ESQUIPULAS AND QUIRIGUA. 
209 
empty on the grand altar, and sat down on the doorstep 
to see what would happen. Soon an attendant came and 
asked if I had offered the candles ; and on being assured 
that I had, exclaimed “ Buen ! ” in a very satisfied tone; 
nevertheless he took the poor candles from their place of 
honor and put them before an empty saint-case. Well, 
the saints above were perhaps as well # satisfied; but 
Frank here below was rather indignant, and declared he 
would never offer a candle again. But what else could 
we expect for making light of the candles ? 
We called on the Jefe, Don Ezequel Palma, a military 
man past middle age, who was very polite and who sent 
his private secretary, Dr. Domingo Estrada, to show us the 
lions of Chiquimula. We rode first to the ruins of the 
ancient town where we had seen the remains of the church 
in the morning. The same earthquake that in 1773 
destroyed Antigua shattered this town and caused the 
removal of the inhabitants some distance to the west¬ 
ward. The old site was a better one ; but the people 
moved away to save the trouble of clearing up the ruins. 
The church was two hundred and fifty feet long, and 
seventy-five wide. The immense walls, ten feet thick, 
were still standing; but the vaulted roof blocked the in¬ 
terior with its fragments. The ruins of this once holy 
place were now used as a cemetery, the rank in this 
world of the occupier determining the distance of each 
grave from the altar-end; while outside were the neg¬ 
lected ashes of the commoners. The brambles and thorny 
plants made the locality unpleasant for living beings, and 
we got our horses away as soon as possible. 
We passed the new hospital, which Dr. Estrada showed 
us with pride; it will be, if ever completed, the best 
14 
