There are but two classes of people in Guatemala, Creoles and Indians. The Creoles include all those who are European or in whom the European blood predominates. They are the business and professional men of the country and the land owners. Although numbering not to exceed one-tenth of the population, this class own all but a small fraction of the wealth of the country. They busy themselves with the business and politics of the country, while the Indians do the real work and even the fighting if there is anything of that kind on hand to be done. A substantial middle class which usually form the backbone of a nation’s strength has not yet been developed.

The Creoles are an interesting race—kind, considerate and courteous. They enjoy leisure, always have time for a friendly conversation and welcome a holiday as a relief from the strain of business cares. If you should chance upon an acquaintance on the street he is never in such a hurry that he would not stop, shake hands, and inquire politely after each member of your family, and would then politely listen in turn to inquiries after each member of his own household, which you would be in duty bound to make, as a courtesy to his own friendly interest. The punctuality of an engagement never bothers them, and the man who persists in keeping or insisting upon such a thing is rather a bore. This easy-going, care-free nature has not hastened the progress of the country.

The Creole woman has ever been a favourite theme of poets, and their black, bewitching eyes have won many a eulogy from both poetic and prose writers; and deservedly so, for woman is ever an excuse for a eulogy and toast in all countries and in all languages. The Spanish-American woman is always interesting, and perhaps, as often as in other bloods, is beautiful. They are home lovers, and the casa, or home, is jealously shielded from prying eyes by the husband or father, who is lord and master. The idea of political suffrage or woman’s rights has never yet agitated their gentle bosoms. Their life is a reminder of Oriental exclusiveness, and a young woman is seldom seen on the street unless her mother or some older woman is with her as a companion.

The windows and balconies furnish convenient seats for the young women of the house, who, forbidden by custom to walk the streets unaccompanied, plant themselves there and inconsiderately stare at all who pass, and especially the men. You can look in return, for it is only properly gallant and polite to stare at them as frankly as if they were pictures or flowers. To the foreigner it is quite embarrassing to pass this gauntlet of curious eyes. When the cool of the day comes Mamma, together with Juanita and Carmencita, may be seen in the window, all of them dressed up and made very beautiful, watching the street with their faces close to the bar. One who knows them well may stop and talk with them, being careful to pay all the attention to Mamma. It is just the same at the bull-fight or theatre, for opera glasses will be levelled with a steady gaze, such as an American would never experience in his own country. It is not the coquettish glance seeking a flirtation, for it is not accompanied by a smile, but is rather that of curiosity, or a natural and uncontrollable interest in the genus represented—that is—man.

These same balconies and window-seats also play a large part in the courtship of the country. “Playing the bear” is the name given to it, and it is very much the same as Mexican love-making. A young man who is attracted by the black eye or coquettish glance of a seÑorita will follow her to her home and then “play the bear” by passing back and forth in front of the house for a long time each day until he is rewarded by a smile or wave of the hand from the object of his attentions. I learned recently of one young man who used a telephone by throwing one instrument up on the balcony and keeping the other. In this way the “bear” would talk with the young lady for hours each day. Finally the suit progresses until he can talk to her through the barred window. Perhaps in the most casual way imaginable she may let her fingers slip through the bars, for there is just a chance that Mamma may be asleep, for she sits with her eyes shut—it is just a chance of course, but the risk may be taken and Mamma was once young herself. Later he may be invited to call at the house by the father or mother after a family council, if his antecedents are all right, for they have probably been investigated in the meantime by the sagacious parents of a marriageable young lady.

To the independent American woman such a life is simply incomprehensible. It would be dull, uninteresting—in fact, in many ways, aggravating. From childhood to old age the Spanish-American woman rarely does as she likes, but is a slave to antiquated customs. Think of a woman not doing as she wants! As a child a servant accompanies her to school and calls for her in the evening. When the marriageable age is reached, her courting must all be done in the presence of others; and there are so many romantic spots to be found where it could be done so much more pleasantly in this warm climate. After the engagement the vigilance of the parents is increased, and the young couple are never even for a moment left to themselves. If they should go to a dance, the family accompanying, of course, the girl must dance every dance with her escort. When married the pleasure of a wedding trip is not for her, unless the husband is wealthy. Last of all, if the marriage proves unhappy, the consolation of a divorce is even denied her!

After marriage the SeÑora settles down to a life of inactivity, and in a few years she has lost her girlhood beauty. To do any of the household work is beneath her, and the number of servants is limited only by the means of her husband. She enjoys life in a rocking-chair, reads a little, plays her music when the mood is upon her, and occasionally does needlework. Families are large and, be it said to her credit, she is usually a good mother and devoted to her children. She knows nothing of the joys of “bargain days,” for she usually contents herself by sending to the store and having the goods brought out to her carriage. The cook practically runs the household and is given a fixed allowance for the marketing, out of which there must be some margin for “graft,” or the cook will leave and seek a more generous master. Seldom indeed is it that a woman dares to depart from these conventionalities, however great the desire, and the universal reason given is that “it is not the custom.”

Boys may be sent away to liberal schools, but the girls are educated in convents and, if sent abroad, go to Spain, thus retaining the old Spanish customs. The girls are fairly pretty in youth, but this soon fades. Their minds are not broadened by travel, and they grow up with narrow views of life but proud of their ancestry. They are very devoted to the outward ceremonials of the church and spend more time in learning the lives of the saints than they do in reading useful literature. A woman’s popularity in Guatemala City is judged by the number of pictures of herself that are sold by the photographer; and he is at liberty to sell the photographs of his lady patrons to whomsoever may desire them. The more he sells the more his patron is pleased, for it flatters her vanity.

The brown-skinned descendants of the ancient Toltecs and children of a southern sun, whose warm rays have implanted a permanent tan on their cheeks, comprise the great majority of the population and are an interesting race. Dressed in their scanty garb, which is generally clean, they loll away life basking in the sun when it is cool, and hiding from the same when it is hot. They may breakfast on a glass of water and dine on a banana, yet among themselves they are always happy and laugh like grown-up children. Why should they work much? is their philosophy. Fruit is abundant, game is plentiful, pigs and chickens need little care, and kind nature richly rewards every effort to cultivate her soil. In this climate wants are few. The latest fashions have no temptation; the woods and jungle furnish material for their thatch and reed cottages, and the morrow can take care of itself. They sleep, eat and smoke when the inclination comes upon them, and drink “white-eye” (native brandy) when they have money with which to buy it.

As an individual the peon is not a particularly lovable character except for his fidelity. He is much like a child in many ways and has to be frequently treated as one. He even fails to resent a chastisement by a knock-down blow from his employer, if his conscience tells him he deserves it. On the other hand a word of encouragement or a courteous “buenas dias” (good morning) brings a smile of genuine pleasure to his face which is unmistakable. The personal mozo, or body-servant of the master, is especially useful and amiable. On a journey he thinks little of himself, and never until every want and wish of the master has been met and gratified. Although to-day not obliged to defend his master against brigandish attacks as formerly, yet he would be perfectly willing to lay down his life for him if necessary. Although times have changed, the mozo remains just the same faithful, trustworthy and careful servant as formerly. He is not over intelligent, perhaps, or over cleanly in appearance always, but he is as loyal and dependable a servant as can be found anywhere in the world.

Debt and improvidence is not confined to the poor peon. While the latter is indebted to the planter, the planter has probably mortgaged his growing crops to the merchant, and the merchant in turn demands long-time credit from the foreign dealer. Thus it is that the business is conducted on credit almost entirely and little actual money is handled.

Guatemala has been called the land of “no hay,” meaning “there is none,” because it is such a common answer and it illustrates one characteristic of this race. If the people do not want to bother, that will be their invariable answer. You might go up to a house where the yard was full of chickens, the woman engaged in making tortillas, and fruit trees loaded with fruit in the yard, and yet have a conversation about like the following:

“Have you any meat?”

“No hay” (pronounced eye).

“Have you any eggs?”

“No hay.”

“Have you any fruit?”

“No hay.”

“Have you a house?”

“No hay.”

“Have you anything to eat?”

“No hay.”

In such a case the best way to do is to enter the house and hunt around for yourself, and blandly order the woman to prepare whatever you chance to find. Then, if you leave a small sum of money with her on departing, she will not take any offence but will politely thank you. Time is the only thing with which they seem to be well supplied. It is equally hard to get anything done, for, unless the party is willing to do the work requested, he will find some plausible excuse. An American travelling across the country a few years ago found it necessary to have his horse shod at one of the small towns. There were three blacksmiths in the town; of these one was sick but had supplies, a second had no nails and the third no charcoal. As there was no lending among the craft the horse could not be shod.

The great vices of the inhabitants are a general indolence and improvidence, and for that reason labour is hard to secure. This has led to the system of peonage by means of which the labourer is obliged to work for his employer so long as he is indebted to him. This condition is generally entered into voluntarily on the part of the Indian by borrowing a small sum of money from a plantation owner and the signing of a contract of employment. The following is a literal copy of one of these contracts which I obtained from the manager of a coffee plantation:

The mozo herewith employed binds himself:

1. To discharge with his work daily and personally the debt contracted on this finca.

2. To do every class of work after the customs established on the finca.

3. To absent himself from the finca on no pretext without previous permission in writing.

4. To pay all expenses made necessary in case of flight, and rendering himself subject to the proceedings brought against him through the proper authority.

5. To remain on the finca eleven months of each year.

6. To subject himself to all articles of the law of labourers decreed by the government.

7. The loan is given not to the man alone but to his entire family; and each and every one will be individually responsible for what they receive.

8. The mozo who becomes security for another mozo (be it man or woman) assumes the same responsibilities as the one who receives the loan.

This latter clause is inserted because in most instances one labourer goes security for another by guaranteeing that the latter will carry out his part, or he himself will assume it. If the mozo flees, an order of arrest will issue and an officer sent after him. For this purpose an alcalde, or justice, is usually kept on each plantation.

When the labourer once assumes this condition he is generally bound for life, as few of them ever succeed in paying back the loan, and the plantation owner never encourages him to do it for he would lose his labourer. On his part he is obliged to furnish medical attendance, advance wedding, baptismal and burial fees, and, on the larger plantation, to furnish a spiritual guide and teacher for the youth. It is a sort of patriarchal relationship that exists between employer and employee. The native will not work more than about two hundred days in the year because of the numerous church and national holidays which he must celebrate; likewise, every birth, death, and baptism in the family gives another occasion for a holiday, and the saint’s day of each member of his family as well as those of the master must be celebrated. Every person is named after a saint, and they are surprised to find an American who has not been named after any. “Who will protect and keep you from harm?” they will ask.

The Indians in the hot country are less inclined to work than those on the uplands, and one sees much of them. In fact you could not look in their direction without seeing a great deal of them, for they wear no superfluous clothing. The men frequently wear only a breech-cloth, the women a short skirt, and no more. In fact, in travelling from the coast to capital you pass through an entire evolution in the matter of clothing from practical nakedness to a complete suit of sandals, trousers and shirt. The dictator Barrios issued a decree requiring all natives to wear sufficient clothes, or his market produce would be confiscated when he entered a town. Even to this day it is not an uncommon sight in some places to see the aborigine sitting by the roadside near Retalhuleu, or Mazatenango, and enveloping himself, or herself, in sufficient clothing to pass municipal inspection. In the colder altitudes where clothing is more necessary for physical comfort, each tribe has a distinct dress and the district from which the Indian comes can be told by a glance at his outfit. In the hot country, those who dress at all wear simply a white cotton shirt and trousers.

The Indians are obliged by law to do carrying work across the country when desired and paid for their services. If the traveller is unable to get a cargador, an appeal to the proper official will secure one within a reasonable time. That official will, if necessary, arrest a man and lock him up over night in the cabildo, in order to have him on hand when wanted. They can only be obliged to go about a two days’ journey from home and carry a hundred pounds. Their wages are only a few cents per day in gold, so that their services do not come very high. In case of attempted overcharge the Jefe (local governor) will settle all disputes, and he is generally very fair in his conclusions. Many of the cargadors use a framework called a carcaste in which to carry their loads.

If one desires to engage a cargador it is necessary to give him enough time to prepare tortillas for the journey. With a basket of these, a plenteous supply of coffee, a cup, and a few twigs for fire, the Indian is ready for the journey. He will not need to buy anything on the road except some fruit or a little “white-eye,” the native brandy. Their excuse for this extra would be like the old Guatemalan, who said: “One wants to get rid of his memory once in a while.” At night they light their fires either in the public hall, or out-of-doors under the brilliant starlit canopy, where they make their coffee and warm their tortillas. Embers of these fires may be seen on every hand as one journeys across the country. The men are unobtrusive, and even when gathered together in considerable numbers they are quiet if any strangers are present. Among themselves, however, they are gay and light-hearted and seem to enjoy life.

These cargadors are an ancient and honourable institution in Central America. From time immemorial they have transported baggage and produce from one part of the country to another, and they rather look upon the encroachment of railroads with disfavour, for it will curtail their business. They will carry a mule’s load of one hundred and fifty pounds at even a greater speed, averaging five or six miles an hour, for they travel at a sort of jog trot. Some of the couriers in olden times were very fleet of foot for they used to be kept busy in time of war before the introduction of the telegraph. President Rufino Barrios had a runner in his employ of whom it is said that he carried a dispatch thirty-five leagues into the interior and returned an answer in thirty-six hours, making the two hundred and ten miles over mountains at the rate of six miles an hour, including stops and delays for food and sleep. When equipped for the road these men wear a costume consisting of short trousers, like bathing-trunks, a white cotton shirt and sandals made of cowhide.

The Indians are very fond of music and show considerable natural talent. Many native bands, especially in the army, play popular and classical music in a very pleasing way. One unique instrument, called the Marimba, is met with only in Central America and southern Mexico. It has some very pleasing tones that it is truly delightful to listen to. The larger ones are made of a frame seven or eight feet long and two and one-half feet high upon which strips of hard wood are placed, and beneath which are fastened wooden resonators for different tones. Some of them have as many as six complete octaves of tones and semitones. The sounds are produced by striking with a rubber tipped stick the strips of wood, thus resembling the xylophone. Those that I saw generally had three players, each armed with two sticks in each hand with which they struck the wood strips. Their playing was sometimes really marvellous in the dexterity with which they played even difficult runs and maintained almost perfect harmony—it seemed beyond the ability of these uneducated Indians who played entirely by ear. The tone of the Marimba is sweet or, as one writer has described it, “like several pianos and harps combined, together with a bass effect not unlike a bass viol.” The repertoire of the players is generally limited so that it becomes monotonous after a while.

Nearly all the soldiers, except officers, are men of the Indian race. Guatemala has a compulsory military law which compels every man to serve in time of war and gives the government the right to impress them into the military service when, in their judgment, the occasion demands summary measures. One of the villages visited by me had just been the scene of one of these “impressing” occasions, and the impression made was still very vivid among the inhabitants left. The military officials had swooped down upon this village, literally like the thief in the night without any warning. If their purpose had become known they would have found an Adamless village and no man at home. As it was, they captured all the men in the village who were capable of bearing arms. Thereupon there was great weeping and wailing among their fathers and mothers, wives and sweethearts. The men, however, were marched to a neighbouring village where they were allowed to fill up on “white-eye.” Their courage rose as the liquor disappeared and they soon marched away to the music of the band, shouting, “Long Live the Republic!” “Long Live El President!” Hence, while the women bewailed their lot at home, the men were eating government tortillas and drinking the Cabrera brand of patriotism, somewhere within the boundaries of the republic.

The samples of soldiers that one sees at the various commandancias, or barracks, were not very terror-inspiring although decidedly picturesque. Dressed in jumper and overalls of the familiar blue jeans, barefooted and wearing a battered old straw hat of any shape, or without shape, they looked like play-soldiers. They are like children in their artlessness, and in fact even an old Indian is a child in worldly wisdom. The man who wore a pair of shoes was pretty sure of promotion to sergeant. Many of the soldiers were mere boys not older than sixteen. The number of men under arms at that time was said to exceed twenty-five thousand, and the government claimed they could soon raise it to fifty thousand. This does not seem like a large force and yet it is as large in proportion to the population as an army of a million and a quarter would be in the United States, which contains at least fifty times as great a population.

The race generally known as Caribs, and who dwell along the shore of the Caribbean Sea, predominate at Livingston and along this coast. They have an olive complexion, round heads, abundant black hair, which is usually straight but sometimes kinky. They are also short and erect, but muscular. It has only been in recent years that they wore any clothing at all, and they are not burdened with it yet. Every place where there is water is a bathing resort, and the only bathhouses are big mahogany logs, hewn square. Sharks and alligators sometimes make it exciting for them. The Caribs have negro blood in them which dates from the foundering of an African slave ship on these shores, several centuries ago. They claim to be good catholics but still retain much of their pagan rites and superstitions; they are exclusive and seldom intermarry with the native Indians of whom Guatemala has more pure bloods than any other of the Central American republics.

The women wear the most picturesque costumes in Central America and are more tastily dressed than any of the native women in Mexico, with the single exception of those in Tehuantepec. They have a dark complexion—almost as dark as a mulatto—and the young women are famous for the beauty of their figure, which is as perfect as nature can make it unaided by art. They walk erect with a graceful carriage and with an elastic footstep full of grace and freedom. Nearly all have raven black hair which hangs down the back in a double braid. They are kind hearted, frank and good natured. By far the largest share of the work falls upon the shoulders of the gentler sex; but they bear their burdens with becoming fortitude and are generally loyal to their lord and master, even when the native “white-eye” takes away what little sense he has. Drunkenness is quite common. It is surprising to an American to see a native stretched at full length even in a public street in a drunken stupor. No one pays any attention to him, unless by a little kick, until the stupor passes away and he is able to navigate for himself again.

The fondness for bright colours among the native women can be observed in their extremely simple but artistic costume. The entire outfit consists of three pieces and the style does not change with the seasons. The skirt consists of a piece of cotton cloth, generally a plaid, wrapped around the hips and held in place by a sash; the waist is a square piece of figured material, sometimes richly embroidered, with a hole cut in the centre to pass the head through and the ends tucked down under the skirt. Their straight, black hair is usually braided down the back and they are both bareheaded, and barefooted, and, probably, rather empty-minded. The man may afford a pair of sandals made from a piece of sole leather and strapped on his feet, but the women seldom afford this luxury. A little washing would not injure their natural complexion. They seldom walk but go along with a peculiar swing, or jog-trot, over hill and down dale, with a heavy basket on their heads and baby swung over their shoulders. In this way they will make six miles an hour and will beat the average mule. Some of the more fortunate ones come leading or driving mules with loads almost as large as themselves, but the owners themselves walk. This gives them, however, a chance to ride on the return to their humble cottage home.

The women are not without their faults for they can smoke to their heart’s content. There is no law against it and custom seems rather to approve of the vice. It is not only a common sight to see them smoking cigarettes but cigars as well. One day I saw a mother with three children, two boys and a girl, and the oldest one not more than nine or ten years of age, each puffing away at a big fat cigar that was black enough to appal the average man smoker. There is a naturalness and simplicity in their manner that rather astonishes an American when he happens to stumble upon a group of them bathing without any regard for the simple clothing that would be considered necessary at Atlantic City, and they are not afraid of strangers either. Then one can see them nursing their babies and searching for specimens in the little youngster’s hair at the same time. Yet this absence of prudishness or unnaturalness does not mean an absence of the virtues, although morality has not yet reached an ideal stage.