The Republic of Salvador is divided into 14 Departments, which are again subdivided3 into 31 districts, 27 cities, 51 towns, 164 villages, and 215 hamlets. The following table shows the names of such Departments, with their respective capital cities, their population, exclusive of foreigners, and the number of districts which they contain:
Departments; Capital Cities Population Number of
Districts.
Capitals. Departments.
San Salvador San Salvador 32,000 65,000 3
La Libertad New San Salvador 11,000 49,000 2
Sonsonate Sonsonate 11,500 41,500 2
Ahuachapán Ahuachapán 12,000 37,000 2
Santa Ana Santa Ana 33,750 80,500 3
Chalatenango Chalatenango 6,000 54,000 2
Cuscatlán Cojutepeque 8,000 62,000 2
Caba?as Sensuntepeque 10,000 35,000 2
San Vicente San Vicente 11,000 40,500 2
La Paz Zacatecoluca 6,500 70,000 2
Usulután Usulután 6,000 42,000 2
San Miguel San Miguel 23,000 60,000 2
Morozán Gotera 3,100 35,100 3
La Unión La Unión 3,700 35,700 2
[5] Total 177,550 707,300 —
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Department of San Salvador.
Cities.—San Salvador, Tonacatepeque (2).
Towns.—Mejicanos, Apopa, Nejapa, Santo Tomas, Panchimalco (5).
This was one of the first of the original divisions into which the Republic was divided in the year 1821, at which period the separation from the neighbouring kingdom of Guatemala took place. San Salvador is bounded on the north by the Departments of Chalatenango and Cuscatlán, on the east by Cuscatlán and La Paz, on the south by La Libertad and La Paz, and on the west by La Libertad. A great variety of scenery is met with, and no portion of the country can be described as anything but beautiful and romantic. In the southern part is encountered the rugged4 and picturesque5 coastal6 range of mountains; the central portion is broken up into a number of small, fertile valleys of surprising scenic7 beauty and fertility; while the northern section is covered with hills, which, although always green, are destitute8 of large trees. The Department contains two volcanoes—San Salvador, or Quezaltepeque, as the Indians name it, and Ilopango, which is situated9 upon a lake bearing the same name. Surrounding the capital are an immense number of prosperous fincas, or agricultural estates, market-gardens, and great stretches of tobacco, coffee, sugar, rice, corn and bean plantations10. The whole population are engaged in these industries, the amount of labour necessary being abundantly supplied, and to all appearances the people seem extremely prosperous and contented11. I failed, indeed, to observe any signs of either poverty or disorderliness, while, on the contrary, nearly everyone encountered appeared[249] merry, well fed, and decently dressed. There is little reason to suppose that these evidences were deceptive12.
In spite of the fact that San Salvador has been visited by so many different volcanic13 eruptions14, it has really suffered less from earthquakes or their effects than either Costa Rica or Guatemala, its immediate16 neighbours. There are still living in Salvador those who remember and speak of the great seismic17 catastrophe which befell the Capital City in the month of April, 1854, by which that place was almost completely ruined. Previous to this catastrophe, the city, in point of size and importance, had ranked third in Central America, Guatemala City, in the State of the same name, being first, and Leon, in Nicaragua, second. In regard to the first named, Guatemala City still remains18 the capital of its State; but Leon, although ranking as the largest city in the Republic of Nicaragua, has had to yield to Managua the pride of place as capital and seat of Government.
The name of "San Salvador" was chosen by its pious19 but pitiless founder20, Don Jorge de Alvarado, who conquered the territory for the Spanish Government after Columbus had located it, in commemoration of his final decisive victory over the Indians of Cuscatlán, which battle was gained on the eve of the festival of San Salvador. During the long dominion21 of Spain in South and Central America, the city was the seat of the Governor, or Intendente, of the province of San Salvador, who, again, was subservient22 to the Captain-General of Guatemala. After its independence San Salvador became the capital of the new State, and it was early distinguished23 for its thorough devotion to the principles of the Liberal party in Central America.
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Even as far back as 1853, a notable writer of the day who was travelling in Salvador described the city as "a very beautiful town," and also spoke24 of the general intelligence, the industry, and the enterprise of its inhabitants, who, in his opinion, "surpassed in these respects the people of any of the other large towns in Central America." This visitor, as are all who sojourn25 for any length of time in San Salvador, became much impressed by the picturesque position of the city, which, as already indicated, lies in the midst of a broad but elevated plain, situated on the summit of a high tableland or coast range of mountains, which intervene between the valley of the River Lempa and the Pacific.
By barometrical26 admeasurement, San Salvador lies 2,115 feet above the sea. As a consequence, its climate is found pleasantly cool as compared with that of coast alluvians, although unfavourably modified in this respect by a low range of hills on the southern border of the plain, which shuts off the full benefit of the sea-breeze. Were it not for this obstacle, the winds blowing from the ocean, which is only twenty miles distant, would reach the city. As an indication of the kind of temperature one meets with, it may be said that in August the maximum of temperature rarely exceeds 80° Fahrenheit27, the minimum 70°, and the mean average 76.3°, which, as will be generally recognized, constitutes a delightful28 climate.
The hills which surround the plain of San Salvador are covered with verdure, which keeps its colour and freshness owing to the heavy dews which fall and the absence of dust, while a fair amount of rain can always be depended upon.
Not more than three miles to the westward29 of the[251] Capital City, and watching over it like a gigantic sentinel, stands the magnificent volcano of San Salvador. In this respect one is reminded of some other Spanish-American cities, such as La Paz in Bolivia, with the superb Misti; and, again, of Mexico City, with its two ever-watchful volcanic guardians—Ixtaccihuatl, which stands 16,060 feet in height, and Popocatepetl, which towers to 17,782 feet in the air. The cone30 of San Salvador volcano, which rises on the northern border or edge of the crater31, is, however, approximately but 8,000 feet in height.
Some fifty or sixty years ago San Salvador, judging from contemporary pictures, must have been even more charming in appearance than it is to-day; then its population, however, scarcely exceeded 25,000. With the exception of the central and paved part of the city, it was eminently32 sylvan33, being literally34 embowered in masses of tropical fruit-trees. The red-roofed dwellings35, closely shut in with evergreen36 hedges of cactus37, shadowed over by palm and orange trees, with a dense38 background of broad-leaved plantains, almost sinking beneath their heavy clusters of rich golden fruit, must have presented a delightful scenic picture, at once romantic and peaceful.
From contemporary reports, it is pitiful to read that this exquisite39 scene was subsequently completely devastated40 in the brief space of ten seconds, for precisely41 that period elapsed between the beginning and the end of the awful earthquake of April 16, 1854. I have been shown pictures of the ill-fated city which were painted a year or two before the disaster, as well as one which showed San Salvador as it stood in 1839, the date of a previous similar disaster. The appearance in both cases was singularly attractive in regard[252] to the character of the buildings and their scenic surroundings. In the freshness of their affliction the inhabitants determined42 never again to return to the city, but, as history has proved, they did so in exactly the same manner as the ever-faithful inhabitants of Mount Vesuvius have returned again and again to the scene of their numerous previous misfortunes. The people of Guatemala were somewhat wiser. Soon after 1773 they deserted43 their capital, which stood at the foot of the volcanoes Agua and Fuego (Water and Fire), and which was overwhelmed by a volcanic eruption15, for they then built themselves a new place of abode44, which is the present handsome city and Capital of the Republic.
I have been afforded the following interesting account of the destruction of San Salvador, a description which was published in a small Government organ dated May 2, 1854, and which provides so graphic45 a description of what occurred that I make no apology for reproducing it in these pages.
The chronicler of that day says:
"The night of April 16, 1854, will ever be one of sad and bitter memory to the people of Salvador. On that unfortunate night our happy and beautiful capital was made a heap of ruins. Movements of the earth were felt on the morning of Holy Thursday, preceded by sounds like the rolling of heavy artillery46 over pavements, and like distant thunder. The people were a little alarmed in consequence of this phenomenon, but it did not prevent them from meeting in the churches to celebrate the solemnities of the day. On Saturday all was quiet, and confidence was restored. The people of the neighbourhood assembled as usual to celebrate the Passover. The night of Saturday was quiet, so also was the whole of Sunday. The heat, it is true, was considerable, but the atmosphere was calm and serene47. For the first three hours[253] of the evening there was nothing of unusual occurrence, but at half-past nine a severe shock of an earthquake, occurring without the usual preliminary noises, alarmed the whole city. Many families left their houses and made encampments in the public squares, while others prepared to pass the night in their respective courtyards.
"Finally, at ten minutes to eleven, without further premonition of any kind, the earth began to heave and tremble with such fearful force that in ten seconds the entire city was prostrated48. The crashing of houses and churches stunned49 the ears of the terrified inhabitants, while a cloud of dust from the falling ruins enveloped50 them in a pall51 of impenetrable darkness. Not a drop of water could be got to relieve the half-choked and the suffocating52, for the wells and fountains were filled up or made dry. The clock-tower of the cathedral carried a great part of that edifice53 with it in its fall. The towers of the church of San Francisco crashed down upon the episcopal oratory54 and part of the palace. The Church of Santo Domingo was buried beneath its towers, and the College of the Assumption was entirely55 ruined. The new and beautiful edifice of the University was demolished56. The Church of the Mercéd separated in the centre, and its walls fell outward to the ground. Of the private houses, a few were left standing57, but all were rendered uninhabitable. It is worthy58 of remark that the walls left standing are old ones; all those of modern construction have fallen. The public edifices59 of the Government and the city shared in the common destruction.
"The devastation60 was effected, as we have said, in the first ten seconds; for although the succeeding shocks were tremendous, and accompanied by fearful rumblings beneath our feet, they had comparatively trifling61 results, for the reason that the first jar left but little for their ravages62.
"Solemn and terrible was the picture presented, on the dark, funereal63 night, of a whole people clustering in the plazas64, and, on their knees, crying with loud voices to Heaven for mercy, or in agonizing65 accents calling for their children and their friends, whom they believed to be buried beneath the ruins. A heaven opaque66 and ominous67; a movement of the[254] earth rapid and unequal, causing a terror indescribable; an intense sulphurous odour filling the atmosphere, and indicating an approaching eruption of the volcano; streets filled with ruins or overhung by threatening walls; a suffocating cloud of dust, almost rendering68 respiration69 impossible—such was the spectacle presented by the unhappy city on that memorable70 and awful night.
"A hundred boys were shut up in the college, many invalids71 crowded the hospitals, and the barracks were full of soldiers. The sense of the catastrophe which must have befallen them gave poignancy72 to the first moments of reflection after the earthquake was over. It was believed that at least a fourth part of the inhabitants had been buried beneath the ruins. The members of the Government hastened to ascertain73 as far as practicable the extent of the catastrophe, and to quiet the public mind. It was found that the loss of life had been much less than was supposed, and it now appears that the number of the killed will not exceed one hundred, and of wounded fifty. Among the latter is the Bishop74, who received a severe blow on the head, the late President, Se?or Due?as, a daughter of the President, and the wife of the Secretary of the Legislative75 Chambers76, the latter severely77.
"Fortunately, the earthquake has not been followed by rains, which gives an opportunity to disinter the public archives, as also many of the valuables contained in the dwellings of the citizens.
"The movements of the earth still continue with strong shocks, and the people, fearing a general swallowing up of the site of the city, or that it may be buried under some sudden eruption of the volcano, are hastening away, taking with them their household gods, the sweet memories of their infancy78, and their domestic animals—perhaps the only property left for the support of their families—exclaiming with Virgil: 'Nos patri? fines et dulcia linquimus arva.'"
I have witnessed scenes in Valparaiso, in San Francisco, and in Kingston, Jamaica, almost precisely similar to these so graphically79 portrayed80; but in all these cases the loss of life was considerably81 greater than occurred in San Salvador. To-day the capital of the Republic bears not a single trace of the disaster, nor yet of some subsequent visitations; for the recuperative faculties82 of these optimistic peoples are as astonishing as they are thorough and instantaneous in the manner in which they assert themselves.
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1
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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subdivided
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| 再分，细分( subdivide的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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coastal
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| adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的 | |
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scenic
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| adj.自然景色的，景色优美的 | |
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destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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deceptive
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| adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的 | |
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volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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eruptions
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| n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 ) | |
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eruption
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| n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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seismic
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| a.地震的，地震强度的 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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subservient
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| adj.卑屈的，阿谀的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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barometrical
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| 气压计的 | |
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Fahrenheit
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| n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的) | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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cone
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| n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果 | |
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crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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sylvan
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| adj.森林的 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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evergreen
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| n.常青树；adj.四季常青的 | |
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cactus
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| n.仙人掌 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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devastated
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| v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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47
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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prostrated
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| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的过去式和过去分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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suffocating
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| a.使人窒息的 | |
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edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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oratory
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| n.演讲术；词藻华丽的言辞 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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demolished
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| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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devastation
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| n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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ravages
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| 劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹 | |
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funereal
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| adj.悲哀的；送葬的 | |
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plazas
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| n.（尤指西班牙语城镇的）露天广场( plaza的名词复数 )；购物中心 | |
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agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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respiration
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| n.呼吸作用；一次呼吸；植物光合作用 | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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invalids
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| 病人，残疾者( invalid的名词复数 ) | |
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poignancy
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| n.辛酸事，尖锐 | |
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73
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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legislative
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| n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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79
graphically
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| adv.通过图表；生动地，轮廓分明地 | |
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80
portrayed
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| v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画 | |
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81
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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82
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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