Department of La Libertad—Physical characteristics—Balsam Coast—Santa Tecla—Department of Sonsonate—Life and hotels—Department of AhuachapÁn—City of AhuachapÁn—Public buildings and baths—Projected railway extension—Department of Santa Ana—Chief city—Generally prosperous conditions.

Department of la Libertad.

Cities.—Santa Tecla, Opico (2).

Towns.—-La Libertad, Teotepeque, Quezaltepeque (3).

This Department, ranks second in importance to San Salvador, although its population is less than that of either the Departments, of Santa Ana, of CuscatlÁn, or of San Miguel. It is joined by excellently-made cart-roads to both the Capital and to San Vicente. As far back as 1896, Mr. J. Imbrie Miller, an American engineer, formerly a member of the Intercontinental Railway Commission, was engaged in surveying a light line of railway from La Libertad to Santa Tecla. Some years later another American, Lieutenant Kennon, proceeded there to take observations for connecting the triangulation with the astronomical monument established there by the United States Hydrographic Office.

The boundaries of this Department are as follows: On the north, the Department of Chalatenango; on the east, San Salvador and La Paz; on the south, the Pacific Ocean; on the west, the Departments of Sonsonate and Santa Ana. The physical features of this part of the Republic are remarkable. The central portion of the Department is very mountainous, being crossed from east to west by the coastal range of mountains and the system of the volcano of Quezaltepeque. The surface of the ground is considerably broken up by a great number of well-defined spurs, which extend from the mountain range to the very borders of the ocean itself. To the west of the volcano is situated an immense basin known as Sapotitau. The northern portion is traversed by lofty ridges between which are found a number of beautifully fertile plains.

Fortunately for the good people of La Libertad, the giant volcano Quezaltepeque has long ceased to trouble them, and, indeed, it is said to be extinct; it is, however, never safe to speak too confidently upon this matter, since Nature has a rude manner of disillusioning us at times. This particular volcano, it may be said, has been quiescent so long that for many years it has been regarded as quite harmless. It stands nearly 7,400 feet high above sea-level, the upper part forming a cone occupied by a crater which is between seven and eight miles in circumference, and 1,100 feet deep; at the bottom lies a small lake.

It is in this Department that is located the famous Balsam Coast, and as I speak very fully elsewhere (see Chapter XVII.) of the valuable tree which grows there, with its usefulness to the country as a means of substantial revenue, it is unnecessary to do more than mention that the valleys where the trees are found are extremely fertile; and besides yielding the particular spice in question, they produce rich harvests of coffee, sugar, indigo, corn, rice, and timber. Here are to be found additionally several successful sugar refineries and distilleries, as well as some sawmills and many prosperous coffee estates with their rather antiquated machinery installations. In fact, the commerce of La Libertad is of prime importance, and is increasing in volume and value year by year.

The capital of the Department is Santa Tecla (New San Salvador), a town which is most agreeably situated at the foot of the volcano of San Salvador, where it nestles snugly, absolutely indifferent to the violent reputation of its gigantic guardian. The height above sea-level of this charming little place is 2,643 feet, and it is only ten miles distant from the Capital City. It really owes its existence to the misfortunes which overtook the former some half a century ago, and to-day it is one of the most favourite places of residence in the Republic. Wide and handsome streets and many fine residences are the principal features of Santa Tecla, which likewise boasts of a large and well-laid-out parque, several handsome drives, and its own pleasant little suburbs. Notable among its buildings are the Hospital, the Town Hall, the Government Offices, the Hospicio Guirola, built at his own expense by the late Don Angel Guirola, one of Salvador's most esteemed and wealthiest citizens, and two fine churches. The population amounts to between 11,000 and 11,500, and easy connection is made with San Salvador by regular trains, which have now taken the place of an old horse-railroad. The street lighting in the town of Santa Tecla is carried out by private enterprise, and it is very well done. In the month of March, 1907, an agreement was entered into between the Government and La CompaÑia de Alumbrado ElÉctrico, of San Salvador, for the installation in the city of Nueva San Salvador for the street lighting by thirty-seven arc lamps of 1,200 candle-power and ninety-three incandescent lamps of 16 candle-power. This agreement is for ten years, and so far it has afforded general satisfaction.

The Department of Sonsonate.

Cities.—Sonsonate, Izalco (2).

Towns.—Nahuizalco, El Progreso, Armenia (3).

This Department gains importance from two circumstances: Firstly, it contains the principal port of the Republic—Acajutla—of which a full description will be found under Chapter XVI., "Ports and Harbours"; and, secondly, because its main city, bearing the same name, has already attained great commercial significance, and is rapidly rivalling the Capital itself in the volume of its trade. The boundaries of the Department are as follows: On the north, by the Department of Santa Ana; on the east, by La Libertad; on the south, by the Pacific Ocean; and on the west, by the Department of AhuachapÁn. The northern portion of the ground surface is a mass of mountains, of many varied heights and shapes; on the coast, however, it is very level for a certain distance, from which point it rises gradually in a series of gentle slopes and rolling hills, until these lose themselves in the spurs of the surrounding mountain ranges. It is a truly enchanting country, as fair and as fertile as the eye could wish to dwell upon; and away from the seacoast, where it is marshy and damp, the climate is found to be delightful for the greater part of the year.

Here also some stretches of the famous Balsam Coast are to be met with, the trees being more numerous and even higher, than those in the La Libertad Department.

Acajutla must always serve to bring prosperity to Sonsonate, which, as a department, was created in 1855. Its principal agricultural productions comprise coffee, cocoanuts, sugar, cacao, balsam, tobacco, cereals of almost all kinds, fruits of endless variety, and an immense number of different cabinet woods and fibres. There are a considerable number of factories erected in this same Department, employing many hundreds of hands, and turning out refined sugar, cigars, cotton, cloth, pottery, mats, baskets, distilled liqueurs, and salt. The principal city, Sonsonate, is situated some fifty miles from San Salvador, and stands picturesquely upon the banks of the River SensunapÁn. Comparatively speaking, this is but a small stream; nevertheless, from a scenic point of view, it is decidedly worthy of mention. It is crossed by a handsome bridge, and its banks are often used as a pleasant promenade and bathing-place by the inhabitants of this agreeable town.

At Sonsonate, which, with Santa Ana, is one of the several towns in Salvador on the route of the itinerant theatrical companies, there is a small wooden-built room, which forms part of the Hotel Blanco y Negro, kept by a very courteous and obliging Spaniard, one SeÑor Arturo de Soto, who, with the profits derived from the cantina adjoining, finds in this undertaking the investment of his capital to be fairly profitable. The stage of the unambitious little playhouse is exactly 18 feet wide by 9 feet deep, so that the precise limit of the mounting of dramatic representations presented thereon may be fairly accurately gauged.

The climate of Sonsonate is decidedly warm for the greater part of the year, and not at all unpleasant in the dry season, except for the fearful wind-storms to which it is at times subjected. Upon these occasions the whole town is temporarily hidden in the clouds of gritty dust, which, moreover, penetrate every crack and crevice of the tightly-closed house shutters, cover the merchants' goods exposed for sale in the shops with a thick layer of dirt, and render life generally, for the time being, something of a burden. So strong is the wind that it whirls around in a sort of wild maËlstrom every stray piece of paper, stick, or any loose rubbish which it can gather, and then deposits them impartially in the patios and upon the roofs of the houses, at the same time making complete havoc of gardens and parks.

The market at Sonsonate, an important weekly function, is held on Sundays. The building, completely roofed over, as are all similar constructions in Latin-America, is crowded to excess with sellers, the numbers of buyers, however, being considerably fewer. Every kind of article is exposed for sale, from stuffed and roasted monkeys to the cheapest kind of Manchester cotton goods and cheaper German imitations. The stalls are separated into sections, and practically all of them are presided over by women. It cannot be said that the majority of the edibles look very tempting from a European point of view, being for the most part covered with grease or floating in a thick and sticky compound of fat of a bilious-yellow colour. To the local taste these articles of diet no doubt appeal strongly, since a brisk trade is a carried on in them. Cheap and tawdry fancy goods, highly-coloured and cheaply-framed religious pictures, toys, flimsy dress material, tinselly embroideries, parrots, pencils, pastry, and other curiously diverse articles, are to be found displayed in immediate proximity to dried fish—emitting a powerful and pungent odour—live iguanas (a large species of edible lizard), squawking fowls, and repulsive-looking chunks of bleeding, freshly-killed beef. Altogether an active, if not exactly an attractive, market-place, and one which offers a continually shifting scene of life and colour, enduring from sunrise to sunset.

In regard to hotel accommodation, Sonsonate is decidedly better off than many towns outside the Capital. There are at least three houses from among which the traveller may make his choice.

The Grand Hotel is situated immediately facing the railway-station, and although far from attractive externally, it is quite comfortable and clean within. The rooms, if small, are fairly well-furnished; the dining-room is kept scrupulously clean, and the domestic service generally is prompt and willing. The baths which are found here are not at all bad, and are likewise kept very clean. A good business is carried on, apparently, by the proprietors, Messrs. Brando y Emeldi, since every train on the Salvador Railway stops at Sonsonate, whether proceeding north or south, or, more strictly speaking, east or west. Before its journey from the port of Acajutla to the capital of San Salvador, the train remains for one hour, and the down-train remains for two hours. Inasmuch as the hotel maintains quite a respectable cellar, and there is plenty of time for the passengers to test its contents, the proprietors find this part of the hotel business a remarkably profitable one.

The hotel in this town of second importance is El Blanco y Negro (Black and White). The situation is decidedly preferable to that of the Grand, being in a side but wide street, out of hearing range of the inevitable noise proceeding at the railway-station, but in other respects it is less attractive to the many.

Department of AhuachapÁn.

Cities.—AhauchapÁn, Atiquizaya (2).

Being the immediate neighbour of the sister Republic of Guatemala, this Department was once destined to become the route for the railway which was to—and may yet—connect up the two States by an iron link. It is bounded on the north and the west by this Republic, and on the east by the Departments of Sonsonate and Santa Ana. Very rugged and very wild is the northern part of the country, but there are several level plains north of the coastal range of mountains which crosses the country from east to west. Here are also several active volcanoes; the number of hot springs and sulphur baths should one day draw considerable visitors, more especially since the waters, medicinally speaking, are said to rank among the most wonderfully curative in the world. If these springs and baths were located anywhere but in little-known Salvador, they would probably be thronged with patients from all over the globe, seeking their beneficent and speedy aid against the ravages of blood complaints, rheumatism, and skin diseases.

As a Department, AhuachapÁn was "created" in 1869, having formerly been considered as parts of the Departments of Santa Ana and Sonsonate. It possesses the unmatched Valley of Chalchuapa, which for extreme fertility and magnificent climate will compare with any similar country in Latin-America. Agriculture in all of its different aspects is carried on, and prosperity uninterrupted dwells in this small earthly paradise. Coffee, sugar, tobacco, cotton, cereals, fine fruits and vegetables, grow here practically without any attention; while an active commerce is carried on, through the port of Acajutla, with other ports of the Republic, to which it sends large consignments of cereals and sugar. It likewise imports woollen goods and mercury from Guatemala, and cattle and mules from Honduras. Altogether, a thriving trade and a valuable natural production are carried on during all the year in this prosperous Department.

AhuachapÁn Town has always possessed, and must always retain, some value as a commercial centre, since it is the starting-place for the export of coffee to the coast, the route having formerly been over very precipitous and wretched trails, which, however, have latterly been much improved. One of the fords over the Rio Paz, known as Los Organos, on the trail from the aldea of Cofradias, in Guatemala, leads by a very beautiful route to the town of AhuachapÁn. It has a population of between 11,000 and 12,000 inhabitants, the Department which bears the same name having a complement of some 37,000 people. There is a good cart-road leading to Sonsonate via Otaco and Apaneca, which are two mountain towns.

Being situated at an agreeable altitude above sea-level—2,620 feet, which is some 500 feet higher than Santa Ana—the town is more open to the winds, so that the air is generally fresh and cool, especially at nights. AhuachapÁn overlooks the valleys of the Rivers Paz and Chalchuapa, while beyond them are seen the many peaks of the Guatemalian mountains, as well as the outstanding volcano of San Salvador. There are but few foreigners in this town, but the courtesy and friendliness of the people render a stay there more than usually pleasant. The people as a whole seemed to me to be very well-to-do, and evidences of refinement and solid comfort were to be met with upon all sides. This prosperity emanated, I was informed, from the many rich and productive fincas in the neighbourhood, which are engaged in growing coffee. The majority of these fincas seem to belong to quite small and humble proprietors. I was also impressed with the absence of the usual number of estancos, or public drinking shops, of which I counted scarcely more than six in the whole town.

There is a good social club here, which is "teetotal," and there are the usual number of churches, one of them being an extremely handsome edifice. The Government buildings and the residence of the Governor are sufficiently imposing; the streets are both well paved and well drained. The majority of the houses are built of adobe, but some are of brick, and one or two are of stone, or at least they are stone-faced. Most of the better-class residences, however, are stuccoed with either brown, white, or coloured plaster on the side which faces the street. There seemed to be an abundant supply of good water available, free baths being provided and also apparently well patronized. I had noticed the same thing in Cojutepeque and other Salvadorean towns, proving that the inhabitants pay strict regard to cleanliness. The AhuachapÁn public baths have a continuous supply of warm water, which is received from the neighbouring hot springs.

An efficient police force keeps the town in perfect order; but there are still lacking a good hotel, a livery stable, and a theatre. The latter is not essential, but it is a luxury which is usually found in Central and South American towns which cannot even boast of a single drainpipe. The same thing was noticeable in Johannesburg, South Africa, some twenty years after the town had the electric light and the telephone. The town of AhuachapÁn is a quiet, sleepy, and eminently peaceful place of residence, where one might dream away one's life contentedly enough if one were prepared to do without driving, without amusements, and without either dentists, doctors, or daily papers.

There was once some talk of bringing the railway line through AhuachapÁn from Montufar (Guatemala) to Sonsonate; but the construction, although perfectly practicable, would be so heavy and so costly that I am doubtful whether the peaceful solitude of this district—for some time at least—will be broken by the shrill scream of the locomotive whistle.

Department of Santa Ana.

Cities.—Santa Ana, Chalchuapa, MetapÁn (3).

Towns.—Texistepeque, Coatepeque (2).

The boundaries of this Department bring it into immediate contact with Honduras and Guatemala on the north, while on the east are the Departments of La Libertad and Chalatenango. Sonsonate is on the south, and Guatemala and the Department of AhuachapÁn are on the west.

Two extensive ranges of mountains cover this territory, one on the north, and the other from east to west, two imposing mountains, Santa Ana and Mala Cara, both of which are active, rearing their shapely heads in this Department. In addition there are three extinct volcanoes—Masatepeque, San Diego, and La Isla. Where there are no mountains, magnificent valleys—fertile from end to end—stretch away for many leagues, watered by two rivers, one of which is the Malino, and the other the Lempa, which latter, with its many affluents, curves through this favoured country. As a Department, Santa Ana came into existence in February, 1855, having previously formed first a part of the ancient province of Sonsonate, and after that comprising the two districts of AhuachapÁn and Atiquizaya.

The chief city, which bears the same name, is the largest—outside San Salvador—in the Republic, and, indeed, is ranked as one of the most important in Central America. The location is a pleasant one, being on the west side of the valley of the Malino. The elevation is about 2,100 feet above sea-level, and softly undulating green hills almost entirely surround it. The city is well laid out and solidly built, with many notable structures, while the streets are lighted by electricity and are well paved. Owing, however, to the steepness of some of the thoroughfares, this city being also constructed upon the sloping side of the valley, torrents of water come tumbling down in rainy weather, converting the crossings for the time being into miniature cataracts. On the other hand, the natural drainage is excellent, and as a consequence Santa Ana ranks as one of the cleanest and most healthful towns in the country. This is all the more notable because the Municipality at the time that I visited the place had not completed the drainage system, which I understood was then about to be introduced, while the public water-supply was not yet perfect. I noticed several public bathing-places which were completely open to the air; these were not, however, provided with hot water.

The number of prosperous-looking business houses and handsome private residences in Santa Ana at once arrest the attention of a visitor, as does the general air of prosperity which reigns throughout the place. The commercial and financial houses do about as much business in this town in a day as they carry through in all the other parts of the Republic—the capital excepted—in a week. The market-house, a building of considerable magnitude, is usually very well attended, and almost any kind of fruit and vegetable can be purchased there.

Santa Ana contains, perhaps, a greater proportion of resident foreigners than any other town or city in Salvador. It is partly due to this that so much commerce is carried on. The town is but fifty miles distant from the Capital, and it is easily reached by the Salvador Railway, which naturally carries considerable traffic both to and from the town. From Santa Ana there is a first-rate cart-road conducting north to MetapÁn, and another leading south to Sonsonate and to the port of Acajutla.

The temperature, as a rule, in this city renders life very pleasant. During the rainy months of August, September, and October it varies between 67° and 69° F., the maximum being between 72° and 78° F.