Show SM MO 0 X 6 4 M 5 view of ako ake AR upon the horizon towered F FAR tile the twin twill volcanoes of atigian their dark flanks wreathed in white masses of sparkling fields of snow the cones conca thousands of feet ibbe stood out sharply against tile the deep blue vault of the t tropic skies sides for he five anys wo we had been riding to them through tile the enchanted highlands of guatemala a 11 marvelous mai land of fragrant rine ino for beete its flowers singing birds broad winding roads and fertile fields of wheat w and corn cultivated hy by hundred of thousands of industrious Ind indians lawt writes M X wright in III tile tho bulletin of tho the ran pan union aud and many pueblos wo we had passed lying on the rolling bosom of tile the cool table lands with their schools and temples to minerva All nerva goddess of wisdom III and their white mission buildings and churches chur choa from whose thick w walled ailed towers the pealing bells summoned tile tho devout indians indiana to prayer almost will without sensing a cliance of scene we had plunged into the quiet depths of of a giant forest lark dark after tho ilia brilliance of the tropical sun where mighty trees rose as the stately pillars of it a cathedral to flud find upon emerging that a turn of the roat road brought hi ought lit in view cw it a panorama of miles of magnificent mountain country forests plains tile tho stiver silver glint of lakes and streams and volcanic 01 ol cones two miles high en shrouded tn in turbans of fog such Is guatemala land of majestic contrasts of unwonted almost appalling surprises here is one of the espien splendid show places of tile world far from tho the beaten path of most tourists its wonders are becoming better known I 1 below lay jay cities with their public squares and white churches fields of yellow grain like golden patches of light in the crystal clear atmosphere of the highlands huge dark masses of forest and beyond extending their thousands of spurs and hanks flanks rose tile tho prodigious cordilleras cordilleran Cordi lleras to tile the left the peaks of towered to tile the heavens majestic symmetrical recalling in their perfect contour the famed fujiyama of japan lake and volcanoes it was more than a half days daya ride from thit this point before wo we came to crest and bel beheld icid feet below us tit the deep blue waters of lake Atit lan tin and on its opposite shores rising sheer a mile to it a mile and one ulf above the surface of the lake wan great volcanoes of which tile the two known as are the most wonderful vond erful lake itself a i vast vast crater lake 27 miles in greatest length and 12 wiles wide ll Is a remarkable le body of wilter water rev father gai garcia alii of Na gunla a grad graduato gia duato unto of the university of rome home ind alij one who hay bas given enthusiastic to the ilia meteorology of the region informed me that soundings of iha lako lake give an extreme depth of mere than 1000 feet its surface Is feet above the level of tile sea aea its water teem with trout with which it tas las beosi beon stocked and while walking upon its sandy beach near jachel wo we saw great schools of smaller fish tin and not a few of the larger into its shores plunge the volcanic hills often tn precipitous forested hogbacks hog backs often in steeply sloping wheat fields or again ending in mile high cliffs of bright red sandstone or walls marked by the sinto gray purplish hues of volcanic ash such snell are the walls wall of lako lake often called lako lake painted hy by nature in her most glorious glo ilous riotous colors and rivaling oven even ilia famed hues of the grand canyon cannon of arizona fine mountain highways some splendid roads hove have been built in tho ilia neighborhood of the liiko lake one or of them broad and sweeping leads from panajachel Pann Pana jachel on tile the southeast of to the picturesque dicolo colo ti blo of which Is perched on mountain bluffs thousands of feet ume above tho the road is blasted from rocky cliffs and its aides ond and walls walla tire literally of granite it la Is a remarkable piece of construction construct loa accomplished by one of the general of president ca brinias bre raj army ro steep Is the tha road that tas cascades endes fall tit nt its ita very edge act waters are arc borne beneath it by cut culi erts As it skirts the gigantic bluka bluffs ti abe e traveler riv cler obtains entrancing visions ol oi tile the lake and of tile the many mally Til lages upon its ita shores all the highland country it ie densely populated tit at least nil all that portion which ilea hea between city emd the see second ond city of the republic the mount mountains alwi are intensively cultivated up to a height of alt feet fine schools have been built in the pueblos and cities under direction of president Estril dik cabrera tho the president who la is A pa fill tron tion of nil all the arts hus has vigorously pushed tho ilia manual training and technical schools they tire are to lo be found throughout the lip settled portions portion of tile republic Edu education catlon Is compulsory electric lights tind find pure water piping tire instilled lit in nil lilt of tiny size atze the telegraph system Is blo ble I 1 sent bent ten words miles lor for 1 cents american currency it much lower rate than prevails in the united states or most other countries tho the telegraph educational postal und and mining laws yere were personally formulated by president cabrera who to Is ft 11 jurist of extraordinary the tha police system la Is excellent I 1 havo have never seen tin nn intoxicated person in the republic ono one cun can travel linvel in any portion of it unarmed armeil un Con concrete creto lla hn worked wonders every community has its public concrete washing place placa where the women may IVA wash sh their clothes and to which water Is often piped it a great distance defendants of the M bayaa ayac tho the people of tile highlands except in tho the larger towns tire lire mostly in who are believed to ile be descended partly or wholly from it the an ancient clent enas I 1 bad read tant tile the faces upon the existing obelisks and monuments often bore bora it ft striking lUng resemblance to the countenances of the indians of today the statement I 1 found veril led in the monuments it ot all the prehistoric roces of oc the american hemisphere tho ilia mayas were among the most i d c e d they had progressed vall r BO fur r t in 1 mechanics 1 that they wert were able to inove rocks weighing 20 tons ton able 0 or 1111 anoro ire over grout great distances they I 1 possessed a considerable amount ol of written lore and sounds sound in their hieroglyphics their car carvings of bf human beings or animals bad been developed beyond the stage of 0 the egyptians we found that many of the indiana indian wo we met let upon tile the road hail had but a limit ed cd knowledge of spanish F rather ather gap afa of Is authority for the tha statement that there ore are now 27 different dialects spoken among these people rev fattier father rossbach of to has indians in hit him par leli ile he tild not h enow now lie said of a more devout devou t or moral race lace they tire are too a picturesque people the men with their loose open sleeved jackets plaid skirts sturdy hare bare legi and lint flat straw lints of oc home weave strangely resemble thu tho natives of northern japan tho the women lend a 0 touch of vivid color to every country side bide they wear richly hued huea gaibis home botne woven waists of purple cleli on eln bellis lied with reil red and gold still and with sashes extending from tile tho galst to below the knees wound tv s somewhat lightly yet permitting frev fico dom of tile linies two attractive cities Totoni cipan in ili the lie northwest part of tile rep republic which me ive benched from fioro tile the region lies lit at an attitude of feet above sen sea level A round it on oil all sides bides but the west tise rise the walls walla of great hills it IL ii Is a well city of population littlOn 1411 shops and flue fine chuoc a and nd public buildings all nebout are vegetable cael ablo gardens gaid cna grain fields and numerous orchards were it not lor for the lofty nearby the north amerl can call hero here might miley in the tha central part of now new york state from froin Totor delpan a alne road leads west tor for 15 miles to Quetzal ten 1190 tho ilia second largest city in Gunt guatemala emala distinguished by its imposing public edifices beautiful plaza and fine bulj nass ncsa structures there are arc six good hotels in quetzaltenango and althou although gh the city la Is 35 miles from the railroad at still son fellipo they enjoy a brisk pa tro nuge the stage road to san ban felipe la Is orte one of the scenic highways of the world in 35 miles it drops moro more than one mile and skirts ilia finnas of blount santa marla harla one of the most picturesque of the central Ani american erlean volcanoes more than tills this in a few brief hours houra it plunges from the ilia allne clad temperate zone into trip tropical jungles of 0 luxuriance that hauler description a prodigious hard woods with bran brangles lira orles cles rising from froin acar holes boles SO 80 to acet above the earth ote be hung bung with glant giant creepers like enormous serpents clusters of orchids lils cling to the branches or crevices of trees or hung hang suspended from ryll ln vines villes gray moss heard beard the trees tree giant palms and exotic flowers flo vvera nrc are features of A jungle jangle which at times one can only penetrate with a machete in a n few hours by the auto stage the trav traveler VIer WA plunged into iii a different world |