GUA 
2 
sighitying in the Mexican language, a place of 
iiitache teinelaf on Aalastinaceelern, conatroct- 
the tombs of the kings, and to which the sove- 
used to retire for some time on the death of a son, 
; to what has been remarked by the French | 
vans, in the monuments of Upper Egypt. A stair, 
formed in a pit, leads down to a subterraneous apart- 
ment, which is 88 feet by 26, and which, as well as the 
exterior walls of = wy is te with those orna- 
ments generally ecques, such as meanders, la- 
‘inths, &¢. some of which. are in Mosaic, of small por- 
stones. Several curious paintings have been 
in these ruins, representing warlike trophies and 
ee ; but the most striking piders is a vast hall, 
‘of which the ceiling is supported by six co- 
lumns, about 16 ro in height. These tae the 
only ones found in the new continent, bear strong 
marks of the infancy of the art, having neither base nor 
sa but simply a contraction of the upper part. Be- 
ides the capital, there are several other towns in the 
ovince, the principal.of which is Tecoantepec, about 
ie leagues south of Guaxaca, at the bottom of a bay on 
the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is a small town, with 
a good fishing harbour, and an open road for ships ; but 
e port is impeded by a dangerous bar. It is likely, 
wever, to become a place of greater im ce, by 
___ the increase of the indigo trade from Guatimala. The 
family of Hernan Cortez bears the title of Marquis of 
_ the valley of Oaxaca, a property containing 4 villas, 49 
ace, ap and 188 ‘ye ry It pe 
Q g the si the river nearly half a e, and is 
Ht ited into an. old and new town, both of which con- 
tain about 2000 houses, which are built of brick or 
wood, covered wlth tiles or thatch, but, on account of 
the numerous conflagrations by which it has suffered, 
the covering is now prohibited. The ground on 
which the new town stands, is composed of a spongy 
chalk, and is every where so level, that, in the rainy 
_ season, it becomes utterly impassable either on foot or 
‘on horseback, and the communication of the inhabitants 
are built of wood, on account of the softness of the soil, 
__ ‘exeept the church of St Domingo in the old town, which 
_ 4s of stone; and the country supplies timber well 
adapted for these purposes, bemg extremely hard, and 
«apable of retaining its solidity either in the mud, or 
under the water. ,The city and its jurisdiction are 
___ under a corregidor, who is subordinate to the president 
) NOL. X, PART IL : ; 
587 
GUA 
and audience of Quito, and holds his office during five Guayaquil, 
years ; the police is conducted by ordinary Alcaldes; “~~ 
and the ecclesiastical government is lodged in the Bi- 
shop of Quito’s vicar, who is generally also the priest 
of the town. It contains asmall college of Jesuits, and 
an hospital without any endowments. The inhabitants 
of Guyaquil, including the strangers who are drawn 
thither by commerce, are computed at 20,000; and 
many of the principal people are Europeans, who have 
married and settled in the place. All who are capable 
of bearing arms are enrolled in companies of militia, 
according to their rank or cast. Though the heat of 
the climate is equal to that of Panama or Carthagena, 
pe it isa remarkable circumstance, that the Spanish in« 
abitants are extremely fresh coloured, and their chil- 
dren universally fair, having light hair and eye-brows. 
They are accounted the handsomest people in all Peru, 
and are said to be equally distinguished by the ele- 
gance and politeness of their manners, As the river is 
brackish near the city, good water is extremely scarce, 
especially during summer, and is brought from a dis- 
tance of four or five leagues, by means of boats resem- 
bling rafts. The fish also in its. immediate vicinity is 
neither good nor plentiful ; but great quantities of the 
most excellent kinds, particularly shell-fish, are brought 
from the neighbouring coasts, and constitute a princi- 
pal part of the food of the inhabitants. As wheat is 
scarce, and the bread from it also badly made, different 
kinds of roots have been employed as substitutes, par- 
ticularly unripe plantains cut into slices and roasted. 
The inhabitants affect great splendour in their formal 
entertainments ; and their dishes are a succession of 
high-seasoned ragouts snd sweetmeats, always begin- 
ning with the latter. ‘Their liquors, on these occa- 
sions, are grape-brandy, cordials, and wine. Weak acid 
punch is much used by both sexes, in the forenoon and 
evening, as a refreshing and wholesome drink, and as 
a necessary mode of correcting the disagreeable quali- 
ties of the water, Melonsand water melons are brought 
in great abundance-to the city during the summer sea- 
son. From the month of May to December, the air is 
remarkably serene and delightful; and the cool breezes, 
which blow from the mountains from mid-day till five 
or six o'clock next morning, tend greatly to refresh the 
earth and the atmosphere. But during the other half 
of the year, the climate is intolerable to strangers, the 
heat greater than at Carthagena, the rains continual, 
the country overflowed, the insects and other vermin 
extremely numerous, and even venomous. They are 
said to be so abundant in the city, that it is impossible 
to keep a candle burning except in a lantern, as it 
would otherwise be extinguished in a few minutes by 
the multitudes flying around it. Tertian fevers prevail 
much at this season, which the inhabitants, from a pre- 
judice against the use of the bark, (though originally 
discovered in the province,) suffer to prey upon their 
constitutions, till they often become incurable. They 
are very subject also to cataracts and other distempers of 
the eyes, which often terminate in total blindness, and 
which some have ascribed to the aqueous exhalations 
during winter from the chalky soil. The city carries 
on a considerable trade, and exports native produce, 
of which the chief article is cocoa, to the value of 
550,000 piastres annually; while the amount of im- 
ports is 1,200,000 piastres. The province of Guaya- 
quil extends about 60 leagues from north to south, and 
about 45 from east to west; and is divided into seven 
departments or lieutenancies, for each of which the 
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