon the clouds begin to gather in great cumulus masses; suddenly the lightning flashes out and the rain crashes down ; and by evening the sky is clear and starry. In the middle of the rainy season there is often a pause of two or three weeks. At Guatemala the mean annual rainfall for the five years 1859 to 1863 was 54 inches ; at Boca Costa it is upwards of 78 inches. 1 Animals. The fauna of Guatemala is more closely connected with the fauna of South than with that of North America. As the country is a small one, and its limits are purely conventional, there are comparatively few species that it can claim as peculiarly its own. It is almost entirely free from the presence of animals that are dangerous to man. Of the cat tribe it possesses the jaguar (Felis onza), popularly called the tiger ; the cuguar (Felis concolor), popularly called the lion ; the tigrillo (Felis tigrina), which is some times kept tame ; and four other species. Several species of mon keys (Mycetes and Atcles] are sufficiently numerous in the warm coast region. The Mexican deer (Cervus mcxicanus] has a wide range both in the lowlands and highlands. Besides the tapir there are two pigs, the marrano de monte (Sus torauatus) and the jabali or javali (Sus labiatus javali). The Edentata are represented by a species of armadillo, the &quot; oso colmenero &quot; or honey-bear (Myrmc- cophaga tamandus) and the Myrmecopliaga didactyla; and among the rodents may be mentioned, besides rats, hares, and rabbits, the fruit-eating cotorra and tepescuinte (Dasyprocta aguti and Coelo- genys paca), and the troublesome Gcomys mcxicana. The Hydro- chcerus capybara is common in all the larger streams. Much annoy ance is caused to the agriculturist by the little marsupial called the tacuacine, or the Diddphys carcinora, its allied species. The bats are so numerous that villages have sometimes had to be left to their undisputed occupancy. For the bird collector there is a rich harvest in Guatemala. As the seasons change it is visited by a great variety of birds of passage, and it possesses a great many resident species besides. In the city of Coban there are several families which live by preparing bird-skins for sale and expoit ( Bernouilli). From forty to fifty species of birds of prey are already known ; among which it is sufficient to mention Corogyps atratus, the commonest of the vultures, which acts as a universal scavenger, the Catkartes aura, the beautiful Polyborus vulyaris, and the king of the vultures (Sarcorhamphus papa). Neither the condor of the southern continent nor the great eagles of the northern are known in Guatemala. Of the great passerine order there are upwards of 400 species, including 36 species of humming-birds, 13 of wood peckers, and 8 of the trogons. One of this last genus, the quetzal, quijal, or quesal (Trogon resplendent) is of special note, not only from the fact that its yellow tail-feathers, 2 feet long, were formerly worn as insignia by the Indian princes, but because it has been adopted as the emblematical figure on the national arms of Guate mala. The gallinaceous order is well represented, and comprises several peculiar species, as the pavo de cacho, and the Peten turkey (Meleagris occllata), which has a bronze sheen on its plumage ; and the palmipeds, it is almost needless to add, are unusually numerous in a country so richly furnished with lagoons and rivers and lakes. There are two species of alligator, one in the Pacific and the other in the Atlantic versant. Snakes are met with in great variety, but only about a fourth of the species are venomous, and even the lute of the rattlesnake is said to be less deadly than in the north. The Grotalus horridus is one of the most common. Five species of salamanders are known, 9 of the frogs, and 5 of the toads. Fourteen species of fish have been found in Lake Peten, 7 in Lake Amatitlan, 13 in the river Motagua, 10 in the Polochic, and 13 in the (Jsumacinta. The general character of the country induces a rich profusion of insect life. Of the Coleoptera, the Camelicorns, the Longicorns, the Curculionids, and the Chrysomelines are said to be best repre sented, and of the Lepietoptera the prevalent genera areAgeronia, Papilio, Hdiconia, Sphyrae, and Bombyx. There are five species of bees, and the European honey-bee, known as aveja de Castilla or bee of Castile, has been naturalized. Ants are common, and may sometimes be seen marching in a column 3 or 4 miles long. Mos quitoes unfortunately are in several districts equally abundant. Most of the domestic animals of Guatemala the horse, the ox, the goat, the sheep, the pig, the dog, the rabbit, the common fowl, the peacock, and the pigeon are of European origin, and are popu larly grouped together as animates de CasliUa. Horses are small but excellent. Cattle are largely imported from Soconusco and Honduras. The favourite swine is the black. Singing-birds are commonly kept in the Guatemalian houses, and the species most 1 See Dollfus, Voy. geol., and &quot;Versuch einer wissenschaftl. Be- grundung der klim. Verhaltnisse Central Amerikas,&quot; in Koner s Zeil- f-nrift f. -Krdkunde, 1869. sought after are the seusontle, the guarda-barranco (Myicu estes obscurus), the pitureal, and the caraban. The last of these is as good as a watch-dog, as no stranger can enter the yard without being greeted by its shrill cries.&quot;* Industrial Produce. As may be judged from the description of the configuration of the country and its climate the natural produc tions of Guatemala are sufficiently varied. Toledo gives a list of upwards of 100 kinds of timber trees. Maize and haricot beans (frijol), which form the main sustenance of the people, are grown in all the departments, and in some places there are two harvests a year. Rice and wheat are less extensively distributed. For the foreign trade the coffee plant is the most important product. While in 1859 the whole export was only 390 cwt,, by 1876 it had increased to upwards of 185,200 cwt. Meanwhile the cultivation of indigo (anil or jiquilite) and cochineal, which were formerly the principal sources of wealth, is losing ground. Cocoa is most cultivated in the north-west ; the nibs are used as small change throughout the country. Good tobacco is grown, but the quantity is small. Sugar is rising into favour. Vanilla, chile, aloes, agave, rhubarb, ipeca cuanha, castor oil, scammony, and colocynth are all obtained in the country. The absence of capitalists is one of the chief hindrances to the development of industry and trade. Political Divisions. The following table from Foledo exhibits the 20 departments into which the republic of Guatemala is divided, their estimated areas, their respective capitals, their popu lation, and the population of the capitals. Altogether the republic contains 10 cities, 22 towns, 304 townships, and 1794 hamlets, &c. Department. Area, Sq. Milts. Popula tion. Capitals. PC pula- tion. Guatemala 700 100 000 50 000 Sacatepequez 250 48.000 Antigua 15 000 Amatitlan 200 38000 14 000 1 %o 30 000 Chimaltenango Solola&quot; 8CO 700 60,000 80.000 Cliimaltenango Solola&quot; 6,300 1 5 000 Totonicapam Quiche 700 1 800 114,000 75 000 Totonicapam S Cmz del Quiche 25,000 Quezaltenango. ... Suchitepequez Hueniietenango. ... 450 2,500 4,550 750 94,000 60,000 90,000 100000 Quezaltenango Suchitepequez Hueliuetenango 22,000 11,500 16,000 12 600 Peten 13,200 14,000 Klores 2 200 Vciapaz Izabal 11,200 4. .100 100,000 3 400 Sal an it 8,000 750 C hiquimula Zacapa 2,200 1 400 70,000 2S 000 Chiquimula 12.000 4 000 450 8 600 Jutiapa 1,700 1 100 38,000 38 500 lutiapn 7,000 Total 50,600 1,1U8,-.00 Administration. The constitution of Guatemala is republican and representative. The council of state consists of 24 members elected by the house of representatives, which consists of 52 mem bers elected by the people. The parliamentary period, and the term of office for the president, who is the head of the executive, is four years. The revenue, which in 1874 amounted to 2,601,000 dollars or 520,000, is mainly derived from import duties, domains, and monopolies; a large part of the expenditure, 2,542,600 dollars or 508,520, is occasioned by the army, which has a nominal strength of 3000, besides a militia of 13,000. The public debt, including the English loan of 500,000 raised in 1859, amounted in 1875 to 4,363,227 dollars or 872,645. Meligion and Education. The national religion is the Roman Catholic, bnt there is absolute toleration of other creeds. The Government pays a regular subvention to the church. In the 17 vicariates into which the country is divided there are 111 parishes. Since the rise of the liberal government great progress has been made in educational matters. In 1871 there were 253 schools, with 6130 male and 1944 female pupils ; by 1874 the schools had increased to 541, the male pupils to 14,216, and the female to 6312. Population. Out of the total population of 1,200,000 it is calcu lated that about 720, 000 are Indians, 300,000 Ladinos, and 180,000 whites. According to Foledo (1874) the foreigners did not exceed 829, of whom 191 were Mexicans, 164 Spaniards. 103 Frenchmen, 71 Italians, 64 Germans, and 50 Englishmen. The native popula tion is naturally of a quiet and inoffensive disposition. Crimes of violence are rare. A certain easy fatalism is the prevailing mood ; but during political excitement it gives way to fanatical outbursts. &quot;Viva la relijion, y mueran los estranjeros&quot; is then the cry. Cock fighting and bull baiting are the favourite amusements. Roads. The means of communication between one part of the country and another are very poor. In the whole republic it was calculated that in 1874 there were 1365 miles of carriageable roads, and the number of bridges was stated at 432. But a great propor tion of the roads, while hardly passable in the dry season, become little better than mitigated swamps in the rainy season ; and many 3 The naturalists who have done most for Guatemalian exploration are Sahin, Morelet, Sumichrast, Bocourt. Salle, and Bernoulli.