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NARRATIVE OF A 



and in many of the houses there are two courts and a gar- 

 den. The space occupied by these houses is certainly 

 very great, in proportion to the accommodations they 

 afford, but they are delightful dwellings, and have a light, 

 cheerful appearance, with this convenience, that every 

 room is on the same floor. The doors — strange as it may 

 seem — are provided, in some cases, with two knockers, 

 one considerably higher than the other : the under one, for 

 persons on foot ; the upper, for those who are on horse- 

 back. The doors, however, are never shut, except in the 

 night-time. 



The plaza, or great square in the centre of the city, is 

 provided on three sides with a colonnade, which affords 

 passengers a shelter from the sun and rain. On the other 

 side stands the cathedral — a splendid edifice, in the best 

 style of modern architecture. It has three entrances in 

 front, with a flight of steps. The interior is divided into 

 three aisles, formed by two rows of arches, supported by 

 lofty massive pillars. In the centre of the plaza there is a 

 fine fountain ; the area is used as a market-place. The 

 best shops are situated in this part of the town, as also 

 most of the public offices. 



>■ The public buildings of Guatemala deserving any no- 

 tice are those of a religious character. The most conspic- 

 uous, next to the cathedral, is the convent of St. Francis ; 

 but this noble structure is now falling to ruins, having 

 been much injured by an earthquake ; all the church or- 

 naments and pictures have been removed, and the place is 

 now shut up and untenanted. The convent of la Re- 

 coleccion, where, since the extinction of the Monkish or- 

 ders, a high school is kept, is another magnificent pile. It 

 contains, among other works of art, a fine painting of Laz- 

 arus rising from the grave. The churches of St. Domi- 

 nic, Santa Teresa, and la Merced, are also structures of 

 great beauty and merit, and among the chief architectural 

 ornaments of the city. 



There is a chapel, or hermitage, called la Hermita, 



