GUA 
- tities also of conserves and sweetmeats are srepared for 
exportation.—Guanta, about four leagues north-west of 
— the city of Guamanga, and about thirty leagues in 
- lens likewise a temperate and fruitful district. It 
‘is diversified by numerous heights, woodlands, and 
ese alts rich in fruits-and pastures, Its silver 
nines, which were formerly very rich, are now almost 
exhausted; but there are still many of lead; and this 
metal, together with salt and provisions, are its princi- 
5 artieles of trade—-Vilcas Guaman, about seven 
a south-east of Guamanga, is celebrated for its 
esculent vegetables and fine pastures, and breeds vast 
quantities of cattle. The natives are employed in va- 
rious manufactures, icularly. woollen stuffs, which 
are carried: to Cusco and -other provinces, There is 
still remaining in this district one of the old Indian 
- fortifications. —Andaguaylas, to the south of Guamanga, 
extends about twenty miles eastward, between two 
branches of the Cordillera, and is watered by a number 
_ of small rivers descending from the hills. This exten- 
sive valley produces all kinds of fruit and grain, par- 
ticularly maize and sugar cane. It is one of the most 
populous districts in the country; and in it many of 
the wealthier inhabitants of Guamanga have large su- 
' gar plantations.—Guanca Velica, or Huanca-Belica, 
commencing about thirty leagues north of Guamanga, 
is a bleak, hilly, and barren district... It produces little 
fruit or grain, and its inhabitants are supplied with pro- 
visions the neighbouring countries. It is chiefly 
celebrated for an immense and apparently inexhaustible 
mine of quicksilver, to the working of which the inha- 
bitants owe their chief subsistence. In the mountains 
are many shells and marine substances ; and:in a river 
_ near the principal town such large petrifactions are 
_ formed, that they are frequently used in building houses 
and other works.—Angares, about twenty leagues west- 
“north-west from Guamanga, and about twenty leagues 
_in extent, is tolerably temperate and fruitful, and yields 
_ vast herds of all kinds of cattle —Castro Virreyna, south- 
‘west of Guamanga, is of very various temperature, but 
in its bleakest parts its greatest wealth is found. This 
consists in the wool of a species of sheep called Vicun- 
na, which had been improvidently hunted down for the 
_ sake of its fleece, and which is now to be found only in 
_ the coldest heathy spots.—Parina-Cocha,. about twenty 
_ leagues south of Guamanga, is fertile in grain, and rich 
‘in pastures’; and its mountains contain several mines of 
a and silver, which yield these metals in great abun- 
ce, and supply its principal article of commerce.— 
Lucanas, about thirty laeine south-south-west of Gua- 
_ manga, is of a cold temperature, but its vegetable pro- 
- ductions are abundant, and its herds of cattle numerous. 
‘It abounds in rich mines of silver, and isthe centre of a 
_ very considerable commerce.. See Ulloa’s Voyage to South 
America, vol.ii.; and Playfair’s Geography, vol. vi. (q) 
; GUANAXUATO, an intendancy of New Spain, lies 
_ between the 20° 55’ and the 21° 30’ North Lat. and is 
wholly situated on the ridge of the Cordillera of Ana- 
thuac. Its length; from the lake of Chapala to the north- 
east of San Felipe, is fifty-two leagues, and its breadth, 
from the Villa de Leon to Celaya, is thirty-one. Its 
a ona cities are, Guanaxuato, or as it is also called 
_ Santa Fe de Gonnajoato, in 21° 0’ 9” North Lat. built 
by the Spaniards in 1554, surrounded with mines, and 
' containing 70,600 inhabitants; Salamanca, a neat little 
we can therefore. describe only under its ancient divisions. 
535 
GUA 
town situated in a plain; Celaya, in which are seve- Guatimala. 
ral splendid balldings, and particularly a magnificent ““y— 
i 
church of the Carmelites ; Villa de Leon, in the midst 
of a highly fruitful district ; and San Miguel el Grande, 
celebrated for its industrious inhabitants, who are em- 
ployed in cotton manufactures. The province, which 
1s part of the old kingdom of Mechoacan, was first cul. 
tivated by the Europeans in the sixteenth century, who 
expelled the Indian tribes of hunters and shepherds, 
and supplied their place with colonies of Mexican or 
Aztec Indians. During a considerable period agricul- 
ture made greater progress than mining, and during 
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, most of the 
mines were entirely abandoned. But, during the last 
forty years, the mines of Guanaxuato have yielded a 
reater metallic produce than Potosi, or any other mine 
in the two continents ; and it is now the first mining 
district in America. Of the situation and products of 
its mines, a minute description is given by M. Hum- 
boldt, both in the historical account of his travels, and 
in his Political Essay on New Spain, vol. iii. p. 169. 
One of these mines alone, that of Valentiana, which has 
been known only for forty years, has sometimes furnish- 
ed, in one year, as much silver as the whule kingdom 
of Peru. This fine province also is, relatively, the most 
populous in New Spain. Its superficial extent is onl 
911 square leagues, and it contains 517,300 inhabitants, 
which gives 586 to every square league. The principal 
natural curiosity in this province, are the hot wells of 
San Jose de Comangillas, which issue from a basaltic 
opening, and of which the temperature was found to be 
205°.3 of Fahrenheit. See Humboldt’s Political Es- 
say on New Spain. (q 
GUATIMALA, one of the three audiences or king- 
doms into which Mexico or New Spain was inet 
divided, lies between 74° and 22° North Lat. extend-- 
ing upwards of 300 leagues along the south coast, and 
in no place exceeding 160 in breadth. It is in some 
parts extremely narrow, and on the north coast is deep- 
ly indented by the Bay of Honduras. It has been di- 
vided into thirteen provinces, according to some ac- 
counts, and according to others into eight, The latter 
of these is. here adopted, because it best corresponds 
with the map given in this work, and also because the 
limits of the thirteen departments have not hitherto 
been accurately ascertained.* Veragua, the most south- 
ern province, and bordering on Panama, is about fifty 
leagues from west to east, and from nine to twenty- 
seven in breadth. It was discovered by Columbus in 
1502, and was granted to him and his posterity as a re- 
ward of his services. Its coasts are low, and full of 
brushwood ; but the interior parts are hilly, covered 
with forests very imperfectly explored, but known to 
abound in rich silver mines, Its principal river Vera- 
is remarkable for the verdant hue of its waters ; 
and from this circumstance its discoverer gave it the 
name of Verdes Aquas, Its principal towns are, Con- 
ception, considered as the capital of the province, a- 
small place situated near a river of the same name ; 
Santiago al Angel, built in 1521, but frequently de- 
stroyed and. restored; Santa Fé, a small town and 
bishop’s see in the middle of the province ; and Pueblo 
Nuevo, or New Town, situated in an unhealthy spot at 
the mouth of a river, about twenty-three leagues south- 
west of Santa Fé. There are besides upwards of thir- 
® The celebrated traveller M. Humboldt hag furnished a complete description of the modern division of New Spain into Intenden- 
ties; but he has not touched upon the portion comprehended in. Guatimala, for which he mentions that he had no data, and whieh 
4 
