286 
GUATEMALA. 
improved the opportunity to repay all the miseries in¬ 
flicted upon their ancestors. As it happened, they could 
at least be conscious of their power. 
With no fixed policy, the ancient States of the king¬ 
dom of Guatemala cut adrift from Spain. At one time 
all, except San Salvador, entertained the idea of union 
with the new Empire of Mexico under Iturbide, but they 
escaped that complication by the early collapse of the 
Mexican throne; and at last, on the 1st of April, 1823, 
representatives of the States met in the City of Guate¬ 
mala, and the Asamblea Nacional Constituyente, after 
long debates and many propositions, in which, as might 
be supposed, the Church party had no unimportant 
influence, a Federal Constitution was proclaimed on 
Nov. 24, 1824. 
Three years later the Vice-President, Flores, was mur¬ 
dered in Quezaltenango by a mob of female furies insti¬ 
gated, it is claimed, by the Church party, and his body 
was stripped and mutilated by the fiend-like women. 
This was done in the church as the wretched man clung 
to the altar, and it was done in the name of religion. 
The consequence immediately following was an abso¬ 
lute reign of religious fanaticism. San Salvador, how¬ 
ever, sent an army to restore order, and on March 16, 
1827, attacked the capital; but these troops of the Lib¬ 
eral party were driven back, and for two years a bar¬ 
ren warfare was kept up. In 1829 General Francisco 
Morazan led the Salvadorenan army to Guatemala; and 
now success attended the Liberals. After a battle last¬ 
ing three days they entered Guatemala City in triumph, 
banished the leaders of the Central party, and suppres¬ 
sed the convents. In 1831 Morazan was elected Presi- 
