36 VALLEYS OF AEAGUA AND VALENCIA. 



cumference of its trunk thirty, dimensions less tlian those 

 of other trees of the siimc kind growing in the vicinity. 

 But its beauty and attraction consist in the extension of 

 its branches, which spread out on every side to the dis- 

 tance of nearly a hundred feet, making a spherical sum- 

 mit of about six hundred feet in circumference. Its small, 

 l^innated leaves form a most delicate foliage, which con- 

 trasts curiously with the gigantic size of the tree, and add 

 greatly to its beauty. The age of the Saman de Guere 

 must be very great, for tradition only tells of its anti- 

 quity. It was held in great veneration by the natives at 

 the time of the Spanish Conquest, and is now carefully 

 preserved by the government. Humboldt makes mention 

 of it, as seen by him during his visit to the country in 

 1800, when it was, he says, in the same state of preserva- 

 tion in which the first conquerors found it. It has since 

 been observed with increased interest and attention by 

 travellers, and no change has been noticed in its appear- 

 ance during the half century or more that has followed. 

 But there it stands, green and vigorous, as in the days 

 when first the aborigines of the country reclined in the 

 shade of its forest-top, even then rocked by the blasts of 

 many ages. It is more than probable that it Avill with- 

 stand for centuries yet to come the fury of tropical tem- 

 pests, an object of wonder and reverence to the traveller 

 v/ho shall journey through the valley of Aragua. 



Four leagues westward of Turmero, and six from Vic- 

 toria, is Maracai. a town of some eight thousand inhabit- 

 ants, where we stopped for breakfast. For the first and 

 only time while in the country we saw a woman seat her- 

 self at the table in company with men. Among the bet- 

 ter class of Venezuelians it is customary for ladies to take 

 their meals in their rooms, having them brought by ser- 

 vants ; while among the middle and lower classes the 

 women wait until their lords have eaten, when they take 



