220 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



heat with a fire ; then the person who is to bathe, strips and washes 

 himself with hot water or they give him a good scrubbing, and then 

 he gets into this furnace, which is hot or heated, and he sweats 

 away there as long as he can stand it ; then he comes out, wraps 

 himself up and gets into bed ; in this way if they have tumors 

 (syphilis) or any other trouble, they sweat it out immediately and 

 become perfectly well. This method is likewise used by some of the 

 Spaniards, men and women, and seemed to me very healthful and 

 beneficial ; I did not see it in any other part of all the Indies I visited. 



622. The city has a fine and enjoyable outlook, and on every 

 quarter one can make pleasant excursions from it, with numerous 

 Indian villages and pleasure gardens, in which, besides large num- 

 bers of fruit trees, they grow all sorts of Spanish products ; what 

 with the fertility of the soil, the excellent climate and the fine water, 

 they grow tall and luxuriant. The trees are all green the whole year 

 through, laden with flowers, leaves, and fruit, making it all seem 

 one spring. 



Chapter X 



Continuing the Description of Guatemala, With Its Avenues of 

 Exit and Its Highways. 



623. Besides the above, this city has on every side pleasant and 

 sightly avenues for excursions, with many Indian villages, orchards, 

 and gardens full of fruit trees and flowers, thanks to the good climate, 

 equable the entire year. The village of San Cristobal lies on a height 

 within view of the city ; here one finds all the kinds of fruit men- 

 tioned, with many capulies (which are like Spanish mazard cherries), 

 figs, peaches, apples, all in abundance. The view embraces many 

 other villages of equal attractiveness, both in the valley, on the tops 

 of those ridges, and on the slopes of the volcano. 



624. Near the Old City toward the Fire Volcano there are famous 

 hot baths, where the city has put up a bathhouse with rooms and 

 compartments for invalids, since the waters are very health-giving. 

 At this spot there are large banana plantations and many other fruit 

 trees, both of Spanish and native sorts, so that everything makes 

 it appear that God has set the earthly Paradise here. 



625. The city is most abundantly and cheaply supplied with every 

 kind of foodstuffs. A fanega (about i.6 bushel) of wheat is usually 

 worth 2 tostones, i.e., 8 reals (one dollar) ; one of chickpeas, 5 reals; 

 a hen. i real; 16 pounds of beef, i real; an arroba (25 pounds) of 

 sugar, 16 reals, and everything else in the same ratio. This district 

 contains large cattle, sheep, and hog ranches, quantities of horses 



