GUA 
“Guatimale. teen villages inhabited by Indians. Costa Rica, or 
—\~"_ Rich Coast, north-west of Veragua, is from fifty to sixty 
leagues in length, and forty in breadth, It consists 
chiefly of mountainous and woody deserts, and is thin- 
ly inhabited and little cultivated. Its mines were for- 
merly productive, but have been abandoned on account 
of the difficulty of working them ; and its chief articles 
of trade are hides, honey, and wax. Its principal town 
is Cartago, a small place and Bishop’s see in the interior 
of the province, where the governor resides, Nicaragua, 
in 12° North Latitude, is about 80 leagues in length, 
and 50 in breadth, running from north-west to south- 
‘east, between Costa Rica and Honduras. It consists for 
the most part of high woody mountains, in which are 
some volcanoes, but no mines. There is a large lake, 
‘200 miles in circumference, in the south-west, which 
‘communicates with the Atlantic ocean by the river St 
Juan. Its vallies are well watered, and its principal 
products are timber of great size, cotton, sugar, honey, 
wax, cochineal, and fruits. Its chief towns are Leon 
de Nicaragua, a place of considerable trade, on the 
‘north-west border of the lake, several leagues from the 
. south coast ; and Granada, a populous and trading town 
‘on the west border of the lake, near a rugged volcanic 
‘mountain. The eastern coast is surrounded with shoals, 
and has no proper harbour. Honduras, in 15° North 
Latitude, extends 180 leagues along the south border 
of the gulf of that name, and from 25 to 50 from north 
‘to south. It is well watered by many streams which 
run northward into the gulf, and which, overflowing 
‘their banks in the rainy season, render the soil extreme- 
‘ly fertile. . Its bay, which includes a compass of 500 
miles, is of dangerous navigation; but celebrated for 
‘the excellent logwood, which abounds on its flat and 
marshy shores. There are several islands along the 
coast of this bay; one of which particularly, Rattan, 
‘about 10 leagues in length, was long the resort of pi- 
rates, till the British established a colony upon it, for 
‘the protection of the trading vessels. The chief towns 
of the province are, Valladolid, a bishop’s see, a 
small inland town in a pleasant valley; St Jago, 100 
miles east of Valladolid, Truxillo, 125 north-east, and 
’ Puerto de Cavallos, about 90 north-west, all formerly 
places of considerable trade, but now greatly deserted. 
The British established a settlement in 1730 on the 
Black river, 26 leagues east of Cape Honduras, and 
another on a navigable river near Cape Gracias da Dios, 
where there is a secure and spacious road for ships. 
Guatimala, in 14° North Latitude, bordered on the 
south and west by the Pacific Ocean, is a province of 
considerable importance. Its surface is mountainous, 
and it is extremely subject to earthquakes ; but its val. 
lies are remarkably fruitful, abounding in grain, sugar, 
cotton, various dyeing drugs, especially indigo of a su- 
perior quality, and the richest pastures, stocked with 
incredible multitudes of cattle. _ Its capital, St Jago, or 
Guatimala, a bishop’s see and the seat of a university, 
is a considerable trading town. It formerly stood in a 
delightful valley, not far from the west coast, but was 
repeatedly destroyed by tremendous earthquakes and 
volcanic eruptions ; and was at length removed to a 
beautiful plain about 8 leagues from its former site. 
Nearly 30 leagues to the south-east is Sansonata, or 
Trinidad, which is the nearest proper harbour for ships 
from Panama and Peru trading with St J. Vera- 
paz, or Coban, in 16° North Latitude, at the bottom of 
the bay of Honduras, and north of Guatimala, is about 
35 leagues in length, and 30 in breadth. It isa moun- 
tainous country, covered with forests; but a few culti« 
q 
536 
GUA 
vated tracts yield plentiful crops of maize. Cotton, wool, 6 
cocoa, honey, wax, and gums, are its chief articles of ™ 
trade. It contains no towns of any importance; and 
Vera-paz, the governor’s residence on the bank of a ri- 
ver running south-east to Golfo Dolee, Acarabatlan, a 
small place to the westward, esteemed for its musk me- 
lons, and Robinal, a trading village in the pleasant val- 
ley of St Nicolas, are scarcely worthy of pete BENET 
Chiapa, north-west of Vera-paz, in 1649 North Latitude, 
is of a triangular form, and each of its sides extends 
about 65 leagues. It abounds in hills covered with fo- 
rests, and has two rivers, the Chiapa, running eastward 
to the bay of Campeachy ; and the Samasinta, which 
traverses the eastern part from south to north. It has 
no mines of gold or silver; and its riches consist in 
grain, fruits, and pastures, Its principal town, Cividad 
Real, a bishop’s see, is situated in a valley surrounded 
by mountains, about 90 leagues north-north-west of 
Guatimala, and trades in cotton, cocoa, and cochineal. 
There are several Indian towns in this ince, of 
which the most populous is Chiapa dos Indos, about 
12 leagues westward of Cividad Real, situated in a val- 
ley watered by the river Tabasco. The natives of this 
diocese obtained, through the mediation of the Bi 
Casas, exemption from slavery, with other signal privi~ 
leges. Soconusco lies between Chiapa and the Pacific 
Ocean, and is about 35 leagues in length and 30 in 
breadth. It isa mountainous country, but has no mines. 
It is covered with forests, and its vallies produce indi~ 
go, cocoa-nuts, fruits, and pastures. The only settle. 
ment worthy of notice is Guevitlan, or Soconusco, — 
which is the residence of the Spanish governor, and is — 
situated near the coast of the South Sea, about 40 
leagues south of Chiapa. See Modern Universal Hise 
tory, vol. xxxix ; and Playfair's Geography, vol. vi. (q) 
GUAXACA, or more properly Oaxaca, is the name 
of a city and intendancy in Mexico, or New Spain. The 
city, which is the ancient Mexican Huaxyacac, was — 
called Antiquera at the time of the conquest. Itis — 
situated in an extensive and populous valley, about 80 
leagues south-east of Mexico. Tt carries on a considers — 
able trade, and is particularly celebrated for it excellent 
‘chocolate. _ It is handsomely built, and contains a very — 
fine cathedral, but is open and unfortified. It is a — 
bishop’s see, and in 1792 contained 24,000 inhabitants, — 
The province of Guaxaca liesin 17° North Latitude, reach- 
ing from sea to sea, extending about 90 leagues along 
the south coast, 30 along the Mexican Gulf, and from 30 
to 70 in breadth. Its climate pear a perpetual 
spring, and it is one of the most delightful countries in 
that quarter of the globe. Its mountainous districts, — 
composed of granite and gneiss, are rich in mines of 
gold, silver, and lead. Its plains are highly fertile, and — 
yield abundance of sugar, cochineal, fruits, grain, and — 
various useful productions. Its relative population is 
equal to that of Euro Russia, and it has been long — 
advancing in civilization. Throughout the whole 4 
vince, vegetation is extremely vigorous, especially half 
way down the declivity, in the temperate region, where — 
the rains are very copious from May to October; and, — 
at a small village, about three leagues from the capital, — 
is an enormous trunk of Cupressus disticha, which mea- | 
sures 118 feet in circumference ; but upon a narrow in- — 
spection is evidently composed of three united stems. — 
Many remains of ancient Mexican structures are to be Ir 
seen in the province, especially at San Antonio de los ™ 
Cues, a populous place on the road from Orizaba to 
Guaxaca, and at a village named Mitla. In this last 
mentioned place, which was formerly called Miguitlan, 
