CHAPTER VII.

WILD TRIBES OF CENTRAL AMERICA.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE-THREE GROUPAL DIVISIONS: FIRST, THE NATIONS OF YUCATAN, GUATEMALA, SALVADOR, WESTERN HONDURAS, AND NICARAGUA; SECOND, THE MOSQUITOS OF HONDURAS; THIRD, THE NATIONS OF COSTA RICA AND THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMÁ—THE POPOLUCAS, PIPILES, AND CHONTALES-THE DESCENDANTS OF THE MAYA-QUICHÉ RACES-THE NATIVES OF NICARAGUA THE MOSQUITOS, POYAS, RAMAS, LENCAS, TOWKAS, WOOLWAS, AND XICAQUES, OF HON DURAS THE GUATUSOS OF THE RIO FRIO-THE CAIMANES, BAYAMOS, DORACHOS, GOAJIROS, MANDINGOS, SAVANERICS, SAYRONES, VISCITAS, AND OTHERS LIVING IN COSTA RICA AND ON THE ISTHMUS.

OF the WILD TRIBES OF CENTRAL AMERICA, which territorial group completes the line of our Pacific States seaboard, I make three divisions, following modern geographical boundaries; namely, the aborigines of Guatemala, Salvador, and Nicaragua, which I call Guatemalans; the people of the Mosquito Coast and Honduras, Mosquitos; and the nations of Costa Rica and the Isthmus of Darien, or Panamá, Isthmians. The territory occupied by this group of nations lies between the eighteenth and the seventh parallels of north latitude, that is to say, between the northern boundary of the Central American states, and the river Atrato, which stream nearly severs the Isthmus from the South American continent. This continental tract is a narrow, irregular, indented coast-country of volcanic character, in which Guatemala and Honduras alone

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present any considerable breadth. The two cordilleras, running through Mexico and meeting on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, continue their course through Guatemala, where they form a broken table-land studded with elevations of less height than the plateaux of Mexico. After sinking considerably at the isthmus formed by the gulf of Honduras, this mountain range takes a fresh start and offers a formidable barrier along the Pacific coast, which sends a number of transverse ranges into the interior of Honduras, and gives rise to countless rivers, chiefly emptying into the Atlantic. The chain passes at a diminished altitude through Nicaragua, where it forms a large basin, which holds the lakes of Nicaragua and Managua; but on reaching Costa Rica it again becomes a bold, rugged range, capped by the volcano of Cartago. Seemingly exhausted by its wild contortions, it dwindles into a series of low ridges on entering Veragua, and passes in this form through the Isthmus of Panamá, until it unites with the South American Andes. The scenery of this region is extremely varied, uniting that of most countries of the globe; lakes, rivers, plains, valleys, and bays abound in all forms and sizes. The north-east trade winds blow the greater part of the year, and meeting the high ranges, deposit their superabundant moisture upon the eastern side, which is damp, overgrown with rank vegetation, filled with marshes, and unhealthful. The summer here is hot and fever-breeding. Relieved of their moisture, and cooled by the mountains, the trade winds continue their course through the gaps left here and there, and tend materially to refresh the atmosphere of the Pacific slope for a part of the year; while the southwest winds, blowing from May to October, for a few hours at a time, bring short rains to temper what would otherwise be the hot season on this coast. Dew falls everywhere, except in the more elevated regions, and keeps vegetation fresh. Palms, plantains, mahogany, and dye-woods abound in the hot district; maize

flourishes best in the temperate parts, while cedars, pines, and hardier growths find a home in the tierra fria. The animal kingdom is best represented on the Atlantic side, for here the puma, the tiger-cat, and the deer, startled only by the climbing opossum or the chattering monkey, find a more secure retreat. Birds of brilliant plumage fill the forests with their songs, while the buzz of insects everywhere is heard as they swarm over sweltering alligators, lizards, and snakes. The manifold productions and varied features of the country have had, no doubt, a great influence in shaping the destiny of the inhabitants. The fine climate, good soil, and scarcity of game on the Pacific side must have contributed to the allurements of a settled life, and assisted in the progress of nations who had for centuries before the conquest lived in the enjoyment of a high culture. It is hard to say what might have been the present condition of a people so happily situated, but the advent of the white race, bent only upon the acquirement of present riches by means of oppression, checked the advancement of a civilization which struck even the invaders with admiration. Crossing to the Atlantic side, we find an over-abundant vegetation, whose dark recesses serve as a fitting shelter for the wild beast. Here man, imbibing the wildness of his surroundings, and oppressed by a feverish climate, seems content to remain in a savage state, depending upon natural fruits, the chase, and fishing for his subsistence. Of a roaming disposition, he objects to the restraint imposed by government and forms. The natives of Costa Rica and the Isthmus of Darien escaped the civilizing influence of foreign intercourse-thanks to their geographical isolation--and remain on about the same level of culture as in their primitive days.

Under the name of GUATEMALANS, I include the natives of Guatemala, Salvador, and Nicaragua. I have already pointed out the favorable features of the region inhabited by them. The only sultry portion of Guatemala is a narrow strip along the Pacific; it is occupied