254 
GUATEMALA. 
who use the “ dear people ” simply as cat’s-paws, are cer¬ 
tainly avoided; but was it not possible to hasten the suc¬ 
cession, or to have a sort of “ commission of lunacy ” 
condemn an unpopular candidate, and so advance another 
unrighteously ? The insignia of the four chief dignitaries 
were feather canopies, of which the king had four, and the 
others in descending series. A council of the chief families 
advised the monarch in his government. 
The judges, who were also tax-gatherers, were ap¬ 
pointed from the noble families, and held office during 
good behavior; death was the penalty for impeding these 
magistrates in their office. Capital punishment was ren¬ 
dered more bitter by the confiscation of the victim’s pos¬ 
sessions and the enslavement of his immediate relatives. 
Breaches of trust ranked first among crimes, and homicide, 
adultery, confirmed robbery, larceny of sacred things, 
witchcraft, rape, were all capital crimes ; and the strangers 
who hunted or fished in the forests or rivers of the country, 
as well as the slaves who ran away the second time, were 
punished with death. 
There were laws against polygamy, and only the first 
wife was legitimate ; but, as among the most civilized na¬ 
tions of modern times, there were many concubines. In 
Guatemala perhaps this practice was more open and 
honest than in modern states and times. Only the chil¬ 
dren of the lawful wife could inherit, and the man who 
died without lawful issue was buried with his wealth, 
consisting generally of cotton cloths, ornaments, feathers, 
and cacao, which served as money. The laws of all the 
Central American tribes were severe, and differed some¬ 
what from those of the Quiches. But it has not seemed de¬ 
sirable to discuss these here; we will rather consider some 
