GUATEMALA, GUATEMALA LA NUEVA or NEW GUATEMALA, the capital city of the Central American re public of the same name, was founded, on its present site, follow ing an earthquake which in 1773 wrecked the older capital, now known as Antigua (or Ancient) Guatemala (q.v.), the govern ment being formally transferred to the present site in 1779. Guatemala lies at an altitude of 4,877 ft. above the sea on a virtually isolated tableland surrounded, except for one side, by deep gullies or barrancas, and in the opinion of its founders destined to be free from earthquakes, a hope which was weakened by a destructive tremor in 1874, and blasted when, in 1917-18, the city was virtually razed to the ground by a series of earth quake shocks. The site was not abandoned, however, and Guate mala has since been rebuilt on the same streets and building lots as before.
Guatemala lies 75 m. by railroad from San Jose, the Pacific port, and 198 m. from Puerto Barrios, the Caribbean port and terminus of the International railways of Central America. It is also connected by rail with Ayutla, at the Mexican border (18o m. distant), and with San Salvador and other cities of the adjoining republic of El Salvador, by an extension of the Inter national railways from the station of Zacapa, on the Guatemala Barrios line, which was to be opened in 1929. Guatemala City en joys the excellent climate which characterizes highland cities of the tropics, which have even temperatures of relative coolness. The temperature averages 72° F, the highest being 85° and the lowest 5o°, on the average. The sun, at midday, is glaring and hot, but the city is very comfortable in the shade at all hours.
The population, in 1934, was 134,400. It is the largest and most important city in Central America, and is the home of the ambassador of Mexico, ministers of the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France and Spain, as well as consuls-general or consuls of these and other powers. It is the commercial centre of the country, the headquarters of the many banks and agencies of foreign banking institutions. It is the centre of the Guatemalan coffee trade, the chief source of one of the finest of the so called "mild" coffees of commerce, and has a number of small industries, including a brewery, shoe and soap factories, furniture and cigar factories and tanneries. It has several good hotels and one excellent one, the latter being a recent construction of reinforced concrete, a type of building material which is being used extensively for store and office buildings, clubs and private residences. There are also American, French, German and Spanish operated hostelries which cater for their nationals and visitors.
Guatemala is laid out on the usual gridiron pattern of the Hispanic-American city, comparatively wide streets being included in the plan.
Guatemala's streets were paved for many years with flagstones 18 to 24 in. square, the stone being cut by hand and brought for a considerable distance. Settling and minor earthquakes and the heavy shocks of 1917 and 1918, made these streets extremely rough, as well as painfully glaring, as they had always been, in the sunlight, but in 1928, a new system of waterworks and drainage—the city lies on a gentle slope and has always enjoyed excellent health conditions—was begun, which is to include, ultimately, a new paving system. The city is well lighted with electricity, which is now furnished by an American company at rates which make the use of electricity for cooking a growing practice. (W. THo.)