602 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



TYPICAL STRKET SCExNK IN Till- CARIB VILLAGl- AT 

 LIVINGSTON 



In which the poster shown in the preceding picture was seen 



Antigua, which I have mentioned, and 

 which to those remaining only a short 

 time in the country is the most important 

 place to visit. It is preferable to ride, 

 although one can drive in old-fashioned 

 canvas-covered diligences. The earlier 

 the start after sunrise the better, for the 

 road as far as the Indian town of Alixco 

 presents a most attractive scene, as hun- 

 dreds of Indians are jogging into the city 

 heavily laden with great loads of earthen 

 pottery, fresh fruits, and vegetables for 

 the market. Mixco is picturesquely situ- 

 ated, nestling at the foot of the moun- 

 tains and commanding an extended view 

 of the great Guatemala Valley, with the 

 city almost at one's feet, and in the dis- 

 tance the sparkling blue waters of lovely 

 Lake Amatitlan. 



Leaving the highroad one turns into a 

 narrow defile, and up and down hill fol- 

 lows an old Indian trail, sometimes com- 

 pletely shut in, again widening with 

 glimpses of the mountains as range after 

 range rises to the imposing heads of 

 three great volcanoes — Agua, Fuego, and 

 Acatenango. 



I do not know of any place 

 I have visited, not even Pom- 

 peii, which made -such a deep 

 impression upon me as this 

 city of the past. 



Nestled in a broad, fertile 

 valley, the climate of which is 

 unsurpassed, nothing can ex- 

 ceed it in solemn grandeur. 

 Watched over by the giant 

 Agua, which rises in one mag- 

 nificent unbroken sweep to a 

 height of over 13,000 feet, 

 street after street stretches 

 dazzlingly white in the bril- 

 liant sunshine. Not a sound 

 breaks the silence which hangs 

 like a pall over the place, and 

 even the modern town of some 

 30,000 inhabitants seems dead, 

 and a strange hush lies over 

 all. 



The quaint little pink hotel, 

 with its flower-filled patio, the 

 air heavy with the scent of 

 roses, orange blossoms, and 

 starry-eyed jasmine, is in keeping with 

 the atmosphere of romance which per- 

 vades the place. 



Of half a hundred churches still stand- 

 ing, those of the Cathedral, San Fran- 

 cisco, and Recollecion are the most im- 

 posing. Of the first-named enormous 

 edifice, 300 feet in length, only the outer 

 walls, pierced by 50 windows, and a few 

 graceful arches remain of what must 

 have been a wonderfully beautiful build- 

 ing. The bright blue sky looks down on 

 a tangled mass of trees and flowers, and 

 here in the midst of this sad reminder of 

 past grandeur lives an Indian family, the 

 roof of their outdoor kitchen supported 

 by wonderfully carved pillars of wood. 



A woman was kneeling in front of a 

 large stone slab upon which she was 

 pounding wet corn preparatory to mak- 

 ing "tortillas," the flat corn cakes which, 

 with black beans, is the staple food of 

 the country. We were invited to stop 

 and watch the process, and boxes and a 

 dilapidated chair or two were brought 

 forth from some mysterious recess for 

 our comfort. 



