In September, 1821, the Spanish Colony now known as Central America declared its independence from Spain and formed the republics of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. The area, was largely an unexplored jungle and included only a few isolated and scattered settlements. The boundaries and limits were very vague, as the prime purpose was independence from Spain. In a short time the natural resources of the republics resulted in a large number of settlements. When settlements became numerous and many valuable minerals were found, boundary‐disputes arose between adjacent countries. These led to litigation and resulted in much confusion and expenditure of mone