NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



597 



There is a rainy season of several 

 months' duration, followed by a severe 

 dry season, during which vegetation 

 turns brown and many plants lose their 

 leaves. Scattered small trees and 

 scrubby forest occurs throughout, while 

 the entire plain supports a heavy growth 

 of grass during the wet season. Pro- 

 ceeding inland from the coast the trees 

 become gradually larger and more 

 numerous, until the rain forest is 

 reached. The latter occupies a belt 

 along the lower slopes of the volcanoes, 

 extending from levels of 1000 or 1500 up 

 to 5000 or 6000 ft. 



There are three ports on the Pacific 

 coast, of which two only are important. 

 These are Champerico and San Jose*. 

 Thirty or 40 mi. back from the coast are 

 a number of prosperous towns which 

 serve as centers of agricultural activity. 

 From north to south the most important 

 of these are Ayutla, Coatepeque, Retal- 

 huleu, Mazatenango and Escuintla. 

 The plain is generally thinly populated, 

 particularly near the coast. Along the 

 foot of the sierra are numerous coffee 

 plantations and several large sugar 

 estates. 



2. The mountain range which rises 

 at the northern edge of the coastal 

 plain forms the main watershed between 

 the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Its 

 summit is not a well defined crest; it is 

 rounded in places, and elsewhere vol- 

 canic cones reach up to great heights. 

 Tacana (about 13,000 ft.) is the dividing 

 line between Mexico and Guatemala. 

 Almost due east of this peak is Taju- 

 mulco, whose elevation is nearly 14,000 

 ft. Southeastward is Santa Maria at 

 whose northern base lies the city of 

 Quezaltenango. Not far to the east and 

 slightly south of this city is the beautiful 

 lake of Atitlan, surrounded by the 

 volcanoes of S. Pedro, Toliman, and 

 Atitlan. Continuing toward the south- 

 east, the volcanoes Acatenango and 

 Fuego rise from the western side of the 

 valley of Antigua, while on the east is 

 the Volcan de Agua (12,300 ft.). 

 Between this group and the volcano 

 Pacaya is the lake of Amatitlan. Pa- 



caya is the southernmost peak of con- 

 sequence, the territory between this 

 point and the Salvadorian frontier 

 being a series of broken hills and ridges, 

 with small valleys here and there. 

 Santa Maria, Fuego and Pacaya have 

 all been in eruption during the past half 

 century. 



This mountainous region, gradually 

 becoming lower as it approaches the 

 border of Salvador, is characterized 

 toward the northwestern part of Guate- 

 mala by rain forest along the southern 

 slopes, and by oak and pine forests at 

 elevations between 6000 and 10,000 ft. 

 approximately. The Indians long ago 

 cleared the native vegetation from 

 most of the lands suitable for 

 cultivation. 



The climate in the inhabited regions 

 of the sierra is cool and practically 

 identical with that of the plateau region 

 which reaches out to the north and east. 

 Rainfall is scanty at the higher eleva- 

 tions, and severe frosts occur at 8000 ft. 

 This region is known as tierra fria and 

 is often referred to in literature as 

 having the climate of the Temperate 

 Zone. It should not be inferred, how- 

 ever, that the minimum temperatures 

 experienced in any of the inhabited 

 parts of Guatemala are as low as those 

 of the temperate zone proper. The 

 highest settlements are at elevations 

 scarcely exceeding 10,000 ft. It is 

 doubtful if the mercury goes below 20 

 F. at such altitudes in Guatemala. 

 Occasionally, it goes as high as 75. 



3. The region known as Los Altos 

 comprises most of the Departments of 

 Huehuetenango, Totonicapan, Chimal- 

 tenango, Guatemala, and portions of 

 Quezaltenango, Solola and Suchitepe- 

 quez. While generally held to be a 

 plateau, it is extremely broken in 

 character, and nowhere are there plains 

 of great extent. Its mean elevation is 

 probably between 6000 and 7000 ft. 

 Toward the western side where it ap- 

 proaches the volcanoes, the mean ele- 

 vation is somewhat greater than toward 

 the east. Throughout all this region, 

 which has been cultivated by the In- 



