INVESTIGATIONS IN CENTRAL AND S OTTTH AM E K I C A 9 



obtain a new set of laborers for the next month, and tliat tlie negro carpenter, who 

 had been at work in Salinas, was returning to Coban, his home, I joined them. I 

 had to return in the same manner as I came — on foot, — for the greater part of the 

 path leading from Coban to the Salinas cannot be passed in the saddle, and even 

 a pedestrian is required to be constantly on his guard to proceed in safety. At 

 two points where the path crosses the spurs of the mountain chain, — Voloneb, is 

 placed a ladder made of a notched tree, to facilitate the climbing of the rock. 



Our travelling party was quite interesting, each member of it representing a 

 different race. The white race was personated by myself; the African, by the 

 carpenter; the American, by the man who carried my luggage. The mayor domo 

 was white and American mixed. 



A little distant from the path, in a hut where we rested, was a woman suckling 

 her son, five years old. 



In the hamlet of Jaschkanal (German spelling), the Alcalde had a tree before his 

 door, the fruit of which brought him five dollars every year. Really, there were three 

 trees standing together, the interlacing branches forming apparently but one of the 

 size of an ordinary pear-tree. One of these was a cacao, the fruit of which usually 

 brought three dollars; another was a wild cacao tree, with a fruit of inferior quality, 

 and the third was a calabash tree. From tliis single instance, the man must have 

 known how profitable it would be to possess more cacao trees ; nevertheless, he did 

 not plant any, although they need no care except to protect them from the sun 

 when they are first set out. 



I took the road to San Pedro de Carcha, the largest town exclusively Indian 

 in Guatemala ; the number of its inhabitants is said to be 30,000. The greater 

 part of the people belonging to this community do not live in the town, but on 

 their milpas or maize-fields, on which they also raise beans, and occasionally 

 other vegetables, such as pumpkins, etc., and where also they plant fruit trees 

 or plantains. Many of these fields are some miles distant from their dwellings. 

 The people live there either during the whole year, or the greater part of it, 

 from the planting till after harvest, and come to the town only on festival occasions. 

 This propensity for living secluded from any other community is general all over 

 Central America. 



San Pedro de Carcha is the richest curacy in Guatemala. The annual income 

 of the bishop amounts to 30,000 dollars. His place is always filled by a Dominican 

 friar, who appropriates from his income only a certain sum for his personal use; the 

 rest he must transmit to his convent. His parishioners are very loyal, and do not 

 annoy him much. It is different with the community of Santa Catalina, Istawhuacan 

 (German spelling), the second town in size, population, and wealth. The income 

 of the Gura in that place reaches to 25,000 dollars ; but his flock, apparently the 

 descendants of a different tribe, are not as docile as that of San Pedro, and are 

 continually having" difficulties with their spiritual adviser, who seldom remains 

 longer than two years. 



I went to San Pedro de Carcha in the hope of seeing the aboriginal writings which 

 this town possesses. After repeated meetings wliich tlie Common Coinicil held 

 to discuss the propriety of my examining these books, which are in chai'ge of a spe- 



2 March, 1878. 



