CHAPTER X 
Juigalpa—A Nicaraguan family—Description of the road from Juigalpa 
to Santo Domingo—Comparative scarcity of insects in Nicaragua 
in 1872—Water-bearing plants—Insect traps—The south-western 
edge of the forest region—Influence of cultivation upon it— 
Sagacity of the mule. 
THE site of Juigalpa is beautifully chosen, as is usual with 
the old Indian towns. It is on a level dry piece of land, 
about three hundred feet above the river. A rocky brook 
behind the town supplies the water for drinking and cooking 
purposes. The large square or plaza has the church at one 
end; on the other three sides are red-tiled adobe houses and 
stores, with floors of clay or red bricks. Streets branch off 
at right angles from the square, and are crossed by others. 
The best houses are those nearest the square. Those on the 
outskirts are mere thatched hovels, with open sides of bamboo 
poles. The house I stayed at was at the corner of one of the 
square blocks, and from the angle the view extended in four 
directions along the level roads. Each way the prospect 
was bounded by hills in the distance. North-east were the 
white cliffs of the Amerrique range, mantled with dark wood. 
The intervening country could not be seen, and only a small 
portion of the range itself; framed in, as it were, by the sides 
of the street. It looked close at hand, like a piece of artificial 
rockery, or the grey walls of a castle covered with ivy. The 
range to the south-west is several miles distant; and is called 
San Miguelito by the Spaniards, but I could not learn its 
Indian name. 
Our host was a musician, and his wife attended to the 
guests. As usual, a number of relations lived with them, 
including the mother of our hostess and two of her brothers. 
It was a very fair sample of a family amongst what may be 
called the middle class in Nicaragua. The master of the 
house plays occasionally in a band at dances and festas, and 
holds a respectable position at Juigalpa, where the highest 
families keep stores and shops. 
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