San Vicente was created a Department in 1836, and its territory embraces a portion of what formerly formed one of the "territorial divisions" of the country existing under Spanish rule, while the eastern portion was originally part of Cabañas. The amount of commerce which is carried on is considerable, and during the past few years has made decided strides in actual volume. Besides supplying a large amount of agricultural produce, such as indigo, coffee, sugar, tobacco, timber, cereals, and all kinds of fruits, there are several manufactories which turn out silk shawls, shoes, hats, starch, salt, and cigars, as well as sundry distilleries.
The annual Fair is held here on All Saints' Day—namely, November 1—and the city is then very gay from morning to night. Upon this occasion the transactions carried out between the permanent residents and the visitors run into high figures, quantities of local produce and merchandise being bought and sold, the articles of trade consisting mainly of indigo, cheese, cattle, grain, and the retailing of certain foreign goods.
The principal city, San Vicente, is a very picturesque and romantic-looking town, one of the oldest, if not quite the most ancient, in this part of the country, dating as a city as far back as 1658, while it was founded as a town in 1634. To-day, however, the streets have been straightened-out and well paved, while a number of very pleasant suburbs, each with its gardens and avenues of trees, lend additional attractiveness as one approaches the place from the main-road. There are a number of excellent buildings already erected, and several others of altogether imposing dimensions and structural pretensions were going up when I visited the town.
It has long been the desire of the Government to unite San Vicente with San Salvador by railroad, and the line would run via San Miguel, the second city in the Republic, and La Unión, its finest seaport, thus securing also an all-rail route between Acajutla, the most important western port, and La Unión, on the extreme east of the Gulf of Fonseca. The survey was made many years ago, and the line has been proved to be a practicable one, although the work would no doubt be heavy and costly, since much grading, heavy protective masonry, and many bridges, would have to be undertaken. The distance would be about 67·9 kilometres (42·2 miles) between San Salvador and San Vicente by this line of railway, and the cost of the line has been estimated at not less than $2,157,433 (say £431,486), or an average of $51,124 (=£10,225) per mile. The maximum grade in this location would be 2·8 per cent., and the sharpest curves 41 degrees (radius 410·3 feet or 125·1 millimetres).
CHAPTER XXI
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).