﻿THE 
  REPUBLIC 
  OF 
  SALVADOR. 
  

  

  By 
  Paul 
  C. 
  Standley. 
  

  

  [With 
  16 
  plates.] 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  five 
  Central 
  American 
  countries 
  there 
  is 
  none 
  so 
  little 
  

   known 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  as 
  El 
  Salvador, 
  the 
  least 
  in 
  area 
  of 
  all 
  

   the 
  American 
  Republics. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  small 
  size 
  that 
  so 
  

   little 
  is 
  known 
  about 
  it, 
  but 
  rather 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  somewhat 
  remote 
  

   geographic 
  position, 
  and 
  moreover 
  it 
  often 
  suffers 
  innocently 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  of 
  confusion 
  of 
  its 
  name 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  tiny 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  

   Bahamas. 
  Mention 
  the 
  name 
  Salvador 
  to 
  almost 
  any 
  American, 
  

   even 
  a 
  person 
  of 
  presumably 
  good 
  education, 
  and 
  too 
  often 
  it 
  evokes 
  

   a 
  remark, 
  "Oh, 
  yes, 
  the 
  island 
  on 
  which 
  Columbus 
  landed;" 
  and 
  

   when 
  the 
  Republic 
  is, 
  infrequently, 
  distinguished 
  from 
  Columbus's 
  

   first 
  landing 
  place, 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  too 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  relegated 
  to 
  some 
  indefi- 
  

   nite 
  location 
  in 
  South 
  America. 
  

  

  That 
  Salvador 
  has 
  been 
  less 
  visited 
  by 
  North 
  Americans 
  and 
  is 
  

   less 
  known 
  to 
  them 
  than 
  the 
  neighboring 
  Republics 
  of 
  Guatemala, 
  

   Honduras, 
  and 
  Nicaragua, 
  results 
  chiefly 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  lies 
  

   wholly 
  upon 
  the 
  Pacific 
  slope 
  of 
  Central 
  America 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  

   of 
  these 
  States 
  that 
  does 
  not 
  possess 
  an 
  Atlantic 
  coast. 
  It 
  is, 
  be- 
  

   sides, 
  rather 
  difficult 
  of 
  access 
  from 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  except 
  from 
  

   California, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  Americans 
  likely 
  to 
  visit 
  it 
  are 
  commercial 
  

   travelers 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  tourists 
  who 
  land 
  for 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  day 
  while 
  

   their 
  steamers 
  lie 
  at 
  anchor 
  to 
  take 
  on 
  cargo 
  at 
  one 
  of 
  its 
  three 
  ports. 
  

  

  Salvador 
  was 
  explored 
  in 
  1524 
  by 
  Pedro 
  de 
  Alvarado, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   associates 
  of 
  Hernan 
  Cortes, 
  conqueror 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  who 
  fought 
  his 
  

   way 
  against 
  the 
  hostile 
  occupants 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  until 
  he 
  reached 
  

   their 
  chief 
  town, 
  Cuscatlan, 
  which 
  was 
  situated 
  near 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  

   present 
  capital, 
  San 
  Salvador. 
  Soon 
  afterward 
  permanent 
  Spanish 
  

   settlements 
  were 
  established, 
  which 
  now 
  have 
  a 
  history 
  extending 
  

   over 
  nearly 
  four 
  centuries 
  — 
  centuries 
  of 
  peace 
  and 
  quiet 
  if 
  we 
  may 
  

   judge 
  by 
  the 
  scant 
  accounts 
  of 
  them 
  that 
  have 
  come 
  down 
  to 
  us. 
  

   Salvador's 
  boundaries, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  Central 
  American 
  

   States, 
  have 
  remained 
  nearly 
  always 
  the 
  same. 
  More 
  isolated 
  than 
  

   its 
  sister 
  countries 
  from 
  the 
  ordinary 
  trade 
  routes, 
  it 
  passed 
  a 
  peace- 
  

   55379—24 
  21 
  309 
  

  

  