﻿312 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  or 
  mountainous. 
  There 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  large 
  river 
  in 
  Salvador, 
  the 
  

   Lempa, 
  which 
  traverses 
  nearly 
  the 
  whole 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

   There 
  are 
  several 
  large 
  lakes, 
  occupying 
  old 
  craters, 
  the 
  best 
  known 
  

   of 
  which 
  are 
  Giiija, 
  Coatepeque, 
  and 
  Ilopango. 
  

  

  Of 
  all 
  the 
  natural 
  features 
  the 
  volcanoes 
  are 
  no 
  doubt 
  the 
  most 
  

   interesting, 
  and 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  inextricably 
  interwoven 
  

   with 
  their 
  activities. 
  They 
  constitute 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  active 
  seismic 
  

   regions 
  of 
  the 
  globe, 
  and 
  their 
  eruptions, 
  resulting 
  in 
  great 
  loss 
  of 
  

   life 
  and 
  damage 
  to 
  property, 
  have 
  been 
  all 
  too 
  frequent 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  

   few 
  hundred 
  years. 
  The 
  Volcano 
  of 
  Santa 
  Ana 
  is 
  quiescent 
  at 
  the 
  

   present 
  time, 
  and 
  its 
  slopes 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  rich 
  coffee 
  plantations 
  ; 
  

   but 
  formerly 
  it 
  was 
  more 
  active, 
  and 
  an 
  eruption 
  occurred 
  in 
  1885. 
  

   Its 
  neighbor, 
  the 
  Volcano 
  of 
  Izalco, 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  mountain 
  

   of 
  Central 
  America, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  history 
  which 
  is 
  paralleled 
  in 
  interest 
  

   only 
  by 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Volcano 
  of 
  Jorullo 
  in 
  Mexico. 
  Accounts 
  disagree 
  

   as 
  to 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  its 
  development, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  

   in 
  existence 
  in 
  1637, 
  its 
  site 
  being 
  occupied 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  by 
  a 
  mere 
  

   fumarole 
  or 
  ausol, 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  a 
  plain. 
  According 
  to 
  

   some 
  authors, 
  its 
  growth 
  began 
  about 
  1740, 
  but 
  according 
  to 
  others 
  

   not 
  until 
  1770. 
  At 
  any 
  rate, 
  its 
  period 
  of 
  active 
  development 
  began 
  

   abruptly, 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  violent 
  outbreak 
  that 
  took 
  place 
  in 
  1798 
  it 
  

   grew 
  rapidly, 
  attaining 
  almost 
  its 
  present 
  size 
  within 
  about 
  30 
  

   years. 
  It 
  now 
  has 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  over 
  6,000 
  feet, 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  symmetri- 
  

   cal 
  cone 
  of 
  forbidding 
  aspect, 
  devoid 
  of 
  vegetation 
  over 
  the 
  greater 
  

   part 
  of 
  its 
  slopes. 
  It 
  is 
  still 
  active, 
  and 
  an 
  extensive 
  flow 
  of 
  lava 
  

   ran 
  down 
  its 
  side 
  in 
  1920. 
  Smoke 
  rises 
  from 
  the 
  crater 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  

   of 
  the 
  time, 
  and 
  flames 
  are 
  often 
  seen 
  at 
  night, 
  their 
  frequence 
  upon 
  

   its 
  summit, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  full 
  view 
  from 
  the 
  sea, 
  having 
  given 
  it 
  the 
  

   name 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Lighthouse 
  of 
  Central 
  America." 
  

  

  The 
  Volcano 
  of 
  San 
  Salvador, 
  although 
  not 
  the 
  highest, 
  is 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  one 
  of 
  Salvador, 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  proximity 
  to 
  the 
  cap- 
  

   ital, 
  a 
  city 
  of 
  some 
  80,000 
  inhabitants. 
  San 
  Salvador 
  lies 
  in 
  a 
  valley 
  

   to 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  the 
  significant 
  name 
  of 
  Valle 
  de 
  las 
  Hamacas, 
  

   k 
  ' 
  Valley 
  of 
  Hammocks." 
  This 
  valley 
  has 
  been 
  rocked 
  repeatedly 
  by 
  

   violent 
  earthquake 
  shocks, 
  and 
  a 
  less 
  persistent 
  people 
  would 
  long 
  

   ago 
  have 
  abandoned 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  capital 
  in 
  despair— 
  although, 
  to 
  

   tell 
  the 
  truth, 
  it 
  is 
  hard 
  to 
  tell 
  where 
  in 
  Salvador 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  possible 
  

   to 
  fix 
  upon 
  a 
  site 
  free 
  from 
  similar 
  dangers. 
  On 
  several 
  occasions 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  necessary 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  seat 
  of 
  government 
  temporarily 
  to 
  

   other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Eepublic. 
  Tremors 
  of 
  the 
  earth, 
  slight 
  but 
  suf- 
  

   ficiently 
  strong 
  to 
  be 
  readily 
  perceptible, 
  are 
  so 
  frequent 
  as 
  to 
  at- 
  

   tract 
  little 
  attention. 
  Not 
  all 
  of 
  these, 
  it 
  is 
  believed, 
  are 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  

   action 
  of 
  this 
  volcano, 
  but 
  some 
  at 
  least 
  are 
  thought 
  to 
  originate 
  in 
  

  

  