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SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROSDE GUATEMALA

LONDON : HUMPHREY MILFORD

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2010 with funding from

Universidad Francisco Marroquin

http://www.archive.org/details/santiagodeloscabaOOdoroguat

DOROTHY HUGHES POPENOE

SANTIAGODE LOS CABALLEROSDE GUATEMALA

BY

DOROTHY H. POPENOEWITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR

CAMBRIDGE

HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS

1933

COPYRIGHT, I933

BY THE PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE

PRINTED AT THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS

CAMBRIDGE, MASS., U.S.A.

To

MARY ALEXANDER WHITEHOUSEIN AFFECTIONATE APPRECIATION OF HER GUIDANCE

AND ENCOURAGEMENT

INTRODUCTIONBy THOMAS BARBOUR

IF THIS were only to be a little sermon I should choose for

its text a single word. That word would be gallantry, and

why this word was chosen will be evident to the reader of this

short life history, for it tells of the most gallant soul I have

ever known. I chose the word to indicate dynamic, not static,

qualities and for want of a better. Steadfast she was, but one

might be steadfast and lack the verve, the vision, and the

personal valor of Dorothy Popenoe.

Dorothy Hughes Popenoe was born 19th June, 1899, at

Ashford, Middlesex, England. She attended the Welsh Girls'

School at Ashford until the beginning of the Great War.

Then she went into "land work" until she suffered an injury

in Anglesea which made necessary an operation and which

forced her to remain inactive until 191 8. During this year she

entered the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew as student-

assistant to Dr. Otto Stapf. Here at Kew she remained five

years, but studied during all her spare hours at the Univer-

sity of London. Dorothy had a brilliant, acquisitive mind,

and she soon became an authority on several genera of

African grasses and described a number of new species in the

Kew Bulletin.

In July, 1923, by invitation of Mrs. Agnes Chase of the

United States National Herbarium, she came to Washington

and entered the Office of Foreign Plant Introduction, of

which her husband-to-be's old friend Dr. David Fairchild

was the distinguished head. Here she carried on taxonomic

studies of the cultivated bamboos, and so in Washington she

met Dr. Wilson Popenoe, himself a distinguished botanical

explorer. They were married on 17th November, 1923.

Two years later Dr. Popenoe moved to Tela, Honduras, to

organize a plant introduction station and to take charge of

Vlll INTRODUCTION

agronomic investigations for the United Fruit Company.Thus he came to make that superbly beautiful garden in the

Lancetilla valley, on the banks of a clear swift stream andwalled in by jungle-clad hills, so steep and so luxuriantly

forested that all of the many naturalists, myself included,

who have been hospitably received there have never forgotten

the splendor of the garden's glorious setting.

It is hard for a woman to go to live in the American tropics,

especially in the hot wet coastal zone of the more backwardCentral American states. Life in India, Ceylon, or Malayapresents a very different aspect. In the East there is in manyplaces a considerable European society, and the amenities of

life have developed naturally with the long occupation of the

land by cultivated folk. To be sure there were congenial

Americans at Tela who soon became warm friends, but

Dorothy was much more than usually fearful of stagnation of

mind and indolence of body. She quickly mastered Spanish,

and, spending much time in a Carib Indian town near Tela,

she worked hard on vocabularies of the intricate Carib

tongue, in which the men and women use different languages

when they talk with one another. She got their confidence

with her consummate charm and tact as no man, however

well trained, could ever hope to do.

In 1927, with only Jorge Benitez, her Ecuadorian assistant

and friend, she travelled for days on muleback and finally

reached and described and mapped the prehistoric mountain-

top fortress city of Tenampua, abandoned centuries ago and

a site which few explorers have ever seen. Her work at

Tenampua finished, she returned to Tela, and prepared a

report which was published in Tegucigalpa by the Govern-

ment of Honduras. At odd moments for a long time Dorothy

had been reading avidly on Maya art and archaeology, and

from 1928 to 1932 she spent weeks at a time, when the waters

were low, excavating a rich pre-Colombian cemetery at LaPlaya de los Muertos on the Ulua River. She unearthed

several splendid collections of pottery and many skeletons,

and prepared a scholarly report now in process of publication

INTRODUCTION ix

by the Peabody Museum at Harvard. She never hesitated to

camp alone at this wild and lonely spot among the most no-

toriously unreliable people in Central America. Dorothy bore

a charmed life. My wife, my daughter Mary, and I often re-

call leaving the wharf at Tela one hot still morning. We wereriding with some friends on a railway motor car when up camerunning a tiny figure in riding breeches. We thought somesprightly fair-haired boy wanted a ride. In a second we rec-

ognized Dorothy Pop, as we always called her, and as weslowed down she sprang on board, pushing a great revolver

out of sight and making light of a mule ride to meet us whichwould have kept most people from running for a week. So

simple, so unaffected, and so obviously tireless; one accepted

her doings as being in the normal course of events, when in

reality they were very nearly unique. During these years she

practised drawing and acquired great skill, and the illustra-

tions in this little volume as well as those in her scientific

memoirs are an ample proof of the subtle artistic quality of

which she became the mistress. From time to time five chil-

dren came, but these events never held up Dorothy's explora-

tions for long.

The year 1930, however, brought about a great change in

her life, for then she and her husband moved to Guatemala

City. Here she found a real library and a wide circle of per-

sons with interests similar to her own. The Ricketsons of the

Carnegie Institution had a delightful house in the city and a

laboratory where they were repairing and sorting the spoils

from the exploration of the ruins of Uaxactun. Near her

new home was the American Legation, and in Sheldon and

Mary Alexander Whitehouse she found firm and affectionate

friends. For two full years, life in the cool, fresh highlands

stimulated intellectual activity of the most varied sort. This

culminated in the purchase of a half-ruined but most splendid

old colonial mansion in Antigua, and while restoring it patio

by patio she wrote that history of the city which this little

sketch introduces to the reader. Dorothy sent me the manu-script of her book unbelievably doubtful of its merit. On

X INTRODUCTION

23rd December, 1932, she wrote me: "We have been trans-

ferred back again to Tela and I have written Professor Tozzer

that I am now ready again to struggle with the problems of

the Ulua Valley pottery." No word of regret, although the

move must have been a bitter disappointment. On 27th De-

cember, 1932, she wrote another letter of touching apprecia-

tion of my enthusiastic acknowledgment of receiving this

manuscript and of my having read part of it to Professor

John Livingston Lowes, who liked it as much as I did. This

fact gave her supreme joy. Three days after her last letter

to me she died suddenly at Tela, after an emergency opera-

tion. So passed another young Valiant-for-Truth, and whocan doubt but all the angels' trumpets sounded on the other

side?

A few weeks after Dorothy's death I received a letter from

Mary Alexander Whitehouse, so poignant and yet so vividly

telling of Dorothy as my family and I remember her that I

asked and most graciously received permission to reprint it

here.

Legation of the United States of America

Guatemala, 17th January, 1933.

Dear Doctor Barbour:

Thank you for your letter of January 5th. I knew how terribly

you would feel about Dorothy Popenoe's death. It is unutterably

sad. On December 30th she suddenly felt very badly and tele-

phoned the Tela hospital. The doctor came for her in a car and on

examination deemed an immediate operation necessary. He tele-

graphed Dr. Popenoe who was in Puerto Castilla for permission to

go ahead, which was granted. The operation was performed at

once and the surgeon was entirely satisfied with her condition. Hestepped out of the hospital to telegraph as much to Dr. Popenoe,

and when he returned to the hospital, Dorothy had died. She was

buried in Tela the next day on a little hill in the garden at Lance-

tilla. It now appears possible that eating overripe akees, the fruit

of Blighia sapida^ may have contributed to her sudden illness.

I am glad you have the Antigua manuscript. The book must be

published. Dorothy wrote me about your showing it to Professor

Lowes. She was so pleased.

INTRODUCTION XI

The last time I saw her we spent the day together at her house in

Antigua, which you know. After an absence in Tela she was like a

freed bird in her joy at being in the place she loved. We had a

picnic lunch in the hidden patio, filled with pink geraniums, grow-

ing in the high flower beds, bordered with fluted masonry. I re-

member how she laughed when the old Spanish table was flooded

with hot bouillon which had melted the paper cups into which wehad poured it. We talked about water-color painting, eugenics,

clothes, plants and children. What a companion she was, with her

youthful gaiety and her mature and cultivated mind. There were

times when she looked like a little girl with her smallness, her pink

and white complexion and her bright happy expression. Behindthis she possessed the mind of a born scholar, accurate, penetrating

and untiring. With her keen intellect, went a feeling for beauty andromance and a sound common sense. I have known no woman so

gifted and none so modest. After this picnic lunch she directed

"Jorge," her faithful retainer, the mason whom she called

"Maestro" and several workmen in the placing of a fountain

against an old wall. Then she superintended the mixing of paint,

as she was dissatisfied with the pink color of the second patio. Onefelt she could create with her hands as well as with that fine instru-

ment, her brain. Did you know that she found the old 17th century

kitchen of the house looking too clean after the workmen had re-

moved chicken coops, cobwebs, several feet of refuse and hadwashed the walls? To correct this, with her own hands she applied

candle grease and soot to the walls and ceiling.

During the three years of our friendship here she had three

babies, made an archaeological expedition in Honduras, wrote a

book and illustrated it with her own drawings. She studied in de-

tail the history of Guatemala, reading extensively in Spanish and

English, and she restored a large house with five patios in Antigua.

This last was no mean accomplishment, with bad roads to reach it,

tropical rainy seasons and ignorant workmen. Her delight in pre-

serving this house was touching to see. She found a ruin, and to-

day it is a Spanish colonial dwelling of the great period, with its fine

old walls and windows freed from debris. All visitors to Antigua go

to see the house. This was her wish. Some day it should be a

museum.Dorothy was my nearest neighbor, and often when I dropped in

to see her she was in bed resting before or after the birth of one of

the babies. I can see her now in her elaborately carved Spanish

bed with a vicuna fur rug over her. Her husband often came in

with an old painting or a frame for their collection, which he had

just bought. If it was a portrait, every clue would be followed up

Xll INTRODUCTION

to identify the subject — costumes, coat of arms, etc. — all were

carefully studied.

Dorothy radiated cheerfulness and strength even when far fromwell herself. For her strength was that of the Spirit and she wascompletely selfless. Her death touches all who knew her deeply.

This gay and fascinating girl in her early thirties has been taken

from her devoted husband and her large family of children, and her

life here, full of accomplishment and promise, is over.

Sincerely yours,

Mary Whitehouse

So ends this little history ofmy dear young friend, and does

the reader not agree that when I fell upon the word gallantry

to typify her life I was, for once, inspired?

Harvard House, Soledad, Cuba

April, 1933

FOREWORD

THIS booklet has been prepared for those visitors to the

ruined capital of colonial Guatemala who have not hadopportunity to read the early chronicles. It is based upon the

letters which Alvarado wrote to his chief Cortes, describing

the Conquest; upon the Annals of the Cakchiquels, in which

this same drama was viewed from a different angle; upon

the history of the colonial period as recounted by such

excellent men as Fray Antonio de Remesal, who wrote in

1619, Domingo Juarros, one-time Archbishop of Guatemala,

and Francisco Antonio Fuentes y Guzman, who lived here at

the end of the seventeenth century; upon the anecdotes of

Friar Gage, who must have had his tongue in his cheek whenhe wrote them; and upon more recent works, notably those of

Jose Milla, Antonio Batres Jauregui, and Victor Miguel Diaz,

in which have been brought together all the wealth of lore

which has come down from the grand old days.

So, when you have read the tale, when you are prepared to

see that battle-scarred old hero, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, ride

through the cobbled streets, his sword clanking by his side;

when you are ready to meet good Bishop Marroquin as he

steps down from the chancel after saying mass: go to Antigua.

Wander through her roofless churches; peep into patios

where roses bloom and the tinkling splash of water tells of the

days when men rode forth to conquer. And above all, go, if

you can, when moonbeams play upon the hoary walls, and

the great cones of the volcanos stand up like sentinels, out-

lined against the night,

If thou would'st view fair Melrose aright,

Go visit it by the pale moonlight,

For the gay beams of lightsome dayGild, but to flout, the ruins gray.

XIV FOREWORD

At such a time ghosts move in their haunts. Though there

be no breath of wind, you may hear an occasional rustle, a

murmur among the creepers. Shadows flit through the

crumbling arches; a great carved door creaks on a rusty

hinge.

D. H. P.

CONTENTS

I

THE CONQUEST

PAGES I-9

II

ALMOLONGA

THE STORY OF THE FIRST CAPITAL

PAGES H-23

III

PANCHOY AND THE GOLDEN ERA

THE MUY NOBLE Y MUY LEAL CIUDAD DE SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROS

DE GUATEMALA AND SOME OF ITS ILLUSTRIOUS INHABITANTS: NOTES

FROM THE EARLY WRITERS, WITH MENTION OF THE PRINCIPAL RUINS

AS THEY EXIST TODAY

PAGES 25-62

IV

"DIES IRAE, DIES ILLA . . .

"

THE CITY OF THE CAPITANES GENERALES PASSES INTO HISTORY

PAGES 63-67

ILLUSTRATIONS

DOROTHY HUGHES POPENOE Frontispiece

THE GREAT NAVE OF THE CATHEDRAL $6

DOORWAY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN CARLOSBORROMEO 4O

SAN AGUSTIN 44

ENTRANCE TO THE CASA DE LOS LEONES 48

A CORNER WINDOW IN THE CASA DE LOS LEONES $2

THE ARCH OF SANTA CATARINA, WITH THE DOME OFMERCED IN THE DISTANCE 56

STONE CROSS IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH OF MERCED 60

MAP OF THE CITY

I

THE CONQUEST

I

THE CONQUEST

THE curtain rises on a peaceful scene of four hundred

years ago. The hills and valleys of the Guatemalan

plateau, dotted with innumerable homesteads surrounded by

forests of oak and pine, and peopled by Indians descended

from the old Maya stock, lie dreaming in the sunshine.

That particular region which is to become the seat of Spanish

colonial government in Central America is held by the Cak-

chiquels, whose capital, Iximche, stands close to the spot

where later is to rise the city of Tecpan.

Like other tribes of the highlands, the Cakchiquels are

happy and industrious. Their territory reaches from the

slopes of the volcanos on the east to the shores of Lake Atitlan

on the west. They cultivate maize, that great staple food-

stuff of aboriginal Americans which indeed may have had its

origin, at some remote period, in this very region. They also

grow beans, squashes, and a few other crops, while their

tables are supplied in part by wild fruits and game from the

mountains. They trade with tribes which live toward the

coast, bartering the products of their farms for fruits and

seeds of the lowlands.

The skill of their agriculturists is equalled by that of their

craftsmen, who carve in wood and stone, and who make pot-

4 SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROS DE GUATEMALA

tery and decorate it with symbolic patterns. The womenlearn in early childhood to spin and weave the native cotton

into gaily colored clothing.

Living thus close to nature, their religious needs find ex-

pression in worship of the elements, — the hills, the wind,

the spirit of the swift-flowing mountain torrent; while super-

stition has built up a pantheon of deities, among whom gods

of darkness wage continual war against those of light. Anall-powerful priesthood intercedes between these deities and

the populace.

Thus has life moved on for centuries. The rains come, and

maize is planted; the dry season arrives, and the crop is har-

vested. Religious feasts and ceremonies are frequent. In

spite of occasional quarrels and bickerings with neighboring

tribes, the established order of things does not change. Tothe simple Cakchiquel mind no other way seems possible.

CORTES ARRIVES IN MEXICO

Henceforth the tale is history. In the year 1521 disturbing

rumors began to reach Iximche. From time to time, mes-

sengers trudged in from far-distant Mexico, bringing newsof an army of white-faced warriors, who came from an un-

known land across the sea. They told of desperate battles, in

which the Indians had found themselves utterly unprepared

to stand against the onslaught of men who rode huge beasts

the like of which had not before been seen, and who carried

weapons which belched out fire and destruction.

At length came the awful tidings: Tenochtitlan, the Aztec

capital, had fallen. Moctezuma, the emperor, was dead.

Hernan Cortes, leader of the dauntless Spaniards who had

come to conquer these lands in the name of His Catholic

Majesty Charles the Fifth, was not the sort of man to remain

satisfied even with the subjugation of so vast and rich an em-

pire as that ruled by Moctezuma. He was the product of an

age that knew no temperance. Every triumph served but to

fan the flame of his ambition.

THE CONQUEST 5

Perhaps even before news of his arrival in Mexico had

reached Sinacam, king l of the Cakchiquels, Cortes heard of

lands to the south. He did not dare leave the newly con-

quered Tenochtitlan, still seething with unrest; but he would

send his most trusted lieutenant and a picked body of sol-

diers. His plans are best told in his own words:

I prepared certain people to go with Pedro de Alvarado to those

cities of Uclatan and Guatemala. ... I believe this to be for the

service of God and Your Sacred Majesty, and according to the

accounts of those parts which I had received, I expected to discover

many new and rich lands and strange inhabitants. ... So . . . I . . .

fitted out Pedro de Alvarado, and dispatched him from this City onthe 6th of December, 1523, and he took one hundred and twentyhorsemen so that with his relays he had one hundred and seventy

horses, and three hundred foot soldiers of which latter one hundredand thirty were crossbowmen and musketeers; he also took four

pieces of artillery with plenty of powder and ammunition, and he

was accompanied by some chiefs, both of this city and from its

neighborhood, who brought some people with them, though not

very many as the journey was so long. 2

ALVARADO UNDERTAKES THE CONQUESTOF GUATEMALA

Don Pedro de Alvarado, chosen for this task, had distin-

guished himself at the siege of Tenochtitlan. He was a native

of Badajoz, in the province of Estremadura. Practically

nothing is known of his life up to the time he left Spain in

1 5 10 for Hispaniola (Santo Domingo), where he joined Diego

de Velasquez on the expedition to conquer Cuba. After hav-

ing remained in the last-named island until 151 8, he sailed

for Yucatan as one of Juan de Grijalva's captains, returning

in time to accompany Cortes on the daring expedition to

Mexico.

Not a single contemporary portrait of this remarkable man

1 It was the custom of the early chroniclers to call chiefs, even of small tribes,

"king."

1 From the fourth letter of Hern&n Cort6s to the Emperor Charles V.


— not even a pencil sketch — is known to exist today. 1 Wemust form our ideas of his character and appearance solely

from the accounts left by those who knew him. Best of all is

that of Bernal Diaz del Castillo, his companion-in-arms at

Tenochtitlan and elsewhere.

I now wish to record [says this veteran in his True Story of the

Conquest of New Spain] the age and appearance of Don Pedro de

Alvarado. . . . He was about thirty-four years old when he camehere [Guatemala], of good size, and well-proportioned, with a very

cheerful countenance and a winning smile, and because he was so

handsome the Mexican Indians gave him the name of "Tonatio,"

which means "the Sun/' He was very active and a good horseman,

and above all was very frank-hearted and a good talker, and he wasvery neat in his attire but with rich costly clothes. He wore a small

gold chain around his neck with a jewel, and a ring with a gooddiamond.

We are fortunate in having records which give us both sides

of the story of the march to Guatemala and the conquest of

the highland tribes. In two letters addressed to his chief,

Alvarado himself relates his experiences, — how he passed

through and subdued the kingdom of the Quiches, whose

capital was at Utatlan; of his march through Quezaltenango;

and of "what took place at the Lake of Atitlan.,,

At Iximche he was received by the chief with demonstra-

tions of friendliness. He wrote, in fact, "I could not have

been better off in our parents* house, and we were so well pro-

vided with everything that nothing was lacking."

Thus was he enabled to utilize Iximche as a base, and to

obtain information which would prove of much value in con-

nection with subsequent operations.

Here, [he reported 2] I learnt of very great countries inland*

cities of stone and mortar, and to conquer it . . . much time is re-

i The full-length portrait in the municipal building of Guatemala City, probably

the best-known picture of Alvarado, was painted long after his death by an

artist who had never seen him. It was considerably retouched in the nineteenth

century.

2 In a letter to Cortes. See The Conquest of Guatemala (published by the Cortes

Society, New York, 1924), p. 86.

THE CONQUEST J

quired, and on account of the rigorous winter that was beginning, I

did not go farther to conquer, but rather decided to return to this

city of Guatemala, 1 and to pacify, while returning, the country that

I had left behind. ... So it is that I am come here to this city onaccount of the heavy rains, where, for the better conquest and paci-

fication of this land, so great and so thickly inhabited, I made andbuilt in the name of His Majesty a Spanish city which is called the

City of our Lord Santiago, because this is the center of all the coun-try. . . . And I elected two Alcaldes Ordinarios and four Regi-

dores.

The first Spanish "city" was founded on the 25th of July,

1524, the day of Santiago de los Caballeros, patron of Spain,

to whom it was dedicated with all the pomp and ceremony of

which a ragged band of warriors was capable. Juan Godines,

army chaplain, sang the mass. Following the appointment of

civil authorities, there was a three days' festival, with music

and dancing. 2

Though born under auspicious circumstances, the cky wasdestined to be short-lived. The Cakchiquels rose against the

Spaniards and drove them out. Alvarado attempted to makea stand at a spot called Xepau, but was again forced to with-

draw.

THE INVASION DESCRIBED BY THECAKCHIQUELS

Quaint and graphic is the account preserved by the Cak-

chiquels in their own language. It was written shortly after

the Conquest, and translated into English some fifty years

ago by the historian Daniel Brinton. 3

It was on the day 1 Hunahpu when the Castilians arrived at

Iximche with their chief, Tunatiuh. The people went forth to meetTunatiuh with the chiefs Belehe Qat and Cahi Ymox. Good was

1 Early writers spell the name in several ways,— Goathemala, Guatimala, and

the like.

1 Some of the early chronicles state that Almolonga was the first capital.

Alvarado's own report to Cort6s, and other evidence, have convinced most

modern students that IximchS is entitled to this honor. See Jos6 Milla, Historia

de la America Central (Guatemala, 1882), vol. I, p. 95.

3 The Annals of the Cakchiquels (Philadelphia, 1885).


the heart of Tunatiuh when he entered the city with the chiefs.

There was no fighting and Tunatiuh rejoiced when he entered

Iximche. Thus did the Castilians enter of yore, O my children; butit was a fearful thing when they entered; their faces were strange,

and the chiefs took them for gods. We, even we, your father, sawthem when they first set foot in Iximche, at the palace of Tzupam,where Tunatiuh slept. The chief came forth, and truly he fright-

ened the warriors; he came from his chamber and called the rulers:

"Why do you make war with me, when I also can make it?" said

he. "Not at all. Why should so many warriors find their death?Do you see any pitfalls among them?" So replied the chiefs, and hewent to the house of the chief Chicbal.

Then Tunatiuh agreed to join the chiefs in their wars. . . . Onlyfive days after, Tunatiuh went forth from the capital. Then the

Tzutuhils were conquered by the Castilians. . . .

On the day 10 Hunahpu he returned from Cuzcatan. He hadbeen absent only forty days to make the conquest at Cuzcatanwhen he returned to the capital. Then Tunatiuh asked for a daugh-ter of one of the chiefs, and she was given to Tunatiuh by the chiefs.

Then Tunatiuh began to ask the chiefs for money. He wishedthat they should give him jars full of precious metals, and even their

drinking cups and crowns. Not receiving anything, Tunatiuh be-

came angry and said to the chiefs: "Why have you not given methe metal ? If you do not bring me the precious metal in all yourtowns, choose then, for I shall burn you alive and hang you." Thusdid he speak to the chiefs.

Then Tunatiuh cut from three of them the gold ornaments they

wore in their ears. The chiefs suffered keenly from this violence,

and wept before him. But Tunatiuh was not troubled, and said:

"I tell you that I want gold here within five days. Woe to you if

you do not give it. I know my heart." So said he to the chiefs.

The word was then given. The chiefs gathered together all their

metals, those of the parents and children of the king, and all that

the chiefs could get from the people.

While they were gathering the gold for Tunatiuh, a priest of the

Demon showed himself. "I am the lightning; I will destroy the

Castilians." So said he to the chiefs. "I will destroy them by fire.

When I beat the drum let the chiefs come forth and go to the other

bank of the river. This I shall do on the 7 Ahmak."Thus did the priest of the Demon speak to the chiefs. Truly the

chiefs thought that they should trust in the words of this man. It

was when they were gathering gold that we went forth.

The day 7 Ahmak was that of the going forth. They deserted

THE CONQUEST 9

the city of Iximche on account of the priest of the Demon, and the

chiefs left it. " Yes, truly, Tunatiuh shall die," said they. "Thereis no more war in the heart of Tunatiuh, as he now rejoices in the

gold given him." Thus it was that our city was abandoned on the

day 7 Ahmak on account of a priest of the Demon, O my children.

But what the chiefs did was soon known to Tunatiuh. Ten daysafter we had left the city, war was begun by Tunatiuh. On the day

4 Carney began our destruction. Then began our misery. We scat-

tered in the forests; all our towns were taken, O my children; wewere slaughtered by Tunatiuh. The Castilians entered the city andthey arrived as to a deserted spot. From that time the Castilians

were hated by the Cakchiquels. They made trenches, they dug pit-

falls, that the horses might be killed, and war was waged by their

men.During the tenth year x the war continued with the Castilians.

But the Castilians having received aid in this tenth year at Xepau,carried on the war with such vigor that they destroyed the forces of

the nation.

Tunatiuh then went forth from Xepau, and so harassed us that

the people would not come before him. There were lacking one

hundred and twenty days to complete two years since we had aban-

doned the capital, now deserted, when Tunatiuh came there on his

march in order to set fire to the city.

1 Cakchiquel calendar.

II

ALMOLONGA

II

ALMOLONGA

THE highlands were in the grip of the rainy season, —that period known to Guatemalans as winter because

continuous cold rains make it less pleasant than the drier

months. The little army of conquistadores, exhausted from

long marches over trails deep in mud, sorely needed shelter

and rest.

Driven by the Cakchiquels from Iximche, then from

Xepau, they came at last to the pleasant vale of Almolonga(the Place of Gushing Water), which lies, slung like a ham-mock, between the giant cones of two volcanos. The spot is

one to appeal to the imagination: a delicious climate, kept

mild by gentle breezes blowing upward from the Pacific;

wooded slopes, green cultivated fields, and clear trickling

streams.

With what delight must the weary adventurers have

viewed this lovely region after the rigors of the high plateau

!

Here they would tarry for a season. With the aid of friendly

Indians, they constructed rude houses, — mere huts, with


forked posts for corner pillars, walls of canes and mud, androofs thatched with dry grass. 1

THE RESTLESSNESS OF ALVARADO

Like other Spaniards immortalized by the Conquest,

Alvarado was blind to hardship and of dauntless courage. Heappears to have been more ruthless than Cortes; more hu-

mane than Pizarro, the conqueror of Peru. Like these two, he

allowed ambition and greed to obscure his finer traits; andlike them, he was a man of action. It was one thing to plan

and effect the conquest of new lands; it was another to settle

down to the routine administration of affairs. One involved

endless adventures and was likely to bring honor, fame, andgold; the other savored of monotony.

Three years passed. Life in the little settlement at Almo-longa was not exciting. Just at this moment came news that

Cortes had marched to Honduras through the swamps of

Peten. Here was an opportunity. Alvarado must go, if only

on the pretext of paying his respects to his chief.

Leaving his brother Gonzalo in command, he set off with a

body of picked troops, but reached Honduras too late to meetCortes. He encountered only a party of Spanish soldiers,

making their way back to Mexico overland.

In the meantime, Gonzalo de Alvarado tried to make the

most of his opportunity at Almolonga. According to Indian

accounts, he sent an order to a certain town that eight hun-

dred of its inhabitants should each bring him daily a reed the

size of the little finger, filled with gold dust. Failure to carry

out this impossible task was to be punished by slavery.

Smoldering fires of resentment burst into flame. TheCakchiquel kingdom revolted, and with it, part of the Quiche.

I Fray Antonio de Remesal, Historia de la Provincia de S. Vicente de Chyapa yGuatemala (Madrid, 1619), p. 4. This is probably the most valuable work ever

published on the early history of Guatemala. The author, through his friendship

with the Governor, Conde de la Gomera, had access to official records dating

from the first days of the Conquest,— records which, in many cases, are no

longer available except as quoted or referred to in this book.

ALMOLONGA 1

5

The little colony of Spaniards saw itself in peril of utter anni-

hilation. At this moment Don Pedro de Alvarado returned,

and in a decisive battle fought on the day of Santa Cecilia

(22nd November), 1526, reaffirmed the sovereignty of the

King of Spain. In honor of this victory Santa Cecilia waselevated in the hearts of the people to a place alongside their

patron Santiago.

Alvarado now evinced a desire to revisit the mother coun-

try. Doubtless he felt greater recognition would be given his

exploits if he were able personally to present his case to the

king. Perhaps he was galled at the continued necessity of

operating under the orders of Cortes, a conquistador like him-

self, and wished to be granted more authority. Leaving the

affairs of the colony in the hands of his brother Jorge, he

sailed from the port of Veracruz, and reached home without

mishap.

His presence at court obviously had the desired effect, for

we next see him named Governor, Adelantado, and Captain

General of Guatemala. At the same time he was decorated

with the insignia of Comendador in the Order of Santiago.

How much of his triumph was due to his own merits, and howmuch to his good fortune in winning, just at that time, the

hand of Francisca de la Cueva, is difficult to say. Dona Fran-

cisca was a niece of the powerful Duke of Alburquerque.

Sailing with his bride for the land over which he was nowto govern as the personal representative of His Majesty, mis-

fortune overtook him at the port of Veracruz. Death claimed

the lady who was to share his adventures, and he continued

alone to Mexico City, where he found public opinion very

much against him. He spent some months attempting to

regain the confidence of those who were locally in power; then

he pushed on to Guatemala.

Perhaps it was partly to forget his troubles, perhaps it wasonly the natural consequence of his inordinate ambition and

restlessness, that he shortly planned a new and daring expedi-

tion. Just at that moment exciting tales were drifting north-

ward about the wealth of Peru, where Pizarro and his com-

l6 SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROS DE GUATEMALA

panion Diego de Almagro were planting the standard of

Spain. Hastily building ships at the little port of Ixtapa on

the Pacific coast, Alvarado embarked all the men and ma-terials he could muster, and set sail; only to find, on reaching

South America, that Pizarro did not relish the idea of sharing

the honors and spoils of conquest. At the price of one hun-

dred thousand castellanos, Alvarado agreed to retire.

Back again in Guatemala, he decided upon a second voyage

to the Spanish court, and while there married Beatriz de la

Cueva, sister of his first wife.

GUATEMALA DURING THE ABSENCE OFTHE GOVERNOR

Meanwhile, the little colony at Almolonga was devoting

its attention to the practical problems of building and farm-

ing. There was much discussion (recited in detail by Reme-sal, from the cabildo records) as to whether a better location

might be found. The plain of Chimaltenango was seriously

considered by some of the citizens, as richer in building ma-terial and agricultural land. The final decision, however, wasin favor of remaining at Almolonga.

Jorge de Alvarado therefore convoked the cabildo,1 to-

gether with all the settlers; and in the presence of a notary

solemnly pronounced these words: "Be it known that I, byvirtue of the powers which I hold from His Majesty's gov-

ernors, and in agreement with the decision of the council

here assembled, do establish and found in this place the

City of Santiago."

In token of possession, he took up a staff and thrust it in

the ground, after which he gave orders for laying out the

streets, which were to run north and south, east and west.

Sites were chosen for the plaza, church, cabildo, and hospital;

i The cabildo or ayuntamiento is an institution for municipal or local government,

brought from Spain and established in America immediately after the Conquest.

In its simplest form it consists of alcaldes, or judges, and regidores, who may be

compared to aldermen.

ALMOLONGA 17

as well as a chapel to be dedicated to Nuestra Senora de los

Remedios.

This historic ceremony took place in the year 1527, it is

generally believed 1 on the 22nd day of November, Santa Ce-

cilia's day, precisely one year after Alvarado's final triumph

over the Indians. Five years later 2 the infant city received

from the Emperor a coat of arms on which are represented

three vojcanos (the central one in eruption) surmounted bythe patron saint, Santiago de los Caballeros, on horseback

and brandishing a sword.

Construction progressed rapidly, and cattle brought from

Spain flourished in this favored region. But, as might be

expected, quarrels and bickerings arose from the apportion-

ment of land to the colonists, regardless of the fact that there

was more than enough for all.

THE FIRST RELIGIOUS ORDERS

Despite the kindly ministrations of the army chaplain,

Juan Godines, religious influence was weak during the early

days of the colony. This was unfortunate, for it is difficult to

over-emphasize the importance of chaplains and priests in

those rough times. None but they would nurse the sick and

succor the needy; none but they could temper the harshness

of the fierce rush for wealth which characterized the first

years of colonization throughout the New World.

It is to Alvarado's everlasting honor that he spared no

pains to secure the best of religious teachers. In 1528, while

in Mexico, he met the first Dominican friars who had come to

the mainland from the island of Hjspaniola. Among them

was Domingo Betanzos, who had already spent fourteen

years in the colonies. Alvarado prevailed upon him to found

a monastery in the new city of Santiago.

1 Jos6 Milla, op. «>., vol. 1, p. 184, says there is no documentary evidence in support

of this.

1 28th July, 1532. See Domingo Juarros, Historia de la Ciudad de Guatemala

(edition of the Museo Guatemalteco, Guatemala, 1857), vol. 1, p. 164. The first

edition of this work appeared in 1808.

1-8 SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROS DE GUATEMALA

Accompanied by one of his brethren, Betanzos set out from

Mexico on foot. Subsisting mainly on the wild fruits of the

forest, and sleeping at night under the trees, these holy mencontrasted strangely, in the eyes of the Indians, with the ra-

pacious soldiery of the conquistador. Even through hostile

territory they passed wholly unmolested.

On reaching Guatemala, a small plot of ground on which

to build their church was all they asked. "Why," exclaims an

early chronicler, "they did not take even as much land as

is ordinarily allotted to a single horse-soldier!" A church wasbuilt, the people of the city providing ornaments for it.

Domingo Betanzos was much loved, by both Spaniards and

Indians: but his efforts to release the latter from virtual

slavery were of no avail.

For one year only was Guatemala privileged to enjoy his

ministrations. At the end of that time, instructions came for

his return to Mexico. Work on the monastery was aban-

doned; but the keys of his church were left in the hands of a

parishioner, with the request that the building be cleaned

from time to time, and opened whenever any worshipper so

desired.

His departure coincided roughly with the arrival of a manwhose name today is among the outstanding ones of that

colorful epoch. This was Francisco Marroquin, chosen byAlvarado, and sent out from Spain in 1530. Four years later,

by a special dispensatipn from Pope Paul III, Guatemalawas advanced to the rank of Bishopric, and Marroquin wasnamed Bishop. He entered upon his new duties at once,

naming as Dean the faithful Juan Godines. The ceremony of

his consecration took place in Mexico City in 1537.

Realizing the need of religious institutions, if the Indians

were to receive instruction and the turbulent Spanish colo-

nists were to be held in check, Marroquin worked to interest

the various religious orders in the establishment of monas-

teries in his diocese.

In 1535 he brought from Nicaragua at his own expense four

Dominican friars, one of whom was destined in later years to

ALMOLONGA I9

shake the Spanish colonial administration to its very founda-

tions. This was Bartolome de las Casas, 1 "Protector of the

Indians" as he came ultimately to be known, in his younger

days a disciple of Betanzos.

Two years later, returning from Mexico, he brought with

him two Mercedarian friars, Juan de Zambrano and Marcos

Perez Dardon, to establish a branch of their Order in Guate-

mala; and in 1540 came, also from Mexico, five Franciscan

friars 2 who, encouraged by grants of land and money from

the cabildo, commenced work on a monastery and church.

By now the city of Santiago de los Caballeros de Guate-

mala was fairly on its feet. In addition to the monasteries

which have been described, it could boast of cathedral,

cabildo, hospital, schools, and numerous residences. There

were also two hermitages or chapels, simple buildings roofed

with thatch, which served as oratories for the devout. Oneof these— Nuestra Senora de los Remedios— had been

promised by Jorge de Alvarado in the early days of the colo-

nization, but was not erected until 1530. Even so, it was the

second ecclesiastical structure in Guatemala, the first having

been the parish church of Santiago, founded on the same day

as the city.

The young capital had received a severe blow in 1 536, whenit was swept by a disastrous fire. This was said to have

broken out in a blacksmith's shop. Since the buildings of the

settlement were clustered closely together, and mostly roofed

with thatch, the flames spread rapidly and did much damage.

To avoid repetition of this catastrophe the cabildo decreed

that henceforth all blacksmiths' shops should be on the out-

skirts of the town. This may account for the location of the

Calle Ancha de los Herreros in the later capital, —• that which

we know today as Antigua.

1 The other three were Luis Cancer, who was later killed by Indians in Florida;

Pedro de Angulo, who became Bishop of the Verapaz; and Rodrigo de Ladrada.

1 Diego Ordonez, Alonso Bustillo, Diego de Albaque, Gonzalo M6ndez, and Fran-

cisco Valderas.


THE UNTIMELY DEATH OF THE ADELANTADO

During these years the colony at Almolonga saw but little

of Alvarado, whose insatiable ambition kept him ever on the

search for greater things. The year 1536 found him in Hon-duras, trying to patch up troubles which had arisen through

faulty administration. After that he travelled yet again to

Spain.

No sooner was he back in Guatemala than he determined

to carry out his dream of years,— a voyage to the Spice Is-

lands of the Orient. He equipped a large expedition, and

sailed up the coast of Mexico, where his fleet dropped anchor

for a time, in order that he might obtain the cooperation of

the viceroy in his adventure. Then, just as he was ready to

sail away, he received an urgent message. Cristobal de Ofiate

was besieged by rebellious Indians near the town of Nochizt-

lan, and begged for assistance.

Alvarado was not the man to turn a deaf ear to such a sum-

mons: it is probable that there were few things in this world

which he loved better than a fight. Hastily he called together

his men and made his way to the scene of action.

The Indians had fortified themselves on the summit of a

steep hill. Obviously this must be taken by storm, and he did

not hesitate to join in the attack. Victory was in sight whenMontoya — a clerk who had come with the expedition, not a

soldier by profession — was seen vainly chasing his horse

along the slopes, a short distance above the spot where stood

the Adelantado. M Be calm, Montoya, the Indians appear to

be leaving us," shouted the latter; but the notary gave no

heed. A moment more, and the horse stumbled, fell, and

came rolling headlong down the hill. Alvarado jumped for

safety, but it was too late; he was caught beneath the animal

and badly injured.

With characteristic presence of mind, he called out, as they

were carrying him from the field, that the Indians must not

learn of the disaster. "Continue fighting/' he demanded.

"That which has happened to me cannot be altered now. I

ALMOLONGA 21

have received no more than I deserve for bringing along such

a fool as Montoya."

He was taken on a litter to Guadalajara, where he lingered

some days in great anguish of body and soul. He died on the

29th of June, 1541. The news soon reached the city of San-

tiago, but was not believed until it was confirmed by a dis-

patch from the Viceroy of Mexico. Then it was that Dofia

Beatriz, widow of the Adelantado, ordered the entire palace,

within and without, to be painted and draped with black. It

was whispered among the populace that her grief was unrea-

sonable; that she should accept more willingly the acts of

God.

Her sorrow did not prevent her exercising all her influence,

even to the extent of overriding much opposition, in order to

have herself chosen to succeed her husband in the govern-

ment of Guatemala. When finally she signed the documentwhich invested her with these powers, she startled the com-munity by writing "La Sin Ventura, Dona Beatriz."

"The Hapless One.,,

Little did she realize the import of

those words!

THE DESTRUCTION

In the Guatemalan highlands, the month of September is

often accompanied by torrential rains. In the year 1541 the

season seemed to reflect the sorrows of a colony sunk in

mourning for the death of its Governor. Water drenched the

mud-walled houses, and stood in sheets upon the valley floor.

Even the fragrance of holy incense could not dispel the mustyodor of the churches.

On the eighth of September commenced a violent thunder-

storm which continued without cessation through the two

following days. Trees were uprooted by the fury of the gale,

or torn to splinters by shafts of lightning. About midnight of

the tenth, an earthquake shook the little city, already fight-

ing with the elements for its very existence.

Then a huge wall of water, as from a lake let loose, sud-

denly poured down the side of the volcano, carrying every-


thing in its wake. The terror-stricken inhabitants, many of

whom had rushed from their homes to seek safety from the

earthquake, were caught in the deluge. Some were drownedimmediately; others were able to climb to the roofs of their

houses, where they clung in the hope that some miracle might

save them.

Those who lived in the palace fared little better. 1 DonaBeatriz had retired early. Alarmed, she arose hurriedly, andthrowing around her shoulders a coverlet from her bed, or-

dered Juana de Alvarado, head of her household, to summonthe other members. Hastening to their mistress, they were

met by the onrushing waters, which swept some of them out-

side the house into the kitchen garden, where they sought to

save themselves against broken walls and uprooted orange

trees.

In the meantime, Dona Beatriz, who did not feel safe in her

bedroom, conceived the fatal idea of going up into a small

chapel recently constructed on the roof. She took with her

Anica, the five-year-old daughter of Don Pedro, and eleven

women of the palace. Climbing to the altar with the child in

her arms, she threw herself at the foot of the crucifix.

Francisco de la Cueva, brother of Dona Beatriz, had been

making a gallant effort to save her. Hearing the noise of the

approaching torrent, he had rushed out, lance in hand. Dis-

cerning a horse in the darkness he mounted it, and rode to-

ward the palace. But his efforts were in vain. He was caught

by the flood, and was barely able to save himself from drown-

ing by clinging for the remainder of the night to a post.

In the meantime, the violence of the flood had caused the

walls of the chapel to give way, and the roof had collapsed

upon Dona Beatriz and her companions. Not knowing that

she had already perished within, Bishop Marroquin and

others sought desperately for her in the flood waters about the

palace.

Morning dawned. Gruesome scenes of wreckage and dis-

i This account is taken mostly from Jose Milla, who had at his command nine of

the early chronicles. Op. cit.yvol. i, pp. 330 et seq.

ALMOLONGA 23

aster greeted the eyes of the survivors. Those who had not

been hurt by falling timbers, or were not utterly exhausted,

spent the day searching the ruins for victims that might yet

be living. Then, bowed with grief, they turned to the task of

burying the dead.

The lifeless form of La Sin Ventura (as she has ever since

been called), found still embracing the cross, was solemnly

interred in the cathedral. Some years later, at the instigation

of Dona Leonor, daughter of Alvarado, it was moved to a

place of honor beside that of the Adelantado in the cathedral

of the new capital.

To this day may still be seen at Ciudad Vieja (as the place

is now called) vestiges of a building generally reputed to have

been the oratory of Dona Beatriz. But a thoughtful examina-

tion casts much doubt upon this belief: the ruins are alto-

gether too large and massive; moreover, they stand upon the

ground level, while the chapel is described as having been

built upon the roof of the palace. It is more likely that what

we now see are remains of the old cathedral. This hypothesis

is strengthened by the fact that recent excavations about the

spot revealed extensive foundations buried in silt, as well as

an ancient graveyard. The cathedral is known not to have

been completely destroyed, for history relates that Bishop

Marroquin sold what remained of it, as well as the house ad-

joining, to obtain funds for a new structure at Panchoy.

Ill


Ill


DON PEDRO DE ALVARADO, Conqueror of Guatemala

and founder of the Spanish colony, was dead. The city

of Santiago, built and cherished by his followers, hadbeen destroyed in a single night, Dona Beatriz and manyother prominent citizens perishing in the catastrophe. Thesurviving members of the cabildo hastily convened to form a

new government.

It was a brief and nervous session, for the building in which

they sat had been undermined by the flood. At any momentit might collapse. Wasting little time in argument, they hur-

riedly named as provisional joint governors Bishop Marro-

quin and Francisco de la Cueva.

The next problem to be faced was a grave one: Should they

rebuild the city at Almolonga, or seek a safer spot? It wasagreed to move a league and a half away, sufficient —- it was

thought—- to avoid the menace of the volcanos. The site


chosen was that known to the Indians as Panchoy, meaning

"Valley of the Lake."

In the year 1543, on the day of the feast of Corpus Cristi,

a solemn procession passed out of the ruined capital. TheHoly Sacrament was carried to the site of the new city and

there placed in the hermitage of Santa Lucia. Thus wasfounded the third city of Santiago de los Caballeros de Gua-temala, — that known today by the simpler title of Antigua

Guatemala.

THE ARCHITECTURE OF ANTIGUA

The building of this city was commenced toward the

middle of the sixteenth century. At that time Spain, the

mother country, had reached the zenith of her power. Ren-

aissance architecture, which was spreading over Europe,

found magnificent expression in the Iberian Peninsula. There

a style developed which, incorporating the best of both the

Italian and the Moorish, came to be known as exclusively

Spanish. The well-known patios or inner courts of Spain,

with their fountains, flowers, and sometimes elaborate archi-

tectural detail, are derived from the Moorish, as are also the

simple outer walls on which ornamentation is confined to the

windows and doors. In Italy, decoration was lavished on

stucco facades; but the Spaniards of the Early Renaissance

preferred to embellish their inner patios and halls.

The two-storied palaces of the time often carried an upper

arcaded corridor which served the occupants (particularly

the ladies, whom etiquette forbade to walk in the streets

below) as a sight-seeing gallery and promenade.

The oldest buildings in Antigua are good examples of this

period. Among noteworthy features are the chiselled stone

portals which surround richly panelled or studded doors; the

turned wood grills and carved cedar shutters of the windows;

and the handsome stone fountains of the courtyards and

public squares. Sculptured stonework is now less rare than

delicate wood carving, much of which has rotted awaywith the passing of time. Only- here and there remain

PANCHOY AND THE GOLDEN ERA ig

examples that help us to realize the beauty of Antigua in

her apogee.

Unfortunately, by the end of the seventeenth century a

reaction set in. The stately simplicity of the Spanish Renais-

sance disappeared. Flamboyancy took its place. What hadbeen rich ornamentation now became gaudy display. Theexcellence of the sixteenth century style was rarely equalled

in the Guatemala of later days.

ANTIGUA OF TODAY

Leaving Guatemala City, a pleasant road climbs the divide

and descends finally the steep slopes of Las Canas to the vale

of Panchoy. The approach to the sleeping city is bordered

by coffee plantations and diminutive houses half-hidden byfruit trees and shrubbery. A narrow bridge crossing the Rio

Pensativo opens on to a cobbled street lined with ancient

cottages, their sturdy walls tinted blue, pink, or buff: the

roof-beams sag under the weight of moss-grown tiles, andminiature windows with carved shutters are guarded bygrills of wood or iron. Not a jarring note disturbs the tran-

quil atmosphere.

THE CONVENT OF NUESTRA SENORA DE LACONCEPCION

At a bend in the street stands an old fountain from which

the water still falls in a sparkling stream as though to wel-

come the dusty traveller and quench his thirst. Beyond this

on the left are the ruins of the church and convent of La Con-

cepcion. Nothing remains of the church save a broken shell,

grown over with creepers which fail to conceal entirely the

stucco designs upon the inner walls.

A portion of the convent has been repaired, including the

quaint doorway set in a bright pink facade. The inscription

on the lintel cites the day on which it was finished— 23 Feb-

ruary 1694. Above is a stucco frieze showing the Virgin of the

Conception; below her are images of the sun and moon, while


on one side is the Spanish coat of arms, on the other a figure

of Santiago on horseback.

The establishment in Guatemala of the Order of Nuestra

Senora de la Concepcion was a project much desired byBishop Marroquin. But it was due to the enterprise of his

second successor, Gomez Fernandez de Cordova, that the

convent was finally founded in 1578 by four sisters of noble

birth who came from the City of Mexico for the purpose.

Immediately they drew about them many novices who wished

to take the veil. Some of these were daughters of prominent

families, and it was doubtless their presence, in large part,

which resulted in this convent becoming one of the richest

and most powerful ever to grace the capital.

Thomas Gage, an English friar who lived for several years

in the city during the first half of the seventeenth century, has

left a picturesque account of the importance of this convent

in his day, as well as of the intrigue which appears at times to

have gone on within its walls. He wrote:

*

The other cloisters of the city are also rich; but next to the Do-minicans is the cloister of nuns called the Conception, in which at

my time there were judged to live a thousand women, not all nuns,

but nuns and their serving maids or slaves, and young children

which were brought up and taught to work by the nuns.

The nuns that are professed bring with them their portions, five

hundred ducats the least, some six hundred, some seven, and somea thousand, which portions after a few years (and continuing to the

cloister after the nuns* decease) come to make up a great yearly

rent. They that will have maids within to wait on them may, bring-

ing the bigger portion, or allowing yearly for their servants' diet.

In this cloister lived that Donna Juana de Maldonado, JudgeMaldonado de Paz his daughter, whom the Bishop so much con-

versed withal. She was very fair and beautiful, and not much abovetwenty years of age, and yet his love blinding him, he strove whathe could in my time against all the ancient nuns and sisters, to makeher superior and abbess, and caused such a mutiny and strife in that

cloister, which was very scandalous to the whole city, and mademany rich merchants and gentlemen run to the cloister with their

1 A New Survey of the West Indies (1648). Republished in the Argonaut series,

New York, 1929.

PANCHOY AND THE GOLDEN ERA 3

1

swords drawn, threatening to break in amongst the nuns to defendtheir daughters against the powerful faction which the Bishop hadwrought for Donna Juana de Maldonado: which they had per-

formed if the President Don Juan de Guzman had not sent JuanMaldonado de Paz, the young nun's father, to entreat her to desist

in regard of her young age from her ambitious thoughts of being

abbess. With this the mutiny both within and without ceased, the

Bishop got but shame, and his young sister continued as before

under command and obedience, to a more religious, grave, and agednun than herself.

This Donna Juana de Maldonado y Paz was the wonder of all

that cloister, yea of all the city for her excellent voice, and skill in

music, and in carriage, and education yielded to none abroad nor

within; she was witty, well spoken and above all a Calliope, or Musefor ingenious and sudden verses; which the Bishop said so muchmoved him to delight in her company and conversation. Her father

thought nothing too good, nor too much for her; and therefore hav-ing no other children, he daily conferred upon her riches, as mightbest beseem a nun, as rich and costly cabinets faced with gold andsilver, pictures and idols for her chamber with crowns and jewels to

adorn them; which with other presents from the Bishop (who dyingin my time left not wherewith to pay his debts, for what as the re-

.port went, he had spent himself and given all unto this nun) madethis Donna Juana de Maldonado so rich and stately, that at her

own charges she built for herself a new quarter within the cloister

with rooms and galleries, and a private garden-walk, and kept at

work and to wait on her half a dozen blackamoor maids; but aboveall she placed her delight in a private chapel or closet to pray in,

being hung with rich hangings, and round about it costly laminas(as they call them) or pictures painted upon brass set in black ebonyframes with corners of gold, some of silver, brought to her fromRome; her altar was accordingly decked with jewels, candlesticks,

crowns, lamps, and covered with a canopy embroidered with gold;

in her closet she had her small organ, and many sorts of musical in-

struments, whereupon she played sometimes by herself, sometimeswith her best friends of the nuns; and here especially she enter-

tained with music her beloved the Bishop. Her chapel or place of

devotion was credibly reported about the city to be worth at least

six thousand crowns, which was enough for a nun that had vowedchastity, poverty, and obedience.


THE PLAZA DE ARMAS

The street ofLa Concepcion leads into the Plaza de Armas,the heart of the ancient capital. In olden times it was knownas the Plaza Real, and was not given over as now to park andpleasure garden, but was reserved for tournaments, pageants,

and bull-fights. There were also native fiestas, in which the

Indians, with perfect good humor, would re-enact scenes

from the Conquest. The descendants of the Indians whocame from Mexico as allies of Alvarado, and who enjoyed

special hereditary privileges on that account, would rout the

indigenes and be hailed as conquerors. At other times the

plaza was filled with the color and movement of the local

market. In the center was a large stone fountain; to one side,

and less pleasant to contemplate, were the gallows and whip-

ping post, both reputed to have been in frequent use.

THE PALACE OF THE CAPTAINS GENERAL

When the plaza was first laid out in the early days of the

city, the residence of Bishop Marroquin stood on one of the

corners now occupied by the Palace of the Captains General.

Shortly after his death his house was torn down, and in its

place was erected a building known as the Casas Reales. Notbeing well constructed, it was unable to withstand the earth-

quake shocks from which the city suffered periodically.

The present palace was completed in 1764. It was severely

damaged by the earthquake of 1773, but the front portion

was restored later, in keeping with the original design. Twoof the patios contain fountains of the colonial period. Besides

being the residence of the official who bore the impressive

title of Gobernadory Capitan General, y Presidente de la Real

1 In his later years, this worthy was responsible for the construction of a magnificent

establishment on the slopes of the Volcan de Agua, some three miles south of the

city. The settlement, known as San Juan del Obispo, merits a visit. The church,

in spite of its modernized facade, contains some handsomely carved altars of the

early colonial period; while the balustrade of the attractive patio which adjoins this

building on the north commands an impressive view of the valley of Panchoy.


Audiencia, this building housed the courts of justice and the

royal treasury.

The upper arched balcony is pure Spanish Renaissance in

style. During the celebration of public festivals in the plaza,

the governor and his family, ladies of the nobility, and the

most important officials of the colony would sit beneath its

portals to observe the ceremonies, pass judgment on the

jousting, and distribute prizes among the winners.

The historian Juarros recites in detail the exploits and

tribulations of the illustrious grandees who ruled Central

America from this spot. They numbered more than thirty-

five in all. First was Don Alonzo Lopez de Cerrato. During

his term the seat of government was moved here from Gra-

cias a Dios in Honduras. This was in 1549.

Don Juan Nunez de Landecho took the oath of office in

1 559. The excesses which he committed finally brought about

his removal. He was thrown into prison, but escaped and

made his way to the Golfo Dulce on the Caribbean coast,

where he embarked in a small boat, and was never heard from

again. The scandals connected with his regime provoked an

order from the King, transferring the Audiencia (supreme

court of the colony, endowed also with important adminis-

trative functions) to Panama. As recounted further on, its

restitution to Guatemala was achieved largely through the

efforts of Fray Bartolome de las Casas, who was in Spain at

the time, and personally made representations to the King.

Don Pedro Mayen de Rueda came in 1588. He had diffi-

culties with the clergy, from the Bishop down; and on one

occasion slapped the face of the venerable prelate of the mon-

astery of San Francisco, when the latter refused to let him

remove from the sacred precincts a youth who had recently

joined the brotherhood. For this and other sins he was not

only expelled from office, but, as Padre Juarros recounts with

feeling, Divine justice was visited upon him. He went insane,

and wandered through the streets unclothed, subsisting upon

the herbs of the field like an animal; and remained in this

lamentable state until death put an end to his sufferings.


Don Antonio Peraza Ayala Castilla y Rojas, Conde de la

Gomera, who took office in 1611, has been immortalized in

Jose Milla's historical novel El Visitador. Things did not go

too smoothly during his regime, and the logical result was the

arrival of the Visitador, —- a judge sent by the King to inves-

tigate and report upon the acts of high colonial officials. DonAntonio was suspended from office until a decision could be

reached; and in the meantime, the populace divided itself

into two armed camps, one favoring the Governor, the other

siding with the Visitador. Finally peace was restored, andDon Antonio resumed his office, which he held until 1626.

Juarros mentions that he was the first governor to be called

by the title Muy Ilustre Senor, previous incumbents having

been addressed simply as Magnifico Senor.

Don Diego de Avendana ruled from 1642 until his death in

1649. He was noted for his integrity, his tolerance, and the

patience with which he suffered his physical infirmities.

Three years after his death his tomb was opened: the his-

torian Vazquez (quoted by Juarros) asserts that, in spite of

the advanced state of decomposition in which his body wasfound at this time, his hands were whole andflexible; and this

was attributed to the fact that he had been noted in life for

his clean* hands, — at no time, during the eight years of his

rule, had he accepted a bribe, nor a single maravedi of dis-

honest money.

Don Gabriel Sanchez de Berrospe came in 1696, and wasactive in furthering the pacification of Peten; but like several

of his predecessors, he did not escape the Visitador. Theinvestigation became a public scandal. Finally Sanchez de

Berrospe was exonerated of all blame, while the Visitador wasrecalled in disgrace to Mexico, and there thrown into prison.

Don Francisco Rodriguez de Rivas came upon the scene in

17 1 6, and held office until 1724. During his regime the capital

experienced severe earthquakes, and there was talk of mov-ing to a safer site. It was due largely to his opposition that

the project was dropped; and it was through his financial

assistance that several damaged churches were rebuilt.


Don Martin de Mayorga, last of the governors to rule in

the shadow of the Volcan de Agua-, arrived on the twelfth of

June, 1773. Six weeks later the city was destroyed, and the

responsibility of removing to a safer site devolved upon him.

He saw the new capital established in the Valle de las Vacas;

then, just as he was on the eve of departing for Spain, orders

came for him to proceed to Mexico, to fill temporarily the

post of viceroy. After having discharged his duties honor-

ably, he sailed for Spain in 1783, but died while on the high

seas.

REAL CASA DE LA MONEDA

Adjoining the palace of the Captains General was the royal

mint, known as the Real Casa de la Moneda. Its inauguration

in 1733 was marked by elaborate ceremonies, of which Juar-

ros gives a detailed account.

Officials of the city, and many of the leading inhabitants,

marched in procession to Jocotenango, where they awaited

the pack train from Mexico bringing the seals and other

equipment. As the procession, carrying banners and pen-

nants, entered the streets of the capital, bells rang out on all

sides. The Governor came down into the plaza, and person-

ally received the seals, which were deposited in the royal

vaults.

Here were coined the curious macacos, some of which are

still to be seen in Guatemala, mainly on the necklaces of

Indian women. They are thick slugs of silver, irregular in

outline, stamped with the arms of Spain and other devices.

THE PALACE OF THE MUY NOBLEAYUNTAMIENTO

On the opposite side of the plaza is a building smaller than

the Governor's palace, but somewhat similar in design. This

is the City Hall (Palacio del Muy Noble Ayuntamiento).

Built in early colonial days, its sturdy construction has with-

stood the earthquakes which have repeatedly shaken the city.


The upper story is still used as the headquarters of the Mu-nicipality. It contains some interesting old portraits, amongthem a crayon drawing of Bartolome de las Casas and a large

oil painting of Bishop Gomez de Parada, founder of the

Capuchin convent.

THE CATHEDRAL

Though little remains to attest its former grandeur, the

cathedral was doubtless in its day the most magnificent

building in the city. The portions which have been rebuilt

(the chapels of El Sagrario and Guadelupe) and which, com-

bined, are now referred to as the Cathedral, give no idea of

the stateliness and splendor of the structure which was com-

pleted in the year 1680. But the ruined nave of the original

edifice, with its intricate stucco decoration still clinging to the

walls and broken domes, and the huge panelled doors which

lead into the sacristy, tell the story.

Domingo Juarros, one-time Archbishop of Guatemala,

described z the cathedral as having been a

sumptuous temple, more than 100 varas long, 40 wide and 22 high;

there were 50 windows to light it, and seven great entrance doors.

It was divided into three naves, having eight chapels on either side;

of these, that of the Sagrario and of Nuestra Senora del Socorro

were large enough to pass for churches. It had quantities of orna-

ments of gold and silver; many remarkable statues and good paint-

ings; the high altar was a dome supported on 16 pillars sheathed in

tortoise-shell and bearing finely wrought bronze medallions; andalong the cornice stood images of the Virgin and the twelve apostles,

all of marble.

Though its construction was commenced in 1543 by Bishop

Marroquin with funds obtained from the sale of the partly

ruined cathedral at Almolonga, nearly a century and a half

passed before the building was considered complete. Another

century, and it was destroyed.

1 Op. cit.yvol. i, p. 92.

THE GREAT NAVE OF THE CATHEDRAL

PANCHOY AND THE GOLDEN ERA yj

Here were interred the bones of Pedro de Alvarado and his

wife Dona Beatriz; Bernal Diaz del Castillo; Bishop Marro-

quin and eight of his successors; and many other worthies

who figured prominently in the early history of the colony.

But the tomb of none can be seen today.

History recounts that the remains of the Adelantado and

his family were destroyed when a wall fell during some workof reconstruction in 1669. The earthquakes from which the

capital has frequently suffered since its earliest days are

mainly responsible for the loss of these and other tombs which

would have been greatly venerated today by Guatemalans

and foreigners alike.

In early times there was worshipped here an image still to

be seen in the Cathedral of Guatemala City, whose history is

so romantic that it deserves more than a passing word. This

is the Virgen del Socorro, known to the early colonists as

the Virgen de la Piedad. Tradition records that she wasbrought from Spain by Francisco de Garay, who accompanied

Alvarado on his first expedition to Guatemala. 1 She pre-

sided over the first mass to celebrate the victories of the

Spanish.

According to the cabildo record of 25 August 1538, in

which is described the building of the Cathedral at Almo-longa, the first chapel to be completed was dedicated to

"Nuestra Senora de la Piedad.' ' The image, which was not

damaged when the city was destroyed, was carried to the newcapital. Until 1620 it stood on the high altar of the Cathe-

dral: when the latter was rebuilt it was moved to a side

chapel.

Here the name of Nuestra Senora del Socorro became popu-

lar, particularly among the common folk. Her special prov-

ince seems to have been the warding off of public disasters,

of which the capital of Guatemala received more than its

share. An example may be found in the cabildo report dated

1 February 1705:2

1 For the legend of her miraculous origin in Spain, see Juarros, op. cit.svol. I, p. 146.

2 Juarros, op. cit. svol. 1, p. 144.


The volcano x which lies close to this capital, having become en-

raged since one o'clock in the morning, incessantly terrifying the

neighborhood with its horrible thunderings, and threatening to

bury the City, like another Herculaneum, with a violent eruption

of ashes and sands which were so abundant, that obscuring the light

of the sun, they enveloped the City in a terrifying gloom, it wasdecided in this Cabildo to request that the same afternoon there bea procession of prayer, in which should be carried out the miracu-

lous images of Christ Crucified and of Nuestra Seiiora del Socorro

that are venerated in the Holy Cathedral, and that the following

days be devoted to a novena of masses and sermons, so that in this

way might be assuaged the just wrath of Heaven.

The notary testified, at this time, that the light at ten

o'clock in the morning was so dim that he was obliged to

carry his table to the door of the building in order to write;

but that from the hour in which prayer was decided upon, the

horizon began to brighten, leaving only a few black clouds

around the volcano; which clouds, as soon as the Sacred

Images came out ojf the church, continued to melt away until

the sky was left quite clear.

Witness, again, the testimony of the historian Fuentes yGuzman,2 who records that on occasions when this image wascarried out in processions of prayer for rain, it was a rare

thing for those who took part in the ceremonies to return

home dry.

THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN CARLOS

On the street which leads eastward from the Plaza, passing

the Governor's palace, stands the handsome building which

housed the University of San Carlos. This institution, in its

day the greatest seat of learning in Central America, was the

final realization of the dream of Bishop Marroquin, who, in

his will, bequeathed a sum of money for the foundation of a

1 Volcan de Fuego. At the time of preparing this manuscript, on the afternoon of

January 21, 1932, the same volcano is again active, for the first time since 1880.

A fine shower of ashes is falling on Guatemala City; the air is acrid with the

smell of sulphur. A thin gritty film accumulates on desk and papers, and it is

necessary to work by artificial light. D. H. P.

2 Recordaci6n Florida^ vol. 1, p. 220, of the Zaragoza edition, 1882.


university. The fund lay unused until the year 1646, when it

was augmented by the generous legacy of the postmaster,

Pedro Crespo Suarez, who left 20,000 pesos to the cause.

Finally, in 1678, was inaugurated the Real y Pontifica Uni-

versidad de San Carlos Borromeo.

The architecture is strikingly Moorish in style. This is par-

ticularly true of the arches of the corridor which surrounds

the main patio. The doorway is an excellent example of

modern stone carving: that is to say, it is but a century

old, having been presented in 1843 by Mariano Galvez. Theoriginal doorway was ornamented in stucco with a group of

angels bearing in their hands books and scientific instru-

ments. 1

This university counted among its graduates many notable

men, including, according to Juarros,2five bishops, and a sur-

geon to His Majesty. Juarros also tells us that for manyyears the institution prided itself on the fact that not a single

student had strayed from the true faith; until it was put to

shame by Rafael Gil Rodriguez, who, after having been ade-

quately instructed by his Alma Mater in the tenets of the

holy doctrine, renounced all in order to embrace Judaism.

For this heresy he was condemned in 1795 by the court of the

Inquisition in Mexico: in the same year he was expelled from

the Royal and Pontifical University of Guatemala, which

commanded to be burnt at the hand of the public executioner

the papers conferring upon him the Bachelor's degree.

THE CHURCH OF SAN AGUSTIN

Westward from the University, two blocks past the Plaza,

stands a church the facade of which, ravaged by time, earth-

quake, and neglect, still retains something of its earlier

beauty. The stucco images are mutilated, and corrugated

iron has replaced the original doors of bronze-studded cedar.

This was once the home of the Augustinian monks. Two

1 Victor Miguel Diaz, La Romantica Ciudad Colonial (Guatemala, 1927), p. 63.

1 Op. tit., vol. 1, p. 159.


centuries ago, a passer-by might have caught the low murmurof voices engaged in prayer and teaching; now, if you listen,

you will hear the ring of hammer on anvil, for a blacksmith's

shop profanes the quondam residence of holy friars.

It was Francisco de Ibarra who dreamed of establishing

this Order in Guatemala. In the early years of the seven-

teenth century Fray Francisco Zuniga arrived from Mexico

to open a monastery.

But the Augustinians were unfortunate in establishing

themselves, at first, in an unhealthy part of the city. In 1615

they took over the present site, which had previously been

occupied by the sisterhood of Santa Catarina.

THE JESUIT MONASTERY AND COLLEGE

One block northward from San Agustin was the church,

monastery, and college of the Compania de Jesus. Within the

ruined walls the market of Antigua is now held. The place is

worth a visit, for Indians from near-by villages congregate

here to sell the produce of their farms and gardens, and,

equally important, to exchange the gossip of the day.

Antigua is no longer a religious center, nor a great seat of

learning. But the city is still the home of artisans who have

inherited all the skill of their forefathers. Here in the market

is pottery of pleasing form and harmonious coloring, madebut a few blocks away out of the very earth on which the city

has stood for nearly four hundred years. The weavings comefrom hand looms, set up in broken churches and blackened

cloisters. There are hats, baskets, fans, and mats woven from

native rushes; hand-dipped candles to burn before the saints

who still abide within this city of churches; and many house-

hold articles fashioned of wood, clay, leather, and metal. Theabundance of fruits and vegetables, freshly washed at the

fountain and attractively displayed, never fails at any

season.

It was toward the end of the sixteenth century that Fray

Juan de la Plaza, passing through Guatemala after having

. - "••''•w***.

DOORWAY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN CARLOS BORROMEO

PANCHOY AND THE GOLDEN ERA 4I

made a tour of inspection in Peru, obtained permission to

found here a Jesuit college. In 1582 two members of the

Compaiiia arrived for this purpose; and it was not long be-

fore the first structures were completed.

After many years of diligent teaching, the Jesuits of Gua-temala were expelled in 1767, along with all their brethren of

the Spanish Dominions. The order came from Charles III,

who had cast his lot with the anti-Jesuit movement pervading

Europe at that time. The story is a tragic one.

As dawn broke over the sleeping city on the 26th of June,

the Governor in uniform, accompanied by judges and other

officers in formal dress, made his way to the buildings of the

Compama. Silently, while the friars were celebrating early

mass, soldiers surrounded the place. Scarcely was the cere-

mony over when the officers appeared, closing fast the doors

behind them.

In respectful silence the friars listened to the royal man-date which condemned them to exile and poverty. Then they

withdrew to their cells to await the time of departure, for-

bidden to communicate with either friends or relatives. OnJuly 1st they passed out of the City of Santiago, arriving at

the Golfo Dulce three weeks later. On the 26th of the samemonth they sailed from Omoa in the frigate Thetis never

again to set eyes on Guatemala.

Three of the exiles were natives of the country. One, 1

Rafael Landivar, is Guatemala's greatest poet. His outstand-

ing work, the Rusticatio Mexicano, was written in classical

Latin, during long years spent in Italy. Little remains of the

house in Antigua where he was born on the 27th of October,

173 1, and where he passed his childhood. It was situated near

the Alameda de Santa Lucia in the Cuarta Calle. Part of the

property was used by his father as a powder factory, and is

still known as "La Polvora."

1 The other two were Jose* Antonio Zepeda and Manuel Munoz.


THE STREET AND CONVENT OF SANTACATARINA

Leading out of the northwest corner of the Plaza is the

street of Santa Catarina, spanned at one point by a massive

arch through which can be glimpsed the church of the

Merced.

A corner house on this street, one square north of the

Plaza, is known as the Casa de los Leones, from the rampant

lions, sculptured in stone, which stand on either side of the

doorway. Windows and doors which open on the street are of

cedar, handsomely carved in geometric design; within, the

building is nothing more than a shell. No historic personages

are known to have lived here. Victor Miguel Diaz says that

the house belonged to Juan Bautista Alvarez de las Asturias

during the period when the city was most prosperous.

The arch of Santa Catarina is a reconstruction of one that

in earlier days joined the convent (now in ruins) to its annex

on the east. Of the latter not a vestige remains. In colonial

times the archway was hollow, with steps at either end, so

that those in the street below were unable to see the nuns as

they passed from one building to the other.

Santa Catarina was established in 1609 to meet the needs

of the city, whose only nunnery, that of Concepcion, was

overcrowded. Sor Elvira de San Francisco, who at the age of

six years had entered the latter institution as its first pupil,

was chosen to act as Abbess to the new sisterhood. By char-

acter as well as education she was admirably fitted for the

task. She continued actively in charge during a period of

forty years, up to the time of her death.

THE CHURCH AND MONASTERY OF MERCED

Although the Mercedarians were one of the first religious

Orders to arrive in Guatemala, the church now connected

with their name was not built until 1760, thirteen years be-

fore the earthquake of Santa Maria laid the city in ruins.


Perhaps because the edifice was new and of sturdy construc-

tion, it suffered less than most of the other churches, and wascomparatively easy to repair.

In this church there used to stand an image of Christ bear-

ing the Cross ' which was greatly venerated. In time of pub-

lic need or distress a novena or nine days' prayer would be

made to it. Also to be seen here was a miraculous image of

Nuestra Senora de la Merced. An early chronicler 2 gives the

story of its origin, taken, he says, from papers preserved in

the archives of the monastery. The captain of a vessel about

to sail from Spain to the New World was presented by a

stranger with a sealed chest, and instructed that it should be

delivered to the Prelate of the Monastery of Merced in the

City of Santiago Guatemala. On its arrival, the box wasopened in the presence of the religious authorities, who were

amazed to find a sacred effigy from which emanated an ex-

quisite perfume. There was later discovered a wound in its

side from which exuded a fragrant liquid; this, when applied

to sore or afflicted parts, immediately made them whole.

The monastery of the Mercedarians was, in its day, one of

the finest structures of which the capital could boast. Themagnificent fountain in the center of the patio has no equal

among those which have remained to bear testimony to the

grandeur of other times.

FRAY BARTOLOME DE LAS CASAS

In the diminutive park which fronts the church of Mercedis the base of an old fountain, from which rises a pillar sur-

mounted by a marble bust of Bartolome de las Casas, one of

the most remarkable men who trod the stage of the Spanish

Colonial Empire.

His father was a shipmate of Christopher Columbus.Bartolome was born in 1474, and educated at Salamanca; he

1 See Juarros, op. cit.> vol. 1, p. 165. This image is now in Guatemala City.

2 Father Manuel Garrida, La Nave del Mercader y Grano del Evangelio. See

Juarros, op. cit.yvol. 1, p. 195.


sailed for Hispaniola s in 1 502, and resided there for several

years before the rich countries of the mainland began to re-

ceive the attention of the conquistadores.

It was after accompanying the expedition for the conquest

of Cuba, where he received a repartimiento of Indians, that

what is known as his "conversion' * took place. Pie gave uphis concessions and began to preach against enslaving the

natives. His hearers "were amazed; some were struck with

compunction; others were as much surprised to hear it called

a sin to make use of the Indians, as if they had been told it

were sinful to make use of the beasts of the field." 2 None,

however, made any attempt to change his ways. Las Casas

then returned to Hispaniola.

During the years that passed between this time and his

arrival in Guatemala, he carried on an ardent campaign to

obtain protection for the Indians; but everywhere he metwith determined opposition. He travelled to Spain, then in

Mexico, Peru, and Panama: after which he settled for a while

in Nicaragua, but his works and his preaching so enraged

the governor of that Province, that it was a relief to all con-

cerned when he was invited to Guatemala. It throws muchlight on the character of Bishop Marroquin that he should

have dared to bring to his own diocese a priest so radical and

so unpopular.

As has already been related, Las Casas arrived at Almo-

longa in 1 $36, accompanied by three brethren of his Order.

The four friars found immediate favor with their new Bishop,

and joined him in making a study of the Quiche language.

"These grave and reverent monks/' writes Sir Arthur Helps,3

"might at any time in the year 1537 have been found sitting

in a little class round the Bishop of Guatemala, an elegant

scholar, but whose scholarship was now solely employed to

express Christian doctrines in the Utlatecan language, com-

monly called Quiche."

1 Santo Domingo.

2 Sir Arthur Helps, The Spanish Conquest in America, vol. I, p. 325.

3 Op. cit.y vol. in, p. 229.

'^-J^ ':~P \ -~

•*='*, u*-

i

SAN AGUSTfN


One of the great arguments which had been advanced

against Las Casas was that he knew nothing about conquer-

ing or colonizing a country, hence was not prepared to criti-

cize the means which the conquistadores felt themselves com-

pelled to employ. If, with his gentle methods, he were able to

pacify an unsubmissive tribe, his opponents might be willing

to listen to him.

In the northern part of Guatemala lay a region which had

so far repulsed all invasions of the Spaniards. After three

futile attempts at pacification this territory became known as

"The Land of War." In 1537 an agreement was made with

Governor Alonso de Maldonado, to the effect that if Las

Casas could bring these hostile Indians to recognize the King

of Spain as their monarch and to pay him tribute, then they,

in turn, should never be given in encomienda. x One more

condition Las Casas, knowing well the ways of men, laid

down: that no Spaniard, excepting the Governor, should,

under heavy penalty, be allowed to enter this land for five

years.

Las Casas and his brethren translated into Quiche verse

Bible stories and the fundamental doctrines of the Church.

Then they called in four merchants who were engaged in

bringing wares from "The Land of War" to the market at

Santiago, and persuaded them to learn the poems, which were

set to music that might suitably be played on native instru-

ments.

Accompanied by the merchants they finally set out upon

their mission, carrying with them trinkets such as bells, look-

ing glasses, and scissors,known to have a strong appeal to the

Indians. The gentle padres,who came to give and not to take,

softened all hearts in the Land of War. They returned trium-

phant to the capital, accompanied by the cacique. So success-

ful was their undertaking that the "Land ofWar " was knownfrom that time forward as "La Vera Paz" or True Peace.

1 An encomienda was the right to exact tribute from a certain number of Indians.

A repartamiento was a group of Indians assigned to do manual labor for a

Spaniard.


Las Casas then went to Spain, where he accomplished two

things of great importance. The first was the writing of a

book entitled The Destruction of the Indies; the second,

by dint of endless perseverance and persuasive argument,

was the convocation of an official gathering to consider the

condition of the Indians. This conference resulted in the code

known as "The New Laws," in which for the first time were

incorporated adequate measures for safeguarding the welfare

of the aborigines. Chief among these measures was the pro-

hibition of repartimientos. An effort was made to enforce this

feature, but resistance became so great, especially in Peru,

that the King was obliged finally to revoke it. Las Casas was

deeply disappointed.

The "Protector of the Indians" (as he was now called) wasshortly honored by a promotion he was reluctant to accept.

But the persuasion of his friends at length overcame his

scruples, and he was named Bishop of Chiapas, his consecra-

tion taking place at Seville, 4 July 1544.

His sojourn in his new diocese was cut short by a summonsto attend a convocation in Mexico. He did not return again

to Chiapas, but sailed for Spain, where he spent the remain-

der of his energetic life in continued labor with the pen on

behalf of his beloved Indians. At the age of seventy-six he

took up residence in the Dominican College at Valladolid. In

1566, to his great grief, he received news that Guatemala had

been deprived of its Audiencia. Old and feeble though he was,

he hastened to Madrid to plead before the King and the

Council of the Indies. The Audiencia was restored.

It was Las Casas* last effort. He fell ill and died shortly

afterward at the ripe age of ninety-two.

THE MONASTERY OF SANTO DOMINGO

Since practically nothing remains of this wealthy and in-

fluential cloister, we must turn to the old chronicles for a

description. Friar Gage, himself a Dominican, who dwelt

here in the first half of the seventeenth century, before he


recanted and published the book in which he undertook to ex-

pose what he considered to be abuses of the Spaniards, wrote: 1

The Dominicans, Franciscans, and Mercedarians are stately

cloisters, containing near a hundred friars apiece; but above all is

the cloister where I lived, of the Dominicans, to which is joined in a

great walk before the church the University of the city. The yearly

revenues which come into this cloister, what from the Indian townsbelonging to it, what from a water mill, what from a farm of corn,

what from an estancia^ or farm for horses and mules, what from aningenio, or farm of sugar, what from a mine of silver given unto it

the year 1633, are judged to be (excepting all charges) at least

thirty thousand ducats; wherewith those fat friars feast themselves,

and have to spare to build, and enrich their church and altars.

Besides much treasure belonging to it, there are two things in it

which . . . were a lamp of silver hanging before the high altar, so

big as required the strength of three men to hale it up with a rope;

but the other is of more value, which is a picture of the Virgin Maryof pure silver, and of the stature of a reasonable tall woman, whichstandeth in a tabernacle made on purpose in a Chapel of the

Rosary with at least a dozen lamps of silver also burning before it.a

A hundred thousand ducats might soon be made up of the treasure

belonging to that church and cloister.

Within the walls of the cloister there is nothing wanting whichmay further pleasure and recreation. In the lower cloister there is

a spacious garden, in the midst whereof is a fountain casting up the

water, and spouting it out of at least a dozen pipes, which fill twoponds full of fishes, and with this their constant running give musicto the whole cloister, and encouragement to many water-fowl andducks to bathe and wash themselves therein. Yet further within

the cloister, there are other two gardens for fruits and herbage, andin one a pond of a quarter mile long, all paved at the bottom, and a

low stone wall about, where is a boat for friars' recreation, whooften go thither to fish, and do sometimes upon a sudden want or

occasion take out from thence as much fish as will give to the wholecloister a dinner.

This monastery, one of the most ancient in Guatemala (it

was elevated to the rank of Priory in 1547), was completely

demolished by the earthquakes of 1773, which were felt moreseverely in this section of the city than in any other part.

1 A New Survey of the W'est Indies, p. 200.

1 This image is now in the church of Santo Domingo in Guatemala City.


LA CALLE DE LA NOBLEZA

The Dominican monastery occupied an extensive plot of

ground in the northeastern part of the city, a section which at

the present time can by no means be termed busy. Friar

Gage, however, wrote that

the best part of the city is that . . . which ... is called . . . el Bar-

rio de Santo Domingo, by reason of the cloister of Saint Dominicwhich standeth in it. Here are the richest and best shops of the

city, with the best buildings, most of the houses being new andstately.

Here is also a daily tianguez (as they call it) or petty market,

where some Indians all the day sit selling fruits, herbs and cacao,

but at four in the afternoon, this market is filled for a matter of an

hour, where the Indian women meet to sell their country slap

(which is dainties to the Creoles) as atole, pinole, scalded plantains,

butter of the cacao, puddings made of Indian maize, with a bit of

fowl or fresh pork in them seasoned with much red biting chilli,

which they call anacatamales.

And again he speaks of

that end of the city called el Barrio de Santo Domingo, or the

street of Saint Dominic, whose houses and presence make that

street excel all the rest of the city, and their wealth and trading

were enough to denominate Guatemala a very rich city.

The street (Primera Avenida), which runs southward from

Santo Domingo to the monastery of San Francisco, was

known in olden times as the Calle de la Nobleza. Homes of the

wealthy then flanked it on either side. At the point where

this street intersects that which passes the University of San

Carlos stands an old corner house with much fine stonework.

This is one of the few survivors of the grand residences of the

seventeenth century. The exact date of its erection is not

known. The earliest record is of the year 1639, at which time

it belonged to Doctor don Luis de las Infantas y Mendoza,

Fiscal de las Audiencias or King's Attorney.


In those days his was a lucrative profession. Friar Gage

wrote:

The pension which the King alloweth to every judge of Chan-cery is four thousand ducats yearly, and three thousand to his

attorney, all which is paid out of the King's Exchequer abiding in

that city. Yet what besides they get by bribes and trading is so

much, that I have heard a judge himself Don Luis de las Infantas

say, that though a judge's place at Mexico and Lima be more honor-

able, yet none more profitable than Guatemala.

From an examination of the interior of this house, partly

restored and partly in ruins, we may gain an idea of the

manner in which well-to-do Spaniards of colonial times were

accustomed to live. The zaguan> or entrance passage, ter-

minates in a handsome stone arch. Originally, the conven-

tional patio was flanked on all sides by spacious rooms with

high, beamed ceilings and panelled doors. Medallion win-

dows with wooden shutters open onto the corridor lined with

turned wooden pillars standing upon chiselled stone bases.

To the left, as one enters the main patio, is a passageway

leading to the stable, with its watering trough and stone

manger.

The kitchen is supplied with two dutch ovens. The domedchimney of massive construction which rises above the brick

stove has resisted successfully the earthquakes of three hun-

dred years. The bathroom has a sunken tub, edged with blue

and gold tiles, and ingeniously supplied with hot and cold

water from tanks set in the rear wall of the building.

Above the bathroom is the pigeon loft; from here a narrow

winding stairway leads to the azotea or flat roof, which over-

looks a tiny private garden of masonry-bordered flower-beds

{arriates) and a bucaro or fountain from which a trickle of

water falls ceaselessly into a limpid pool.

Diagonally across the street {Quinta Calle) from the rear of

this building lived, during the latter part of the sixteenth cen-

tury, Bernal Diaz del Castillo. The house as it stands today,

however, is mainly of recent construction. Some of the walls

may perhaps date back to early times.

5<D SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROS DE GUATEMALA

BERNAL DIAZ DEL CASTILLO

In the year 15 14 Pedrarias Davila, Governor of Tierra

Firme, set sail from Spain. Among the soldiers accompanying

him was a youth of twenty-two years from the city of Medinadel Campo. It was not alone poverty, but also a thirst for

adventure and the desire to be worthy of his illustrious family,

which drove Bernal Diaz, nicknamed from his pleasing

manners and appearance " the gallant," to seek his fortune in

the New World.

Riches and rewards never fell to his lot in great measure.

Adventures were his in plenty; the years that passed be-

tween hopeful youth and saddened old age knew hardship,

hunger, fatigue, sickness, wounds, and treachery. "Oh what

a troublesome thing it is," he exclaimed in his later years, " to

go and discover new lands, and the risks we took it is hardly

possible to exaggerate!"

His adventures carried him to Panama, Central America,

and Mexico. He took an active part in the conquest of the

last named country, then accompanied Cortes on the perilous

march to Honduras, returning from which he passed through

Guatemala. This region evidently cast a spell over him, for it

was here that he ultimately settled down, married, and finally

at the age of seventy began his True History of the Con-

quest of New Spain, the book which won for him more

laurels of immortality than all his years of arduous fighting.

From his writings, the naivete of which mirrors his charac-

ter on every page, we get a fair idea of the personality of

Bernal Diaz. In the preface to his book he says:

That which I myself have seen and the fighting I have gone

through, with the help of God I will describe, quite simply, as a fair

eye-witness without twisting events one way or the other. I amnow an old man, over eighty-four years of age, and I have lost

my sight and hearing, and, as luck would have it, I have gained

nothing of value to leave to my children and descendants, but

this my true story, and they will presently find out what a wonder-

ful story it is.


1

And at another time:

Many years have passed since I set forth from Spain; dense

clouds have engulfed my soul; one hundred and nineteen battles

have I fought; the laurels of victory have always crowned me; but

there has ever hovered over my head the ominous bird of ill for-

tune. I leave to my children a fulness of honor and abundant

necessity. 1

During his residence in Guatemala he won the love and

respect of all who knew him. He was elected a regidor

perpetuo of the city. In 1557 he was named to carry the

banner in the feast of Santa Cecilia: this same honor was his

three years later on the occasion of the feast of Santiago. Henumbered among his personal friends Fray Bartolome de las

Casas.

He married Teresa Becerra, daughter of one of the con-

querors of Guatemala. Several sons and daughters resulted

from this marriage, and through them has come a long line of

notable descendants. Among these may be mentioned Fran-

cisco Antonio Fuentes y Guzman, who wrote the Recorda-

tion Florida^ a history of colonial times; and, in recent years,

Antonio Batres Jauregui, recipient of honors here and abroad>

and author of numerous works, best known of which is prob-

ably his America Central ante la Historia.

To the end of his days he did not cease to be active, travel-

ling among the villages of Guatemala, or serving the city in

some public office. Even in his last years he refused to use a

bed, from habit acquired during the Conquest, nor was he

able to sleep unless he walked (as he himself wrote) "some

time in the open air, and this without any covering on myhead, neither cap nor handkerchief, and, thanks to God, it did

me no harm."

Bernal Diaz died in 1581 and was buried with honors in the

Cathedral.

1 Batres Jauregui, America Central ante la Historia (Guatemala, 19 15), vol. ur

p. 63.


THE CHURCH AND MONASTERY OF SANFRANCISCO

Settling first at Almolonga shortly after the founding of

that city, the Franciscan friars moved to the new capital fol-

lowing the disaster of 1541. Fray Toribio de Benavente,

better known as Motolinia, 1 with twenty-four of his brethren,

reached Guatemala from Mexico in 1544. They soon madeof the Franciscan monastery the leading one of the com-

munity.

The site which it occupied at the southern end of the Calle

de la Nobleza was larger than two city blocks, and its crum-

bling ruins are among the most impressive in Antigua. Onemay climb a narrow stairway to the second story and look

down upon the cloistered patio surrounded by mossy arches.

Nearby is the oratory with a vaulted ceiling and faint traces

of fresco.

The church had a handsome facade embellished with

twisted columns and eighteen stucco figures of saints. This

stood almost intact until the earthquake of 1917 threw downthe uppermost portion. The roof was a series of domes of

which one only remains. A lower arched ceiling supported

the gallery lavishly decorated in stucco relief.

A single chapel, that of the Tercera Orden, survived the

disaster of 1773, — or was reconstructed thereafter, — and

now constitutes the only portion of the vast pile which is in

use. The carved and gilded door which leads from the chancel

into the sacristy, and a few old altars, suggest the former

glory of the place; yet the chapel is principally noteworthy as

sheltering the tomb of Hermano Pedro, who is, without ex-

ception, the most beloved in memory of all those holy men

1 Fray Toribio was one of the outstanding religious figures of the Conquest of

Mexico. He spent some years in that country, where Cortes (so the story goes)

once stooped and kissed his ragged robes in the presence of many Indians. The

latter, greatly impressed by seeing the magnificent captain humble himself before

a man in tattered garments, muttered the word "motolinia," meaning "poor,"

which name Fray Toribio took for his own. He was noted not more for his

humility than for his zeal in instructing and baptizing the Indians.

A CORNER WINDOW IN THE CASA DE LOS LEONES

PANCHOY AND THE GOLDEN ERA $$

who graced with their presence the ancient city of Santiago

de los Caballeros de Guatemala.

HERMANO PEDRO DE BETANCOURT

The biographers of Hermano Pedro state that he cameof an illustrious family, and was born at Tenerife, CanaryIslands, in the year 1626. 1 At the age of twenty-four he

was seized with a desire to see the New World. Arrived at

Habana, he encountered a vessel laden with merchandise for

Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala; whereupon he ex-

claimed jubilantly: "To that City I wish to go; for as soon as

I heard it mentioned I was filled with an inward joy and great

strength urging me to proceed thither; it being the first time

I have heard the name." 2

When finally he approached the small bridge which com-

mands the entrance to the capital, he fell on his knees and

kissed the ground. Desirous of becoming a priest, he entered

upon a course of study, only to find that, owing to an inherently

poor memory, he was utterly unable to master his books.

Faced with failure after three years of arduous endeavor, he

iWas seized with despair. He had not yet come to know him-

self, nor the real nature of his calling. He walked out of the

city, hoping that by some chance he might be privileged to

suffer martyrdom.

On reaching the village of Petapa he entered the church

and prostrated himself before an image of the Virgin. To her

he poured out his story of struggle and disillusionment.

Whereupon, it is said, the Virgin bent down 3 and comforted

him with gentle words, bidding him return to Santiago, the

city of his spiritual destiny.

1 Doubt is cast upon this statement by a portrait, still extant, which bears evidence

of having been painted in his lifetime. At the bottom is an inscription giving

the date of his death, which has obviously been painted over an earlier one. Ofthe latter can be made out the words "Naci6 en la Villa y Corte de Madrid. ..."

1 This quotation and the account that follows are based on Juarros, op. cit.yvol. I,

pp. 299 et seq.

3 The wooden image, bending forward in a listening attitude, is venerated in Petapa

to this day.


With courage horn anew he retraced his steps. Seeking out

his father confessor, he related all that had passed, and wasadmitted to the brotherhood of the Third Order of the Fran-

ciscans. He then retired to solitude in the Hermitage of Cal-

vario, where he spent a season in fasting and prayer. It wasduring this period that the true light dawned upon him. His

first work, he decided, should be the building of a hospital for

poor convalescents, many of whom, having struggled through

dangerous illnesses, had in the past died from lack of con-

tinued care.

One day in the Indian suburb of Santa Cruz a thatched hut

was offered for sale. 1 The owner (a poor widow) had died, leav-

ing the injunction that the expenses of her funeral should be

defrayed in this manner. Hermano Pedro bought the humble

dwelling for forty pesos, and there established his first hospi-

tal. At the same time he also opened a school for children.

The day soon came when the widow's hut was no longer

adequate. The "Servant of God," as Hermano Pedro wasaffectionately called by the people of the city, obtained per-

mission to construct a substantial hospital and church which

was to stand on a plot of ground situated between San Fran-

cisco and the Rio Pensativo.

The labors of this excellent man had by this time attracted

much attention. Of money and clothes for his convalescents

and needy children there was no lack. The quiet suburb he

had chosen for his humble work became much frequented,

and many flocked to him with offers of personal help. In this

way there grew up almost of itself a society known as the

"Congregation of the Bethlehemites." Its members were

enjoined to follow the example of their leader in bringing the

sick to the hospital on their own shoulders.

The symbol of Bethlehem was of Hermano Pedro's ownchoosing. It was in keeping with his lovable nature and fond-

ness for children that the Bible story of the birth of Christ

should appeal to him above all others. He saw to it that

Christmas was a great festival in his institution. All night

i Related by Jose Milla in his historical novel Los Nazarenos, p. 89.


long crowds would pass in and out of the church (lavishly

decorated for the occasion) to view the "Nacimiento" andpray to the image of the Virgin of Bethlehem. Men, women,and children vied with each other to attend his midnight

mass, "Mass of the Cock" as it is called. Then would follow

dances and games in which the spirit of childhood was dom-inant. Hermano Pedro would ring his bell and lead the pro-

cessions, or play the flute and beat the drum. Gifts were

distributed to all in the name of the Christ Child.

From birth to death the lives of the poor were enriched bythe "Servant of God"; but he did not stop at this. His solici-

tude extended to the welfare of those who had passed on into

the Great Silence, and the stillness of the night was frequently

broken by the tinkling of his bell as he passed along the

cobbled streets calling upon all to pray for the souls of the

departed.

At the end of fifteen years of unselfish service, when his

work had attained its greatest usefulness, the good Brother,

weakened by strenuous labor and self-sacrifice, felt that his

end was drawing near. He died on the 25th of April 1667, andwas tenderly laid to rest; but that which he had begun did not

cease. Today, two and a half centuries later, the sick andneedy of Antigua still kneel before his tomb asking succor of

the "Servant of God."

FRAY RODRIGO DE LA CRUZ AND THEBETHLEHEMITE ORDER

Rodrigo de Arias Maldonado, Pedro de Betancourt's dis-

ciple and successor, was born in Granada of one of the fore-

most families of the Spanish nobility. In 1656 he came to

America with his father, who had been named governor of

Costa Rica, and who died almost immediately upon reaching

his post, which was then filled by the son, at the time scarcely

twenty years of age. The young governor became popular for

his generosity, his fair dealing, and his courage on the field of

battle.


After ten years this dashing cavalier moved to Guatemala,

where he opened a great house and lived in lavish style, tak-

ing a prominent part in the activities of local society. Then a

strange thing happened. Rodrigo de Arias the gallant cameunder the spell of Pedro de Betancourt the lowly. He turned

his back on the world to become a humble member of the

Bethlehemite Congregation. About this time, papers from

the King of Sf>ain arrived, conferring upon him the title of

Marquis of Talamanca, in recognition of his brilliant con-

quest of the Talamancan Indians a few years before. Buthonor and fame no longer interested him.

When Hermano Pedro lay on his deathbed, he entrusted

the continuance of his work to Fray Rodrigo with these

words: "The Order of Bethlehem is to become very great for

the Glory of God, and will have branches in many parts of

the world." Pedro de Betancourt was the inspiration, Fray

Rodrigo the real founder, of an Order which spread to manycountries.

After completing the building of the hospital and church of

Belen, and adding a house for invalid women, Fray Rodrigo

felt he could best serve the cause by travelling in foreign

parts. He went to Spain, then to Rome, where he was success-

ful in getting the Order recognized and confirmed by the

ecclesiastical courts. In Mexico and Peru he established

branch hospitals and churches.

After fifty years of tireless service, he died at Mexico City

in 17 1 6, at the ripe age of seventy-nine years. He was buried

there, in the church which he himself had founded.

THE ESCUELA DE CRISTO

One block to the west of the old hospital of Belen stands

the church known as the Escuela de Cristo. This site was

occupied in early days by the hermitage of San Miguel, which

was maintained for the use of the Indians who lived in the

suburb of Santa Cruz.

Then came Bernardino de Obregon y Ovando, a Nicara-

THE ARCH OF SANTA CATARINA, WITH THE DOME OF

MERCED IN THE DISTANCE


guan priest who had spent some years in the villages of Gua-

temala. In 1664 he obtained permission to take over the

church and found therein the Escuela de Cristo, which he ac-

complished with the assistance of a few devout friends. Thebuilding was destroyed by the earthquakes of 17 17. In its

place was later erected, by order of Governor Rodriguez de

Rivas, a substantial church and convent for the use of the

Congregation of the Oratory of San Felipe Neri, a religious

body devoted to mission work in the near-by villages.

THE WAY OF THE CROSS AND THE CHURCHOF CALVARIO

It was in the time of Hermano Pedro that the brotherhood

of the Franciscans thought of appropriating the Calle de los

Pasos for use as the Via Crucis. As Stations of the Cross,

twelve points were located and a wooden cross installed at

each. For many years Good Friday processions assembled at

the shrine of the Virgin de la Luz— the northern end of the

road, — and, passing slowly southward, finally crossed the

Rio Pensativo and entered the shady Alameda del Calvario.

On the left, at the beginning of this avenue, stands the

ruined chapel of Nuestra Senora de los Remedios. As has

previously been mentioned, the original church of this namewas built at Almolonga, in fulfillment of a promise made by

Jorge de Alvarado.

The Alameda terminates at the hermitage of Calvario, the

founding of which took place in 161 8. The massive stone

cross, which still stands, was erected in commemoration of

this event. The building, finished in 1655, was badly dam-

aged by the earthquake of 17 17, but was rebuilt three years

later. The crosses of the twelve stations were replaced, in

1 69 1, by small domed chapels. Today these stand deserted;

the walls are cracked and overgrown with moss; while day-

light streams through holes in the roofs.

The great stone fountain in the Alameda —- one of the

finest in a city noted for its fountains— dates from 1679.


THE CONVENT OF THE CAPUCHINAS

Juan Bautista Alvarez de Toledo was Guatemalan bybirth. Left an orphan in childhood, he entered at an early age

the Franciscan monastery, where his ability soon becameapparent. Honors were conferred on him both here and

abroad. The University of San Carlos gave him the Doctor's

degree; he was elected Bishop of Chiapas; and finally of his

own city of Santiago de Guatemala.

Many were the good deeds of this man. Churches, con-

vents, schools, and hospitals were blessed by his donations.

His final act was to solicit and obtain permission to establish

in Guatemala a sisterhood of the Capuchin Order.

Five nuns were invited from the mother convent in

Madrid: they set sail but were too late to meet the Bishop,

who died shortly before they reached Guatemala in 1725.

They were welcomed by others, however, and temporarily

installed in the convent of the Carmelitas Descalzas.

On a morning in March, 1726, many carriages might have

been seen drawn up outside the entrance to this convent. TheBishop of Guatemala l stepped out of one of them to receive

the Capuchin nuns. Together they passed in procession to

the Cathedral, whence, bearing the Blessed Sacrament, they

marched to the new convent in the northeast section of the

city.

This was not the building which today stands, however:

the latter was erected by Bishop Gomez de Parada in 1736.

In spite of the fact that it suffered severe damage in 1773, it

still excites the admiration of the visitor. The cloisters with

their massive pillars have remained intact. The most re-

markable feature is generally considered to be the circular

floor surrounded by cells of the nuns. There were also sub-

terranean rooms and extensive patios with fountains and

flowers. Of the church little remains to admire.

As with many of the ruins in Antigua, the once-sacred pre-

cincts are now devoted to worldly purposes. The blackened

1 Nicolas Carlos Gomez de Cervantes.


cloisters shelter looms which produce fine native weavings; in

another part, chips fall from a carpenter's bench. Babies anddogs play together in the dusty patios, while women washclothes at the fountain.

THE CONVENT OF SANTA CLARA

On the same street, southward from the convent of the

Capuchinas, is the park of La Union. At one end is a great

pila or tank for washing clothes. Here women in hand-wovencostumes congregate to exchange the news of the day as they

dip their pans into the running water. At the western end of

the park is the hospital and church of San Juan de Dios, re-

constructed since the earthquake of Santa Marta.

To the east, on the 'Tercera Avenida, is the convent of Santa

Clara, built in 1700 on the spot where stood formerly a house

of mercy for poor women. Of the church little remains; but

the courtyard with its massive fountain, surrounded by a

double tier of graceful arches, is worth a visit.

THE ALAMEDA DE SANTA ROSA

At its northern end, the street of the Capuchinas runs into

the Alameda de Santa Rosa, a tree-lined avenue similar to

that of Calvario. At one time handsome residences flanked it

on either side, but these have disappeared long since. At its

eastern end stands a beautiful ruin, the church of Santa Rosade Lima, surrounded by a flower-filled garden.

Two hermitages may also be glimpsed through the trees in

this quiet corner of Antigua. Northward from Santa Rosa are

the vestiges of Nuestra Senora de Candelaria, which wasunder the jurisdiction of Santo Domingo, and once the center

of a suburb to which it gave its name. In early times the

city market was held about the stone cross which stood in

the square before it.

Not far away was the Beatas Indias. This institution is

worthy of note as recording a laudable effort on the part of


the ecclesiastics of the capital to maintain a religious institu-

tion especially for Indians. It was opened as early as 1550and progressed satisfactorily until 1770,when an attempt wasmade to conduct it as a convent, with a special habit and with

cells for recluses. This change, for some reason, did not please

the Spanish monarch, who revoked the royal license. Fromthat time until the disaster of 1773, when it was destroyed,

the building was used as a school for Indian children.

THE CHURCH AND CONVENT OF SANTA TERESA

The Alameda de Santa Rosa runs westward into the Pri-

mera Calle>passing, at the corner of the Cuarta Avenida, the

roofless church and broken walls of the convent of Santa

Teresa. Here, at the end of the seventeenth century, lived

the nuns of the Carmelitas Descalzas. It was Bernardino de

Obregon y Ovando, the founder of the Escuela de Cristo, whotravelled to Lima personally to bring back three sisters to

establish this order in Guatemala. They arrived in 1677 andreceived hospitality in the Convent of Santa Catarina until

the completion of their own building a few months later.

THE ALAMEDA DE SANTA LUCIA

Passing the Plazuela de la Merced, the Primera Calle joins

finally the northern end of yet another Alameda, — that of

Santa Lucia. On this broad avenue formerly stood the her-

mitage of the same name. This was the first church in the

valley of Panchoy. It was dedicated in 1543 (the year in

which the capital was transferred) for provisional use as the

Cathedral; then, the latter having been established, Santa

Lucia fell gradually into disuse. Time and earthquakes havelong ago succeeded in erasing it completely.

At the southern end of the Alameda stands the Murallon

de Santa Lucia, remnant of an ancient wall which concealed

the outlet for the city sewage. On one side is a brightly

painted picture of the Virgin in bas-relief. Beneath it, in con-

STONE CROSS IN FRONT OF THE

CHURCH OF MERCED

PANCHOY AND THE GOLDEN ERA 6l

densed form, is the following inscription: " Concebida sin

pecado original. Abriose esta zanja para desagiie de la ciudad

y sefabric6 este puente el ano de 1663."

LA RECOLECCION

No visitor to Antigua seriously interested in the history or

architecture of the colonial period should fail to see the

ruined monastery of the Recoleccion.

In this country the story of the Recoletos, or, as they were

also called, those of the Propaganda Fidei, is almost the story

of one man, Fray Antonio Margil, whose saintly character is

comparable in many ways to that of Hermano Pedro de

Betancourt. The lives of both were spent in serving the poor

and afflicted. But he of the Recoleccion was filled also with

the consuming zeal of the missionary. A native of Valencia,

he became in 1673 a monk of the Order of San Francisco in

his own city; soon thereafter he travelled to the New World.

For many years he carried the gospel to the remote parts of

Central America, converting the Indians, as Las Casas had

done, by kindness instead of by force. He was accompanied

by his lifelong friend Fray Melchor Lopez. Following Indian

trails, their clothing torn to rags, often lacking food and al-

ways exposed to hardships, these evangelists worked their

tedious way into the hearts of untamed tribes. Accounts of

the phenomenal success of their undertakings reached Guate-

mala, where there had occurred, just at that time, an uprising

among the Indians of the Vera Paz. Bishop Andres de las

Navas, wisely realizing the fruitlessness of resort to arms, sent

messages to the two friars, begging them to visit the Vera

Paz. They went, and were successful in restoring peace.

Permission was finally requested to found a school in which

to train men for this sort of work. Four friars arrived from

Mexico and temporarily took up residence in the hermitage of

the Calvario.

In 1700 was built the first college of Cristo Crucificado, a

simple building roofed with thatch. It was replaced later by

6l SANTIAGO DE LOS CABALLEROS DE GUATEMALA

that magnificent edifice the shattered remains of which are

so impressive today. Purity of form and smoothness of line

are still visible in rows of broken arches, blackened domes,

and massive pillars. By a sheer miracle one great arch has

survived, though tons of masonry from roofs and domes lie

scattered around in utmost confusion.

Antonio Margil was appointed Guardian. The reputation

and the usefulness of the institution increased to such an

extent that its fame was discussed in Panama, whence a re-

quest was received that a branch should be established in

that country. One of the Recoletos, Jose Godina, left Guate-

mala in 178 1 for this purpose.

The zeal of Fray Antonio would not allow him to enjoy

long the comforts of civilization. Once more he set out, this

time to travel far and wide with his message, until at last, in

1726, weary and broken, he arrived at Mexico City. Death

was not long in overtaking him. His funeral was attended by

all the religious bodies of the Mexican capital.

IV

DIES IRAE, DIES ILLA ..."

IV

"DIES IRAE, DIES ILLA

THE evil genius which had mocked all efforts to maintain

the city of Santiago in Almolonga pursued the capital to

its new location at Panchoy. Hardly a year passed without

bringing in its train some form of calamity. Epidemics, re-

ligious and political dissensions, followed one in the wake of

another. But most disastrous of all were the earthquakes,

from which the city was never free for long. Twelve times it

was badly shaken, and as many times rebuilt by its coura-

geous citizens. 1

Finally, accumulated damage became so great that repair

was almost impossible. Foundations were weakened, walls

stood out of plumb; to plug up the gaping cracks was not

enough. Funds for reconstruction grew ever more scarce;

civic enthusiasm, which had reached its height during the cul-

tural flowering of the seventeenth century, waned steadily.

i Batres Jauregui, op. cit., vol. II, p. 482.


Such were conditions at the beginning of the tragic year:

1773. Frequent tremors were experienced during the early

months; by June they became alarming. Panic seized the

populace. Work of all kinds stopped. The Indians of the

outlying villages were afraid to bring in the usual supplies,

with the result that food became scarce and high-priced.

People moved into the open, preferring the rain to falling

walls and roofs. The archbishop himself fared no better than

the rest: it is recorded that he was obliged to spend several

nights in his coach, which had been dragged to the security of

the Plaza de Armas.

The month of June passed painfully by. Then an interval

of comparative calm restored courage to the hearts of some,

who returned to their homes.

It was not for long, however. On the fateful 29th of July,—-the day of Santa Marta,— the city was shaken so vio-

lently that people rushed screaming from their houses.

And this [writes one x who was there at the time] was sent bydivine mercy as a warning of the ruin to come, for the people were

now cautious and ready to rush to the streets or doorways . . .

which having passed, there followed another shake of such extraor-

dinary violence, that in the space of two minutes all the churches

and houses were thrown to the ground, leaving none standing with

the exception of the Merced, the facade of the Cathedral, SanFelipe Neri, and part of the outside of San Francisco; and of the

latter that which remained was useless, it being cracked open andbroken, so that only divine providence prevented it from falling

with the rest. . . .

The losses, roughly computed, amount to more than forty million

pesos. It makes one sadder still to think of the beauty of the city,

with its delightful streets, houses and buildings. . . .

The city has become pestilential, for the bodies of the dead andof the many animals that have died within the stables have cor-

rupted the air. The fountains have dried up and there is a shortage

of water, which adds still further to the suffering.

Places have been set apart to accommodate the various religious

1 An anonymous manuscript, discovered by Licenciado Jose Rodriguez Cerna,

Consul General of Guatemala in Spain, who sent a copy in 1930 to the govern-

ment of Guatemala and to the Sociedad de Geografia e Historia.

<<DIES IRAE, DIES ILLA . . .

"67

bodies, but it is difficult to gather the members together, for they

are destitute and poor. . . . The Dominicans are the only ones whohave not fared so badly, for they still have rich farms and convents

in the province, but the rest, having lost all, are reduced to begging.

All lament their misfortune. . . . The father seeks his daughter,

the son his mother, the husband his wife, and so with all of them.

The dead bodies are buried without shrouds . . . and without

public attendance, for there is none to see to these matters. . . .

Thus was destroyed the Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de

Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala. Again its inhabit-

ants were faced with the task of rebuilding their city. Thequestion arose once more as to the advisability of transferring

it to a safer locality, and was hotly debated. To abandon the

capital that for two hundred and thirty years had been the

grandest city from Mexico to Lima was by no means an easy

matter. The ecclesiastical bodies, the greater part of whosewealth was vested in lands and buildings, urged that they

remain. Their arguments, however, were overruled, and in

1775 the King of Spain authorized the removal of the capital

to the Valle de las Vacas.

In the new setting, despite occasional disasters, there has

grown up the modern city of Nueva Guatemala de la Asun-

cion. Meanwhile Antigua lies at rest in the shadow of the

volcanos. The sunlit hours of a peaceful old age are passed in

dreamy contemplation. The calm of today is a fitting con-

clusion to the tale of a tumultuous past.

INDEX

INDEX

Adelantado, death of the 21

Almolonga, founding of the colony at 13

destruction of 21

abandoned in favor of Panchoy 27

Alvarado, Gonzalo de 14

Alvarado, Jorge de 15

Alvarado, Don Pedro de, biographical notes 5,

6

dispatched to conquer Guatemala 5

returns to Spain 15

marriage of I 5> 1 ^

second voyage to Spain 16

expedition to Peru 15

starts for the Spice Islands 20

death of 21

tomb of 37Alvarez de Toledo, Juan Bautista 58Architecture of Antigua 28

Augustinian monastery, establishment of the first 40Avendana, Don Diego de, governor 34Ayuntamiento, palace of the 35

Beatas Indias 59Benavente, Fray Toribio de (Motolinia) 52Betancourt, Hermano Pedro de 53Betanzos, Fray Domingo 17

Bethlehemite Order 55

Cakchiquels, description of the 3invasion of Guatemala described by the 7revolt of the 14

Calle de la Nobleza 48Calvario, Alameda del 57Calvario, church of 57Capuchinas, convent of the 58Carmelitas Descalzas 58,60Casa del Fiscal de la Real Audiencia 48Casa de los Leones 42Casas Reales 32Castilla y Rojas, Don Antonio Peraza Ayala, governor 34Cathedral, the 36Cerrato, Don Alonso Lopez de, governor ^3Ciudad Vieja 23

J2 INDEXCompania de Jesus, monastery of the 40Conception, convent of Nuestra Senora de la 29Cortes, arrival in Mexico of 4

sends Alvarado to conquer Guatemala 5marches to Honduras 14

Cristo, Crucificado 61

Cruz, Fray Rodrigo de la 55Cueva, Dona Beatriz de la 16

becomes governor of the colony 21

death of 11Cueva, Francisco de la 11

Diaz del Castillo, Bernal 49tomb of 37

Dominican monastery, establishment of the first 17

Escuela de Cristo, the 56

Fernandez de Cordova, Bishop Gomez 30Franciscan monastery, establishment of the first 19

Gage, Friar Thomas, describes convent of La Concepci6n 30describes monastery of Sto. Domingo 47describes Barrio of Sto. Domingo 48

Godines, Juan, army chaplain 7Gomera, Conde de la, governor 34Gomez de Parada, Bishop 58

Hermano Pedro {see Betancourt, Hermano Pedro de)

Ibarra, Don Francisco de 40Infantas y Mendoza, Doctor don Luis de las 48Invasion of Guatemala described by the Cakchiquels 6

Iximche, location of 3arrival of Alvarado at 6

fall of 9

Jesuit monastery and college 40

Landecho, Don Juan Nunez de, governor 33Landivar, Rafael, birthplace of 41

Las Casas, Fray Bartolome de 43arrives in Guatemala 18, 19

La Union, park of 59Lopez, Fray Melchor 61

INDEX 73

Maldonado, Donna Juana de 30Margil, Fray Antonio 61

Marroquin, Bishop Francisco, arrives in Guatemala 18

residence of 32tomb of 37

Mayorga, Don Martin de, governor 3$Merced, Church and Monastery of 42Mercedarian monastery, establishment of the first 19Motolinia (see Benavente, Fray Toribio de)

Nuestra Sefiora de Candelaria, church of 59Nuestra Sefiora de la Conception, convent of 29Nuestra Sefiora de los Remedios, chapel of 19, 57Nuestra Sefiora del Socorro, image of '

37

Obregon y Ovando, Bernardino de 56, 60

Palace of the Captains General 32Panchoy 28

Plaza, Fray Juan de la 41

Plaza de Armas 32

Real Casa de la Moneda 35Recoleccion, la (monastery) 61

Religious orders, arrival of the first 17

Rodriguez, Rafael Gil 39Rodriguez de Rivas, Don Francisco, governor 34Rueda, Don Pedro Mayen de, governor 33

San Agustin, church of 39San Felipe Neri 57San Francisco, church and monastery of 52Sanchez de Berrospe, Don Gabriel, governor 34Santa Catarina, church and convent of 42

arch of 42Santa Clara, convent of 59Santa Lucia, Alameda de 60

hermitage of 28, 60

Murallon de 60

Santa Marta, earthquake of 66Santa Rosa, Alameda de 59Santa Rosa de Lima, church of 59Santa Teresa, church and convent of 60Santiago de los Caballeros, founding of the first city of 7

second city of 16

third city of 28

destruction of the second city of 21

destruction of the third city of 67

74 INDEXSanto Domingo, monastery of 46Suarez, Don Pedro Crespo 39

Talamanca, Marquis of 56Tunatiuh (Tonatio), nickname of Alvarado 6

University of San Carlos . . . .• 38

Virgen de la Piedad, image of 37Virgen del Socorro, image of 37Visitador, functions of the 34

Way of the Cross 57

Zufiiga, Fray Francisco 40

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