Appleton's Guide to Mexico/Section 4
Section IV.
The Mexican National Railway (Compañía Constructora Nacional Mexicana).
(For description of this railway, see Part First.)
We will first sketch the western branch of this railway, from Mexico to Manzanillo, on the Pacific coast, and then give an account of the northern route, from Acambaro Junction to Laredo and Corpus Christi. The region adjacent to the railroad, and connections by stage and horseback with stations along the line, will be described in detail.
Route I.
FROM THE CITY OF MEXICO TO MANZANILLO.
1. Mexico to Toluca.
2. Toluca to Maravatio.
3. Maravatio to Morelia.
4. Morelia to Pátzcuaro and thence to Manzanillo.
5. Pátzcuaro via Ario to Jorullo.
Leaving the station of Colonia, the line passes over the fertile plain of Mexico. The castle of Chapultepec is seen on the left. The first station is Union de Tacuba (4•59 kilometres); the next station is Union de Naucalpan (8•62 kilometres). Now the land begins to rise, and the grade soon becomes very heavy. Passing the hamlet of San Bartolo (9•18 kilometres), we reach Rio Hondo (14•28 kilometres), where the elevation is 7,550 feet, or 203 feet above the capital. The track soon enters the foot-hills of the ridge forming the western boundary of the valley of Mexico.
There are many cuts through the alluvial drift and clay. Nopales, or cactus-trees, are very common in the vicinity of the line of the railroad.
After passing Rio Hondo a heavy grade begins. The train crosses gulches, with roaring brooks at the bottom. On the northern side of the track, and near the station of San Bartolito (22•09 kilometres), traces of an ancient aqueduct are seen. We soon pass through a cut in granite rock, and then stop at the station of Dos Rios (37•15 kilometres).
The road now enters a picturesque valley half a mile in breadth, where some maize is grown. The farms are divided by long hedges of the maguey, which appear to take the place of fences. The natives cover the roofs of their huts with heavy stones, to prevent the wind from blowing them away. The traveler will observe towers about ten feet high adjoining the houses. They are cribs for storing corn, and are called cincolotes.
This region has a sparse population; only a few huts of stone and straw are to be seen. The track skirts the sides of enormous ravines or barrancas. The next station is Via de Escape Tunnel (30•46 kilometres). We can now look across the valley, where the track is much higher than our place of observation. After passing through the tunnel and winding round long curves, having in places a compensated grade of about four per cent, the tourist, on glancing back, will have a fine view of the distant valley of Mexico, with the stately capital and picturesque sierras beyond. The famous home of the Aztecs appears to be surrounded by lakes. The valley below the line of the railroad bears the name of San Lazar, and the hamlet on the hill bounding the south side of the canon is called San Franciscito. We next reach the station of Escape de San Martin (35•30 kilometres). The pines, spruces, and other trees of a stunted character, remind the traveler that he has ascended to a great elevation. Leaving the valley and going through several cuts in the solid rock, the train arrives at Cima, or Summit (39•12 kilometres). This is the highest point of the railroad, and would be called the "divide" by Americans. Its elevation is 9,974 feet above tide-water. It is the highest railway-station in Mexico. The brook on the south side of the track, which the tourist has just passed, is the Rio Hondo. It flows into the valley of Mexico; while the little stream on the north side of the railroad is the south fork of the Rio Lerma (one of the largest rivers of the Republic), which, after traversing the States of Mexico, Michoacan, and Guanajuato, empties into the Lake of Chapala.
The rock at Cima is a reddish trachyte, and is used to ballast the track. The road now crosses a flat, grassy plateau. The next station is Salazar (41•29 kilometres). There is a bar as well as a lunch-room in the station. The scenery in the vicinity closely resembles that of the Rocky Mountains. The pines and spruces attain a considerable height. The grade soon begins to descend, and the view henceforth is better on the right-hand side of the car. The train follows the course of the Rio Lerma, crosses the old stage-road, and arrives at the station Camino de Toluca (44•51 kilometres). The tourist may now see the majestic snow-clad mountain, the Nevado de Toluca, an extinct volcano, 15,156 feet high, and about twenty miles distant. The track crosses a bridge built over a ravine. An aqueduct is being constructed at the bottom, to carry the water of the Rio Lerma to the flour-mill at Jajalpa. Soon the station of Jajalpa (51•24 kilometres) is reached. Here the elevation is 8,872 feet. It is worthy of remark that one of the few steam flour-mills in the country is found at this town. Wood is brought from the neighboring hills for fuel. Fine wheat grows here, and the maguey is also cultivated. The track now winds round many long curves, and presently a grand view of the broad valley of Toluca is obtained. Looking out of the car-window, the observer may see the line of the road far below him.
The next station is Camino de Ocoyoacac (55•40 kilometres). The train runs along the side of the mountains, and soon the town of Ocoyoacac is seen in the plain below. The streets are well laid out, and there is considerable stir on the plaza, but the church is by far the most conspicuous object, as it is in other Mexican and Spanish towns. We now arrive at the station of Lerma (59•55 kilometres). The elevation of this place is 8,456 feet. The houses of Lerma are built of adobe, with tile roofs. Much maguey is grown in the vicinity. The pulque from the valley of Toluca is famous. The road runs over the plain for about eight miles, and the next station is Toluca, 73 kilometres from the capital. This place, with perhaps the exception of Ameca-meca, in the State of Mexico, is the city of the highest altitude in the Republic, being 8,653 feet above the sea-level. The Nevado de Toluca, an extinct volcano several miles to the south, is the most prominent feature in the landscape for many miles. This mountain is often cloud-capped.
TOLUCA.
Population, 11,500.
Hotels.—Gran Sociedad, Espagñol, Hidalgo, and Bella Union. There are also several restaurants and cafés.
Baths, in the Calle de Victoria.
Teatro principal, behind the Hotel Gran Sociedad.
Places of Interest. —1. Carmen church and monastery. 2. Church of Vera Cruz. 3. Plaza de los Martiros, where a monument in white marble, about twelve feet high, has been erected to the great patriot Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. 4. Palacio Municipal. 5. The Paseo.
Toluca is a well-built and thriving town. The streets are clean and well drained. The tourist may obtain a correct idea of the topography of Toluca and environs by walking up the hill on the southwestern side of the city. It is not more than fifteen minutes' walk from the principal hotels.
A pleasant excursion may be made to the Nevado de Toluca (15,156 feet high). This mountain is always snow-clad, but in winter it is covered with snow for about one third of the way down from the summit. There is a ranch on the ridge, just below the timber-line, where the traveler can pass the night. A very extensive view may be obtained from the top of the volcano. On a clear day the Pacific Ocean, one hundred and sixty miles distant, is visible; and it is said that the Gulf of Mexico can even be seen with a powerful field-glass. Baron von Humboldt ascended the peak of Toluca on the 29th of September, 1803, and measured the height of the mountain by the barometer. He states that the highest point, the Pico del Fraile, is difficult of ascent, and the very top is scarcely ten feet wide.[1] Humboldt found the rock to be a combination of oligoclase and hornblende (diorite). Two entire days will be required to climb the Nevado de Toluca—i. e., from the city of Toluca and back. The traveler should take provisions, blankets, guides, and horses sufficient for the journey.
2. From Toluca to Maravatio, 150 kilometres, or 93 miles. Time, 7 hours.
Leaving Toluca, the road continues due west along the broad valley. Much wheat is grown in the vicinity. One farmer sold seventy-seven thousand dollars' worth last year (1882). The next station is Del Rio (97 kilometres). The railway-station is in a freight-car on a siding.
The line soon winds along the bank of the Rio Lerma, with bluffs of a clayey limestone on one side. We pass through the tunnel of Ixtlahuaca, and reach the station of the same name (111•50 kilometres). Here the elevation is 8,423 feet. The town lies about a mile north of the track. The traveler may see the boundary-line of the States of Mexico and Michoacan near by. Stone monuments about three feet high are placed in the ground every thousand yards. One of them is very close to the railroad. Presently the line crosses the Rio Lerma and continues through a fertile country. Good pastures for cattle abound here, and the tourist can see many fine haciendas from the car-window. The track has usually been laid some distance from the hamlets and villages. Hogs are raised in considerable numbers on the estates along the line of the Toluca and Maravatio division of the National Railway, and yet no one has had the enterprise to put up hams for domestic use. The natives seem to prefer to import American hams at 50 cents and those of Westphalia at 62½ cents a pound. It is believed that hams could be sent from Toluca to the capital and sold at a handsome profit for 20 cents a pound. This is only one out of many business chances that await the American or European settler in Mexico.
Flor de Maria (133•90 kilometres) is the next station. Here the conductor calls out in English, "Half an hour for dinner." The dining-room consists of a freight-car, and the kitchen is in an adjoining car on a siding. The tourist is agreeably surprised at finding an excellent dinner served in such a primitive eating-house. Six reales is the price charged. We soon come to the station of La Jordana (149•90 kilometres). The next station is El Oro (164 kilometers), where the elevation is 8,344 feet. There are mines containing gold and silver on the hill-side about four miles southwest of this place. A New York company owns them. A forty-stamp mill has been erected at great cost, owing to the machinery having been transported, first over the Mexican Railway with its enormous rates, and then by wagon-road to El Oro. The ore is worked in the same manner as in California. The country rock is slate. The main shaft of the mines at El Oro is now full of water, and steam-pumps are about to be used to raise it.
Gold-mines are found also at Tlalpujahua, nine miles from El Oro station. A stage-coach runs to them. These mines are among the oldest in Mexico, and were worked before the Conquest. It may be remarked that there is a great deal of undeveloped mineral wealth in the State of Michoacan. The well-known mining districts of Trojes, Chapatuato, Ozumatlan, and Sinda, can be reached in two days on horseback. The ores of gold and silver with a quartz gangue occur here. But, as the tourist will have difficulty in procuring horses and provisions at El Oro, the journey to these mining districts can be made more easily from Morelia, the capital of the State.
Returning to the railroad, take the left-hand side of the train for the view after leaving El Oro. We now cross the State line again, as the track is built partly in the State of Mexico and partly in Michoacan. The next station is Cañon (167·70 kilometres). Near by the tourist may see the ruins of a stone dam, here a supply of water was formerly stored for the benefit of cattle and sheep grazing in the vicinity. Soon the road-bed begins to descend rapidly and enters the Cañon de los Zopilotes, or Turkey-Buzzard Canon.
The creek of El Salto runs through the canon and forms a cascade, which is a grand sight in the rainy season. The track has been blasted out of the solid basalt rock, and is a skillful piece of engineering. The cañon is about a mile long, and the observer on looking down may see a trail at the bottom running along the course of the roaring torrent. Trails are very common all over Mexico, as horse-back-riding has been the principal means of communication up to the present day. Nearly every cañon, valley, and plain can be traversed by a bridle-path. The railroad soon makes a sharp turn, and leaves the Cañon de los Zopilotes. The grade is still very heavy. A fine view of the broad and fertile valley below presents itself to the eye, and the observer will soon notice a cliff about two hundred feet high, on the right-hand side of the track, called the Salto de Medina. The cliff was so named after Medina, the chief of a noted band of brigands. He had been pursued to the edge of the precipice, and, finding escape impossible, blinded his mule with a zarape, and, spurring his animal, jumped off the cliff to prevent the officers of the law from capturing him. The line now runs along the side of the broad valley, making several long curves, and reaches the station of Solis (176•50 kilometres). The country is covered with basaltic rock, and tanks for watering live-stock are seen in places. Tepetongo is the next station (185•70 kilometres), and has an elevation of 7,652 feet. The region is overgrown with nopal-trees, and the bush known as huisachi, resembling the mesquite. After passing the station of Pomoca (205•50 kilometres), we reach Maravatio (223•20 kilometres). The elevation of this town is 6,612 feet, and the population is about 10,000. (Hotel, Diligencias.) The town lies in a broad, grassy plain, surrounded by ridges of mountains. There is nothing of special interest to the traveler here. Maravatio is eleven hours' journey from the City of Mexico. Another and shorter route from the capital to this town has been surveyed — i. e., the continuation of the division of El Salto, the line running northward from the capital, via Tlalnepantla, Cuautitlan, and Huehuetoca, to the station of El Salto, 67•29 kilometres from the capital. On November 1, 1883, only four kilometres of this line were constructed beyond El Salto. The Mexican Central Railway also runs to El Salto, and the country adjoining the latter road will be described in Section V.
3. From Maravatio to Morelia, 155 kilometres, or 96 miles.
The track from Maravatio to Acambaro was finished in February, 1883. The distance is 63 kilometres. The line of the railway is several miles to the eastward of the old diligence-road. The stations are, Zirizicuaro (23•34 kilometres), Tarandácuao (31•34 kilometres), San José (41•34 kilometres), and Acambaro (63 kilometres). The region traversed by the route is not much cultivated, and there are only three hamlets along the line. Basaltic rock covers the country, and there is but little vegetation besides the nopal, huisachi, mesquite, and pirú trees. Much wheat and Indian corn could be produced here, but at present very little is grown. The train reaches Acambaro in about three hours.
ACAMBARO.
Elevation, 6,084 feet at the railroad-junction; population, about 8,000.
Hotel. —Nacional, one block from the plaza.
The town lies in a broad valley, and is destined to increase in population as soon as the two branches of the Mexican National Railway are finished. One branch extends northward to Celaya, via Salvatierra, a distance of 42½ miles, and thence via San Luis Potosí and Monterey to the frontier; the other runs to Morelia, 57 miles distant, and thence to Pátzcuaro and Manzanillo on the Pacific. The branch to Celaya was completed in July, 1883. If the tourist does not wish to travel farther westward, he can take the train to Celaya, which is on the line of the Mexican Central Railway, and return to the capital by the latter road, thus making a round trip from Mexico that will give him an excellent idea of the agricultural and mineral resources of the region traversed by the two principal American trunk lines. The division of the National Railway to Morelia was opened on September 12, 1883.
Leaving Acambaro, the road trends over the plain to the south, and then goes south westward for several miles, when the picturesque Lake of Cuitzeo is seen. The level of this lake is 6,021 feet, or 63 feet lower than Acambaro. Lake Cuitzeo is about 18 miles long, and affords good fishing. There are several islets in the lake, and it is surrounded by low hills. The stations are Summit Siding (14 kilometres), Andocutin (31•50 kilometres), Huingo (38•50 kilometres), Querendaro (49 kilometres), Quirio (63 kilometres), Charo (74 kilometres), La Goleta (76 kilometres), Atapaneo (80 kilometres), and Morelia (92 kilometres).
MORELIA.
Population, about 20,400. Elevation, 6,202 feet.
Hotels.—Soledad and Diligencias.
Baths.—Del Recreo, and in the Hotel Soledad.
The city lies in a basin. It is the capital of the State of Michoacan, is well built, and has clean streets. There is not much wealth in Morelia, but a large number of the inhabitants are well-to-do. At the present time a few buildings are in course of erection, especially the College of San José, with an ornamental façade. Many of the houses are built of a pinkish trachyte, which is brought from a quarry about a mile from the city. This stone, however, does not weather well, and, after exposure to the atmosphere for a few years, the buildings made of it appear to be quite old. Most of the dwelling-houses are of one story, while, on the main street and near the plaza, many of the shops are in buildings having two and sometimes three stories.
Places of Interest. —1, The Cathedral (well worth seeing). 2. The Palace. 3. The Paseo. 4. Several of the churches may be visited to advantage, if the tourist is not pressed for time.
The Cathedral occupies an entire block, and is built in the Spanish renaissance style. The wood-work of the choir (coro) is finely carved. Formerly the passage-way from the choir to the high altar was inclosed with a silver railing, but during the revolution the Liberals entered the edifice and confiscated the precious metal. The silver doors on the tabernacles of the side chapels still remain. The fonts are of Mexican onyx, brought from Puebla, three hundred miles distant. It is said that the Cathedral received upward of $4,000,000 from the owners of mines in the neighborhood (at Ozumatlan), between the years 1758 and 1858. The inhabitants of Morelia worship the outside as well as the inside of the Cathedral, and it is customary for men to remove their hats while passing it. The stranger renders himself liable to insult if he fails to observe this usage. A Mexican peasant will often kneel in passing this holy of holies. In Morelia, as in some other cities, the people generally bow to the priest, or padre, whether they know him or not. When the priest wishes to administer the last rites of the Church to a person in articulo mortis, he repairs to the house in a close carriage, drawn by two white mules. It is usual to kneel in the streets while this carriage is passing, and the tourist will give great offense to the by-standers if he does not conform to this practice. Before the overthrow of the clerical party, the host was borne through the streets by a sort of procession, arranged as follows: First, a man with a bell; then the coach containing the sacrament, or estufa; then six attendants on each side of it, carrying large lanterns or torches; and three soldiers in the rear.
Protestants have often been mobbed or arrested, and in a few cases killed, for refusing to kneel on the approach of the host. The late Bishop Haven relates that, in the year 1824, in the City of Mexico, an American shoemaker was at work on his bench, near the doorway, on the first floor of a house. Presently the bell announced the coming of the priest bearing the host. A Mexican stepped into this doorway, and, kneeling on the floor, turned to see if the shoemaker was following his example. The cobbler had dropped his tools, and was kneeling on the top of his bench, when the zealous Catholic requested that he should get down and kneel on the floor. The American refused to do so, whereupon the Mexican drew his knife and inflicted a mortal wound on him. The news spread rapidly through the city, and it was only at the risk of the life of an American clergyman living in the capital that the murdered man received a Christian burial. Travelers should remember that Morelia has always been a stronghold of the priesthood, and that, although the power of the Church is gone in most of the States, it still holds its own in Michoacan.
The Palace next demands our attention. It is a well-built and commodious edifice of two stories, and contains the offices of the State Government and the custom-house. The governmental printing-office is also in the Palace. A large room on the second story contains the State Library, which is composed of many rare and old volumes, taken from the convents and monasteries during revolutions. Some of the books are written on the canon law in Latin, and bound in the most costly style. The front part of the second story of this building consists of the Governor's office, and the reception-room, or Sala de Reunion. The latter apartment is furnished with ornamental black-walnut sofas and chairs, covered with silk, and which were made in Morelia.
In the Hall of Congress, or Sala del Congreso, on the first floor of the Palace, there is a statue of Hidalgo, the Mexican Washington, and a portrait of the liberator, Ocampo, speaking in the national palace at the capital. Ocampo was one of the leaders of the anti-clerical party, and rendered such gallant service to the State of Michoacan during the revolution that the inhabitants named the State after him, so that its full name is Michoacan de Ocampo.
After the tourist has visited the principal buildings, a walk to the Paseo will be found interesting. Large ash-trees (fresnos) grow here, and the gardens are well laid out and planted with flowers. We may add that there are fine cedars and cypress-trees in the yard of the Carmen Church, on the north side of the city.
The traveler may rest a few days in Morelia to advantage. The time may be passed in visiting the other buildings not already mentioned—such as the municipal palace; the cemetery, or campo santo, inclosed with high adobe walls; the smaller churches and vacant convents; the cotton-factory; or some of the colleges and schools.
The climate of Morelia is salubrious. The water is, however, muddy, and must be passed through large stone filters before it can be used.
Morelia was founded on the 23d of April, 1541, by provision of the viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza. During the Spanish domination it received the name of Valladolid, in honor of the Viceroy Mendoza, whose birthplace in Spain bore that name. In 1838 the Legislature of Michoacan enacted that the city should be called Morelia, in memory of José Maria Morelos, a hero of the War of Independence, who was born in this place.
Many excursions can be made from Morelia, especially to the mining districts lying to the east and southeast. Chapatuato is sixty miles by trail. Gold is found in a fissure-vein, associated with galena, pyrites, and antimonial ores. The country rock is slate. Ozumatlan is thirty miles distant. Here gold occurs in trachyte. Sinda lies at about the same distance from Morelia, and its minerals are similar to those just mentioned. In the autumn of 1880 a company was formed in New York to develop these mining regions. It was known as the Michoacan Syndicate. Mining engineers were sent to Mexico from New York, and a favorable report was published, from which the above particulars are taken. Labor is abundant here, at prices ranging from three to four reales a day. It is believed that the completion of the railroad to Morelia will be of great benefit to these mines, which are now owned largely by residents of this city, who have not sufficient capital to work them, and are willing to sell at a fair valuation. It may be remarked that Michoacan still contains an immense amount of undeveloped mineral wealth. Besides gold and silver, copper and iron are abundant.
An excursion may also be taken to Zintzuntzan, about twenty miles distant. This town was the seat of the court of the ancient kings of Michoacan; it had a population of 40,000. To-day its edifices are destroyed, its streets deserted, and its few inhabitants are extremely ignorant. In the environs many mounds exist that are said to conceal the ancient palaces of the kings of Michoacan. There are also many buildings in which precious antiquities would be found if these hills should be excavated and examined. A great deal of pottery is now made here.
The cities of Zamora, La Barca, and La Piedad, and the brown-coal deposits of Xiquilpan, may be reached from Morelia by horse-roads. In closing the chapter on Morelia, it may be said that, at present, but two foreign corporations are carrying on mining and smelting operations in the vicinity—one English and one American. The State Government is trying to increase the cultivation of the silk-worm and of cotton, and it is hardly necessary to add that Michoacan affords excellent opportunities for investment to foreigners having some capital.
4. From Morelia to Pátzcuaro, and thence to Manzanillo.
There are two lines of diligences from Morelia to Pátzcuaro, running three times a week. The fare is $2 for each passenger. The distance is forty miles, and the trip requires eight hours. The scenery along the route is picturesque; but, unfortunately, the road is one of the very roughest in Mexico. A part of it is paved with basaltic bowlders, on account of the frequent rains in the neighborhood. Leaving Morelia, the diligence travels up-hill for about ten miles, until the summit of a low divide is reached. Then the road descends to a small village, where the mules are changed. Proceeding farther, the tourist enters a valley, with lofty and densely timbered ridges, or sierras, on either side. A few extinct volcanoes are seen, and the prevailing rock is blue amygdaloidal basalt. The worst part of the road has now been passed, and soon the stage-coach stops, to change animals for the last time. There is very little vegetation along this route. Traveling over an ascending grade for several miles, the observer obtains a view of the eastern end of the beautiful Lake of Pátzcuaro. In half an hour the driver halts in front of the Hotel Diligencias.
PÁTZCUARO.
Population, about 8,000.
Elevation, 6,717 feet, according to the surveys of the Mexican National Railway engineers. We may state that the line of this railroad has been graded to within a few rods of the town; but the officers of the company have as yet made no announcement of the time when this branch of the road will be completed. Alexander von Humboldt visited this region in 1803, and computed the elevation of this town to be about 500 feet higher than that above given, according to barometric measurement. The word "Pátzcuaro" means a place of pleasure in the Indian language. The houses are mostly of one story. The streets are narrow and winding, but the plazas are ample, and often filled with fruit-venders. This city was formerly a resort of the ancient kings of Michoacan, and after the Conquest it became the capital of the province.
There is a large Indian population here, who speak the Tarasc dialect, especially on the lake, which is two and a half miles from the town.
The picturesque Lake of Pátzcuaro is about thirty miles in circumference. Its shape is irregular, the greatest length being about thirteen miles from northeast to southwest. There are five small islands in the lake, bearing the names of Xanicho, Pacanda, Xaracuaro, Yuguan, and Tecuen. The first one is inhabited. The view from the hills near the town, of the lake surrounded by densely timbered mountains, and with the surface dotted by islets, and the white houses on the side of Xanicho, is beautiful beyond description. It reminds the traveler of the famous Lago Maggiore. Among other writers who have remarked upon the beauty of the landscape are Madame Calderon de la Barca and Baron von Humboldt. A recent English author of a book on Mexico states, that the former has published to the world the most entertaining work ever written on the land of the Aztecs.
The Indians living on the Lake of Pátzcuaro very closely resemble the Pueblos of New Mexico and Arizona. The tourist can visit the islands in one of their “dug-out" pine canoes (canoas). Paddles with circular blades are used in the canoes by both women and men.
Perhaps no spot in the country deserves the name of "primitive Mexico" better than Lake Pátzcuaro.
Several excursions may be made from Pátzcuaro. The most convenient one is to Uruapan, forty-seven miles by trail to the southwest. There are two small hotels and a cotton-factory in Uruapan. The cotton is of excellent quality, and is brought from the west (Acapulco) coast by pack-mules. Much pottery is made here, and the town lies in the midst of a coffee and sugar growing district. The coffee of Michoacan is generally considered to be the best in Mexico, with the single exception of that from Colima. An arroba of coffee (25 pounds) costs $3 at Uruapan, and at Pátzcuaro it is worth 30 reales. These figures will give the traveler an idea of the great expense of transportation by mule-back ; i. e. , the price for carrying coffee in sacks forty-seven miles is at the rate of three cents a pound! There is a cascade near the town worthy of a visit.
Besides sugar-cane and coffee, Peruvian bark (quina) and many medicinal plants, as well as an infinite variety of fruits, are grown in the environs of Uruapan. Twenty thousand barrels of native rum (aguardiente) are made annually in the district of Uruapan. The word “Uruapan” comes from Urani, which means in the Tarasc language "a chocolate-cup" (jicara), because the Indians in this region devote themselves to the manufacture and painting of these objects, in which industry they have thus far excelled.
The line of railroad from Pátzcuaro via Uruapan to Colima has been surveyed, but it will doubtless be many years before it is completed.
The tourist can visit Tancitaro, 40 miles from Uruapan, and, if he wishes, travel all the way to the Pacific coast. It will be advisable to purchase a horse if the traveler intends going beyond Uruapan. A good animal can be bought for about $40, and one able to accomplish the trip to Colima could be had for $25. The climate of Tancitaro is cool, the town being situated at the base of a peak of the same name, having an altitude of 11,037 feet. There are many gardens of pears, peaches, and apples in the vicinity. A horse-road leads from Tancitaro to Colima, a distance of about 100 miles. The latter place is celebrated for producing the finest coffee in the Republic. It is pronounced to be equal to the best Mocha. The berry is of small size. The State of Colima yields annually about 1,980,000 pounds of coffee, valued at $225,000. Some of it is exported to Germany. Cotton, rice, sugar-cane, and indigo are also cultivated in this State.
The city of Colima, situated on the river of the same name, has a population of 32,000 souls, which is equal to half the number of inhabitants of the entire State. There are some French, German, and English settlers. The volcano of Colima, 11,140 feet high, lies near the city. It is snow-clad in winter, but the summer sun melts the white covering. This peak is conspicuously seen far out to sea, being only 25 miles from the coast. A wagon-road goes from Colima to Manzanillo, about 70 miles distant. The latter
town is the terminus of the western branch of the Mexican National Railway. The distance from the national capital is 615 miles. The Pacific Mail steamers touch at Manzanillo once a month. Manzanillo is 1,685 miles from San Francisco, Cal., and 1,742 miles from Panama.
It may be remarked that the Hon. William H. Seward landed at Manzanillo in 1869, and traveled into the interior via Colima and Guadalajara. He received a most enthusiastic reception.
The usual plan of building railways in Mexico, i. e. , to begin at both ends, and work toward an intermediate point, has been adopted by the Mexican National Railway Company, and on October 1, 1883, about thirty miles of track had been laid from Manzanillo to Colima. The distance between the two towns via Armeria is 60 miles by rail.
Leaving Colima, the Mexican National line makes a great bend to the northeast, curves around the northern side of Lake Chapala, and then runs southeasterly to Morelia via Zamora.
The railroad from Manzanillo to Morelia will be about 380 miles long. (See chapter on railways in Part First.)
The climate of Manzanillo is unhealthy for Europeans, and the tourist is advised not to linger long in the vicinity.
5. From Pátzcuaro via Ario to Jorullo;[2] distance, 65 miles by horse-road.
This is a rough trip, owing to the absence of wagon-roads and hotels along the route. It has charms, however, especially to the geologist and lover of natural scenery; and the traveler will be amply repaid for the four or five days of comparative hardship necessary for the journey.
Tourists should hire saddle-horses in Pátzcuaro. If there are two or three in the party, it will be expedient to take a man-servant or mozo. Three horses and a mozo can be obtained at the rate of $4 daily, and the price of stabling. The cost of feeding each horse will be about one real a day. If the traveler wishes to go alone, and is able to talk in Spanish, a mozo will be unnecessary, although useful.
Leaving the quaint town of Pátzcuaro, the road ascends for about two miles, when a densely-wooded plateau is reached. This route, formerly practicable for wagons, is well paved with stone on the heavy grades, and passes through a region where considerable wheat, maize, and barley are cultivated. On reaching the top of the hill, the observer may obtain a magnificent view of the Lake of Pátzcuaro, with the vast rolling country beyond. The hamlet of Santa Clara is soon reached. There are copper-smelting works here, charcoal being used for fuel. The ore is brought in leathern sacks on mule-back from Churumuco
and Inguaran, about 65 miles distant. It is worth from $10 to $20 per carga (300 pounds). Proceeding farther, the traveler will traverse a well-timbered district. Stately ash-trees line the streets of one of the villages, and the forests in the neighborhood contain fine spruces and pines. A French settler is about to erect a steam saw-mill here. A great deal of freight is carried along this route. One meets many pack-trains of mules coming chiefly from Acapulco, which is 290 miles from Pátzcuaro. A train is usually composed of forty mules with five men who act as packers, or cargadores. A day's Journey is sixteen miles. Mules are worth from $35 to $40 in this part of Mexico, and an aparejo, or leathern pack-saddle, costs $5.
The men who accompany the pack-trains usually ride horses, and are armed with the largest size of revolvers. Most of the freight goes northward. It consists largely of the cotton that grows in the State of Guerrero, and which is put up in bales of about 150 pounds each. A good mule will carry two bales all day.
Kegs of brandy, boxes of wine, small wares, and, of course, provisions and cooking utensils for the packers, are also carried by the mule-trains. On the return trip toward the Pacific coast, many of the animals go without a load, so that the tourist can secure transportation for himself and baggage if desirous of going to Acapulco.
As the traveler approaches Ario, a beautiful view is presented from a point about two miles from the town. The "Coast Range," or the southern part of the Sierra Madre, is visible, together with the broad plain at the base, the surface of which is dotted with numerous hillocks or cerrillos. The undulating contour of the table-land, which has just been crossed, can be traced for miles. The most prominent object in the landscape, however, is the lofty mountain to the southward, known as "La Estancia de los Padres," or the fathers' mansion. This picturesque hill is formed of two dome-shaped masses of rock rising from a common base. The slopes are very steep, and the summit appears to be inaccessible from the northern side. Humboldt sketched this mountain while in Michoacan, and a picture of it may be found in his collection of views of Mexico. The observer can also see substantially the same landscape from the Alameda, just outside of Ario, and about fifteen minutes' walk from the plaza. It is best to go to the Alameda in the afternoon, Just as the sun sinks behind the lofty Sierra Madre. The plain with its wavy surface appears like an inland sea, while the scattered hillocks resemble islets.
The road now enters Ario. The population amounts to 3,000, and the altitude is 6,358 feet, according to Humboldt,
or 866 feet lower than Pátzcuaro, which is 31 miles distant. There are no hotels, but the town can boast of four mesones, that furnish accommodation for travelers and cattle or sheep.
The Meson de Ocampo is the best, although to assure a good night's rest the tourist should sprinkle flea-powder over the sheets of his bed. The principal restaurant is the Fonda de la Bella Union, about half a block east of the plaza. The inhabitants of the town are very polite to strangers. Travelers should, if possible, procure letters of recommendation to residents in the neighboring villages which they intend to visit. The prefect of police will send an escort of soldiers to Jorullo, or any other place in his district, if asked. The expense of the escort will be nothing, but a small gratuity should be given to the sergeant in command. The environs of Ario are very fertile, and many excellent farms that produce rice, sugar-cane, pepper, fruit, etc., may be easily visited. Fine horses and cattle are also reared. The climate of Ario is temperate and very healthful. The town is, however, a sort of "jumping-off" place. The land on the south and southwest of Ario descends rapidly, and a few hours' journey brings one into the "hot country."
A Mexican writer has named it "the mouth of the tierra caliente.” The inhabitants feel the want of a wagon-road that would facilitate transportation of the valuable staple products to the State of Guerrero or to some of the ports on the Pacific.
Excursions may be taken to Tacambaro, 20 miles to the eastward, or to Uruapan on the west. The former town produces much sugar and rum. The latter place has been described on page 217.
Leaving Ario, the road leads to La Playa, at the base of the famous volcano of Jorullo, about 24 miles distant. We notice several haciendas, and some groves of pine and oak along the route. The country is gently rolling for several leagues. After traversing a forest, the path becomes narrow and uneven. Suddenly it descends rapidly over rocky ground to a small hacienda.
The road is paved with cobble-stones for some distance, and the hamlet of Tejamanil is soon reached. The tourist is now in the tierra caliente. The houses in the village are made of cane-stalks and thatched chiefly with palm-leaves; but the principal building is of two stories, and built of adobe, with a roof of red tiles. There is a store in the latter, and a fondita adjoining. The accommodations here are primitive, but it is the best place for the traveler to stop at, unless he has letters to the governmental inspector of police, who lives at La Playa, three miles farther on.
There are fields of sugar-cane near by. Bananas and the indigo-plant also grow here. The main occupation of the natives is to collect palm-leaves from the adjoining hacienda, and cut them up in strips, taking the thin fibers for brooms, brushes, etc. The long strips of palm are folded over and packed together with tight cords. They are made into bundles about five feet long and a foot and a half in diameter, and carried to Ario on the backs of men and donkeys. It should be said that there are many porters in this section of the country. They transport mostly pottery and dressed palm-leaves, and travel about twenty miles daily with a load in this warm climate. The author saw a porter without a load walk thirty-one miles in seven and a half hours. He kept up with the writer's horse for the greater part of the distance. There is a native sugar-mill near Tejamanil, where the cane is put in a sort of hopper, and then passed through wooden rollers. The power is furnished by a yoke of oxen attached to a long shaft as in a horse-whim.
The road descends all the way to the hamlet of Puerta de la Playa, containing about a dozen huts, besides the house and store of the inspector of police, Don Francisco de Vega. Indigo (añil) grows in the river-bottom behind Señor Vega's residence. It is a wild bush about four feet high, and has a thin bark. The leaf resembles a fern. The Indians prepare it for the market by pounding the seeds with a huge wooden hammer and extracting the juice. The climate of La Playa is dry and very hot. The thermometer in the winter season readies 90° Fahr. at midday. It is much warmer in summer. The soil consists of dark volcanic sand, and it is called mal pais— i. e., bad country. The region abounds with dangerous insects, such as scorpions, spiders, etc. A few rattlesnakes are found here. The traveler is advised to shake out his boots in the morning, as insects and reptiles are apt to crawl into them during the night. Should he sleep in a Mexican hut, it will be expedient to keep on all clothing (including boots), on account of the vermin.
During the French invasion a battalion of soldiers, numbering about five hundred, marched down to this corner of the Republic. After camping in the plain for a few days they returned to Ario, fully satisfied that the natives had been impressed with the importance of these Gallic visitors.
The ultimate destination of the tourist, the well-known volcano of Jorullo, will now be described.
The trail up the mountain leaves the Acapulco road at La Playa.
The base of the cone of the volcano is about three miles distant. Whether the traveler passes the night at Tejamanil, or at Señor Vega's residence, he should set out before day-light (say 4 a. m.), in order to reach the summit and return before the sun becomes too hot. One hour will be requisite to go from Tejamanil to La Playa in the dark. Leaving the main road, the path traverses a barren sandy plateau covered with bowlders of black scoriaceous basalt. Presently the grade ascends, and we pass through underbrush and groves of the huisachi and tepejuaje trees. Horses can be ridden to within half a mile of the crater. A Mexican peasant may be hired to act as guide for the sum of one dollar. He will take care of the tourist's horse, if no mozo accompanies him, and point out the way to the summit, which can readily be ascended alone. About two hours will be necessary to arrive at the crater from the Puerta de la Playa. The scientific tourist will want to spend as much time on the volcano. A thermometer should be taken along to measure the temperature of the hot gases escaping from the fumaroles.
The general direction of the mountain-mass of Jorullo is north and south. The volcano is pear-shaped, the outlet of the crater being on the north side. The cone is covered with loose black ashes in which a few bushes grow, and its slope on the north and west sides is about forty-five degrees.
The crater is about a mile in circumference, and the diameter from north to south is estimated at 500 yards, the distance from east to west being a little less. The highest point is on the east side. According to Baron von Humboldt's measurements, the summit of this volcano is 4,267 feet above the level of the sea, or 1,683 feet above the "Playas de Jorullo,” which is probably the same place that now bears the name of Puerta de la Playa, often called simply La Playa.
Many clefts and fumaroles are found in the edge of the crater. The writer took the temperatures of some of them as follows: aqueous vapor escaping from the west side was found to be 132° Fahr., and sulphurous-acid gas in a fumarole at the mouth of the crater had a mean temperature of 130° Fahr., the column of mercury rising and falling a few degrees while the thermometer was exposed to the hot vapor. The traveler can make the circuit of the crater without difficulty.
Grass about four feet high, a few ferns, and tepejuaje and changunyo (native trees), grow on the border. Deer are abundant on the mountain. There is an immense stream of lava on the north side, having a dark-red color, owing to the oxidation of the iron in the rock. It is composed of scoriaceous basalt, and looks like the slag of a furnace.
The rocks of Jorullo, however, are neither uniform in texture nor composition. They vary in color from black and red to gray and grayish white. Bluish basalt containing olivine occurs near the bottom of the crater, and whitish-gray trachyte forms the greater part of it. The latter rock is traversed with a few small veins of sulphur.
The tourist may descend to the bottom of the mouth of the volcano, which is about 500 feet below the summit. The walls slant rapidly and are covered with an enormous mass of talus, containing many angular fragments of red and black rocks. Shocks of earthquake are often felt in the environs of Jorullo, extending sometimes as far as Morelia, 60 miles distant.
A recent earthquake (in March, 1883) was perceptible at Ario for the space of two minutes, and cracks were formed in the ground at a point ten miles off.
Although no eruption has taken place for upward of a hundred years, this volcano is still in a semi-active state, as shown by the heat of the crater-walls, the emission of sulphurous gas and aqueous vapor, and the frequency of earthquakes. Another stream of lava might flow out of Jorullo at any time.
The view from the summit next demands attention. It is very extensive. The eye follows the contour of the Sierra Madre to the westward for more than 100 miles, until the lofty volcano of Colima, capped with snow, bounds the horizon. The picturesque mountain, La Estancia de los Padres, is very conspicuous, and also the grassy plain in front of it, having a breadth of forty-five miles. On the south the country is much broken in outline, and to the eastward the observer may trace the undulating surface of the table-land. Looking northerly, one sees the sugar-cane fields and banana-groves near Tejamanil, whose bright verdure forms a pleasant contrast to the greater part of the desert landscape. The tourist may also have an excellent view of the palm-tree hacienda in the valley, which yields an income of about $10,000 a year. It is the largest in Michoacan.
The descent from the cone of Jorullo is easy, and the Puerta de la Playa can be reached in about an hour, the path being mostly down-grade. The appearance of Jorullo from the valley is worthy of mention. If the observer has time to geologize, let him speculate upon the original size of the plain before the eruption of 1759. This volcano is the culminating point of a narrow ridge about six miles long, and running due north and south. There are other hills of igneous rock on the eastern and northeastern borders of the plain. The valley of La Playa is now about a mile wide and six miles long. A rough estimate would make the breadth of it about eight miles before the elevation of Jorullo.
Alexander von Humboldt explored this region in 1803, and wrote a lengthy account of the great volcano in his journal. It is also described both in the Essai Politique sur la Nouvelle Espagne and in the Cosmos. The following extracts are taken from Otté and Dallas's translation of the Cosmos, vol. v, pages 291-300:
"In the series of Mexican volcanoes, . . . the most celebrated phenomenon is the elevation of the newly-produced Jorullo, and its effusion of lava. . . . The eruption in a broad and long-peaceful plain, in the former province of Michoacan, in the night from the 28th to the 29th of September, 1759, at a distance of more than 120 miles from any other volcano, was preceded for fully three months, namely, from the 29th of June in the same year, by an uninterrupted and subterranean noise. . . .
"The eruption of the new volcano, about three o'clock in the morning, was foretold the day before by a phenomenon which, in other eruptions, does not indicate their commencement, but their conclusion. At the point where the great volcano now stands there was formerly a thick wood of the Guayava. . . .
"Laborers from the sugar-cane fields (cañaverales) of the Hacienda de San Pedro Jorullo . . . had gone out to collect the fruit of the guayava. When they returned to the farm (hacienda) it was remarked with astonishment that their large straw hats were covered with volcanic ashes. Fissures had consequently already opened in what is now called the Malpais, probably at the foot of the high basaltic dome El Cuiche, which threw out ashes (lapilli) before any change appears to have occurred in the plain. . . .
"In the first hours of the night, the black ashes already lay a foot deep; every one fled toward the hill of Aguasarco, a small Indian village, situated 2,409 feet higher than the old plain of Jorullo.
"From this height (so runs the tradition) a large tract of land was seen in a state of fearful fiery eruption, and, 'in the midst of the flames (as those who witnessed the ascent of the mountain expressed themselves), there appeared, like a black castle (castillo negro), a great shapeless mass (bulto grande).’
"From the small population of the district (the cultivation of indigo and cotton was then but very little carried on), even the force of long-continued earthquakes cost no human lives, although, as I learn from manuscript record, houses were overturned by them near the copper-mines of Inguaran, in the small town of Pátzcuaro, in Santiago de Ario, and many miles farther, but not beyond San Pedro Churumucu. In the Hacienda de Jorullo, during the general nocturnal flight, they forgot to remove a deaf and dumb negro slave. A mulatto had the humanity to return and save him, while the house was still standing. It is still related that he was found kneeling, with a consecrated taper in his hand, before the picture of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.
"According to the tradition, widely and concordantly spread among the natives, the eruption during the first days consisted of great masses of rock, scoriæ, sand, and ashes, but always combined with an effusion of muddy water. In the memorable report already mentioned, of the 19th of October, 1759, the author of which was a man who, possessing an accurate knowledge of the locality, describes what had only just taken place, it is expressly said: ’Que espele el dicho. Volcan arena, ceniza y agua’
"All eye-witnesses relate . . . that, before the terrible mountain made its appearance, . . . the earthquakes and subterranean noises became more frequent; but, on the day of the eruption itself, the flat soil was seen to rise perpendicularly, . . . and the whole became more or less inflated, so that blisters (vexigones) appeared, of which the largest is now the volcano. . . .
"These inflated blisters of very various sizes, and partly of a tolerably regular conical form, subsequently burst . . . and threw boiling-hot earthy mud from their orifices, . . . as well as scoriaccous stony masses, . . . which are still found, at an immense distance, covered with black, stony masses.
"These historical records, which we might, indeed, wish to see more complete, agree perfectly with what I learn from the mouths of the natives, fourteen years after the ascent of Antonio de Riaño.[3] To the questions whether ' the castle mountain' was seen to rise gradually for months or years, or whether it appeared from the very first as an elevated peak, no answer could be obtained.
"According to the tradition, the phenomena of small eruptions of water and mud, which were observed during the first days simultaneously with the incandescent scoriæ, are ascribed to the destruction of two brooks, which, springing on the western declivity of the mountain of Santa Ines, and consequently to the east of the Cerro de Cuiche, abundantly irrigated the cane-fields of the former Hacienda de San Pedro de Jorullo, and flowed onward far to the west to the Hacienda de la Presentacion. Near their origin, the point is still shown where they disappeared in a fissure, with their formerly cold waters, during the elevation of the eastern border of the Malpais. Running below the hornitos, they reappear, according to the general opinion of the people of the country, heated in two thermal springs. . . .
"In order to acquire a clear notion of the complicated outline and general form of the surface of the ground in which such remarkable upheavals have taken place, we must distinguish hypsometrically and morphologically:
"1. The position of the volcanic system of Jorullo in relation to the average level of the Mexican plateau. 2. The convexity of the Malpais, which is covered with thousands of hornitos. 3. The fissure upon which six large volcanic mountain-masses have arisen.
"On the western portion of the central Cordillera of Mexico, which strikes from south-southeast to north-northwest, the plain of the Playas de Jorullo, at an elevation of only 2,657 feet above the level of the Pacific, forms one of the horizontal mountain terraces which everywhere in the Cordilleras interrupt the line of inclination of the declivity, and consequently more or less impede the decrease of heat in the superposed strata of the atmosphere.
"On descending from the central plateau of Mexico (whose mean elevation is 7,460 feet) to the corn-fields of Valladolid de Michoacan, to the charming Lake of Pátzcuaro with the inhabited islet Janicho, and into the meadows around Santiago de Ario, which Bonpland and I found adorned with the dahlias, which have since become so well known, we have not descended more than nine hundred or a thousand feet.
" But in passing from Ario on the steep declivity over Aguasarco, into the level of the old plain of Jorullo, we diminish the absolute elevation in this short distance by from 3,850 to 4,250 feet. The roundish convex part of the upheaved plain is about 12,790 feet in diameter, so that its area is more than seven square miles. The true volcano of Jorullo and the five other mountains which rose simultaneously with it upon the same fissure, are so situated that only a small portion of the Malpais lies to the east of them.
"Toward the west, therefore, the number of hornitos is much larger; and when, in early morning, I issued from the Indian huts of the Playas de Jorullo
or ascended a portion of the Cerro del Mirador, I saw the black volcano projecting very picturesquely above the innumerable white columns of smoke of the 'little ovens' (hornitos). Both the houses of the Playas and the basaltic hill Mirador are situated upon the level of the old non-volcanic, or, to speak more cautiously, unupheared soil. Its beautiful vegetation, in which a multitude of salvias bloom beneath the shade of a new species of fan-palm (Corypha pumas), and of a new alder (Alnus Jonillensis), contrasts with the desert, naked aspect of the Malpais.
"The comparison of the height of the barometer, at the point where the upheaval commences in the Playas, with that at the point immediately at the foot of the volcano, gives 473 feet of relative perpendicular elevation. The house that we inhabited stood only about 500 toises (3, 197 feet) from the border of the Malpais. At that place there was a small perpendicular precipice of scarcely twelve feet high, from which the heated water of the brook (Rio de San Pedro) falls down.
"The portion of the inner structure of the soil, which I could examine at the precipice, showed black, horizontal, loamy strata, mixed with sand (lapilli). At other points which I did not see, Burkart has observed 'on the perpendicular boundary of the upheaved soil where the ascent of this is difficult, a light gray and not very dense (weathered) basalt, with numerous grains of olivine.'
"This accurate and experienced observer has, however, like myself, on the spot, conceived the idea of a vesicular upheaval of the surface effected by elastic vapors, in opposition to the opinion of celebrated geognosists, who ascribe the convexity, which I ascertain by direct measurement, solely to the greater effusion of lava at the foot of the volcano.
"The many thousand small eruptive cones (properly rather of a roundish or somewhat elongated oven-like form), which cover the upheaved surface pretty uniformly, are on the average four to nine feet in height. They have risen almost exclusively on the western side of the great volcano, as, indeed, the eastern part toward the Cerro de Cuiche scarcely constitutes one twenty-fifth of the entire area of the vesicular elevation of the Playas.
"Each of the numerous hornitos is composed of weathered basaltic spheres, with fragments separated like concentric shells; I was frequently able to count from twenty-four to twenty-eight such shells. The balls are flattened into a somewhat spheroidal form, and are usually fifteen to eighteen inches in diameter, but vary from one to three feet. The black basaltic mass is penetrated by hot vapors and broken up into an earthy form, although the nucleus is of greater density; while the shells, when detached, exhibit yellow spots of oxide of iron. Even the soft, loamy mass which unites the balls is, singularly enough, divided into curved lamcllce, which wind through all the interstices of the balls.
"At the first glance I asked myself whether the whole, instead of weathered basaltic spheroids, containing but little olivine, did not perhaps present masses disturbed in the course of their formation. But in opposi tion to this we have the analogy of the hills of globular basalt, mixed with layers of clay and marl, which are found, often of very small dimensions, in the central chain of Bohemia, sometimes isolated and sometimes crowning long basaltic ridges at both extremities.
"Some of the hornitos are so much broken up, or have such large internal cavities, that mules, when compelled to place their fore-feet upon the flatter ones, sink in deeply, while in similar experiments which I made the hills constructed by the termites resisted. In the basaltic mass of the hornitos I found no immersed scoriæ, or fragments of old rocks which had been penetrated, as in the case of the lavas of the great Jorullo. The appellation hornos or hornitos is especially justified by the circumstance that in each of them (I speak of the period when I traveled over the Playas de Jorullo and wrote my journal, 18th of September, 1803) the columns of smoke break out, not from the summit, but laterally.
"In the year 1780, cigars might still be lighted, when they were fastened to a stick and pushed into a depth of two or three inches; in some places the air was at that time so much heated in the vicinity of the hornitos, that it was necessary to turn away from one's proposed course.
"Notwithstanding the refrigeration which, according to the universal testimony of the Indians, the district had undergone within twenty years, I found the temperature in the fissures of the hornitos to range between 199° and 203°; and, at a distance of twenty feet from some hills, the temperature of the air was still 108•5° and 116•2° at a point where no vapors reached me, the true temperature of the atmosphere of the Playas being at the same time scarcely 77°.
"The weak sulphuric vapors decolorized strips of test-paper, and rose visibly for some hours after sunrise, to a height of fully sixty feet.
"The view of the columns of smoke was most remarkable early in a cool morning. Toward midday, and even after eleven o'clock, they had become very low and very visible only from their immediate vicinity. In the interior of many of the hornitos we heard a rushing sound, like the fall of water. The small basaltic hornitos are, as already remarked, easily destructible. When Burkart visited the Malpais twenty-four years after me, he found that none of the hornitos were still smoking, their temperature being in most cases the same as that of the surrounding air, while many of them had lost all regularity of form by heavy rains and meteoric influences. Near the principal volcano, Burkart found small cones, which were composed of a brownish-red conglomerate, of rounded or angular fragments of lava, and only loosely coherent.
"In the midst of the upheaved area covered with hornitos, there is still to be seen a remnant of the old elevation on which the buildings of the farm of San Pedro rested. The hill, which I have indicated in my plan, forms a ridge directed east and west, and its preservation at the foot of the great volcano is most astonishing. Only a part of it is covered with dense sand (burned lapilli). The projecting basaltic rock grown over with ancient trunks of Ficus Indica and Psidium, is certainly, like that of the Cerro del Mirador and the high mountain-masses which bound the plain to the eastward, to be regarded as having existed before the catastrophe."[4]Referring to the eruption of the volcano, Humboldt remarks that the natives ascribe these wonderful changes in the earth's surface to the work of the monks. At the Playas the Jorullo, the Indian, whose hut the German traveler occupied, told him that in 1759 the Capuchins belonging to the mission preached at San Pedro, but failed to receive hospitable treatment. Accordingly, they pronounced anathemas upon this beautiful and fertile plain, predicting that first of all the houses would be destroyed by flames, which would issue from the earth, and that afterward the surrounding air would cool to such a degree that the neighboring mountains would, remain eternally covered, with snow and ice. The former of these maledictions having been verified, the lower class of Indians already see in the gradual cooling of the volcano the presage of a perpetual winter.
Should the tourist wish to visit the hornitos that have just been described, it may be said that they are about 12 miles from Puerta de la Playa. There is no hamlet in the vicinity. The famous copper-mines of San Pedro de Jorullo are about 15 miles distant. These ore deposits were worked before the Conquest, and consist of the sulphides and oxides of copper. Several tunnels have been driven into the side of the mountain about 2,000 feet above the adjacent plain. There is from 25 to 60 per cent of metal in the copper pyrites; and from 80 to 100 arrobas of ore are extracted monthly, and carried by mules to Santa Clara (see p. 221).
The mining district of Coalcoman lies about 60 miles west of Jorullo. There are many mines of gold, silver, copper, and lead here. The deposits of iron are also said to be as extensive as those of the famous Cerro del Mercado in Durango. This circumstance, together with the proximity of the district to the Pacific Ocean, gives reason to believe that, upon the opening of some of the ports on the coast, and the development of the various mines, Coalcoman will become the center of wealth and commerce of the State of Michoacan. From Puerta de la Playa the traveler may continue the journey southward, crossing the Zacatula River to Acapulco, 235 miles distant. The greater part of the road follows the outline of the Pacific coast. The river can be forded in the dry seasons, but rafts must be used during the heavy rains of summer. The climate of Acapulco is very hot and unhealthy. The town lies on a narrow strip of land, less than half a mile in width, on which there is but little soil. It is surrounded by lofty granitic mountains, and has about 5,000 inhabitants. There are several hotels here. The harbor is the finest in Mexico. For many years Vera Cruz was the only other port from which goods were shipped to foreign countries. There was formerly considerable commerce between Acapulco and the Philippine Islands. The Pacific Mail steamships touch at Acapulco twice a month.
The distance from Acapulco to San Francisco is 1,836 miles, and the fare is (cabin) $100. The fare to Panama is the same, and the distance is 1,591 miles.
The terminus of the Morelos Railway will be at Acapulco. The town will probably become an important commercial center when the road is completed. At present the only object of interest to the tourist is the artificial cut in the mountain (Abra de San Nicolas), which has been excavated for the purpose of admitting the sea-breeze. The scenery of the landlocked harbor is picturesque. Route II.
FROM THE CITY OF MEXICO TO LAREDO AND CORPUS CHRISTI.
1. Mexico to Celaya.
2. Celaya to San Luis Potosí
3. San Luis Potosí to Saltillo.
4. Saltillo to Monterey.
5. Monterey to Laredo.
6. Laredo to Corpus Christi.
1. Mexico to Celaya, 219 miles.
(For description of this tour as far as Acambaro, and thence to Celaya, see Route I, pp. 202-210.)
2. From Celaya to San Luis Potosi.
Leaving the junction of this line with the Mexican Central Railroad at Celaya, the route will go northward to San Luis Potosí, about 120 miles distant. This division of the road will traverse a fine agricultural country.
On October 15, 1883, the main line had been constructed as far as San Miguel de Allende, 55•12 kilometres north of Celaya. The intermediate stations are Molino del Soria (15•03 kilometres) and Chamacuero (22•06 kilometres). The track is rapidly approaching San Luis Potosí. A daily stage-coach runs from this city to the temporary terminus.
SAN LUIS POTOSI.
Population, 35,000 in 1883; elevation, 6,150 feet.
Hotels.—San Fernando, Del Progreso, San Carlos, San Luis, Americano.
Baths of San José, in Calle de Rayon, at 3 and 4 reales; one of the finest bath-houses in Mexico.
Post-Office, about two blocks north of the baths.
English Bankers.—Pitman & Co., opposite the Cathedral.
San Luis, as it is generally called, is a fine city. It is the capital of the State of the same name. The streets are laid out at right angles to each other, and are well paved. The houses are mostly of two stories. There are several public squares and a fine park. The city covers a large area. It lies in a broad and fertile plain, surrounded by lofty sierras. The climate is delightful, the thermometer rarely falling as low as the freezing-point.
Places of Interest.—1. The Cathedral. 2. The Mint. 3. The City-Hall. 4. The Church of El Carmen. 5. The Church of San Francisco. 6. The Church of San Agustin. 6. The Church of La Merced. 8. The Church of Guadalupe. 9. The Chapels of Fl Rosario and Los Remedios. 10. The Alameda. 11. The Plaza mayor.
The cathedral contains a beautiful clock that strikes the hours. It is in the façade between the towers, and was sent as a present to the city from a King of Spain. The tourist should ascend one of the towers for a view of the environs. The entrance is on the plaza, just north of the principal door of the cathedral. There is a large monument erected in honor of the patriot Hidalgo in the center of the plaza.
A horse-car track has just been laid in the streets, and the electric light and telephones are already in use. An American capitalist has recently purchased a lot on the Alameda, with the intention of building a first-class hotel.
The citizens of San Luis are noted for their hospitality. Balls are given in the winter season, to which strangers may be invited through some merchant or banker. There is a large garrison here, and the military band plays in the Plaza mayor three times a week.
This city will soon become a great railway center.
The eastern division of the Mexican Central Railroad is being pushed forward from Tampico as rapidly as possible. At present 3,600 men are employed on this section of the line. It is expected that the road will reach San Luis Potosi on July 1, 1885. It will be carried westward toward the main line, making a junction probably at Aguascalientes. (For description of this railway, see Section V.)
A branch road of the Mexican National Railway is projected to Zacatecas. The distance is about 150 miles.
San Luis is now a central station for diligence-lines.
The proprietors of the Diligencias Generales run stage-
coaches as follows: To Querétaro, 160 miles, fare, $10; to Lagos, 117 miles, fare, $10; to Saltillo, 331 miles, fare, $30; to El Maiz, 104 miles, fare, $10; to Pinos, 71 miles, fare, 18. Connection with Tampico may be made at El Maiz by horseback, 104 miles to the Rio Panuco, then by steamer eastward to the railroad terminus. The site of San Luis is far preferable to that of Mexico. When the two American trunk-lines are finished, it is believed that the former city will soon become a rival of the latter in commercial importance. At present freight charges to San Luis are enormous—e. g., a box of snuff, valued at $9 in New Orleans, will cost $50 delivered in San Luis via Laredo, including the duties.
Residents of this city are taxed heavily for the railroad toward Tampico. They pay three per cent of their annual income. An extensive trade in groceries, leather, shoes, saddlery, bagging, cassimeres, hats, and grain is carried on here. Fruit and the cereals grow in the environs. It is said that twenty bushels of Indian corn are produced to the acre.
This State is rich in minerals, although but few of the mines are worked at present, owing to lack of capital. The famous San Pedro mine is near the city. The pillars having been cut away, the roof of the mine has fallen in.
Mining engineers state that there is still a large body of ore awaiting development. The biggest piece of native gold ever found in Mexico is said to have been taken out of the San Pedro. It was sent to the reigning King of Spain as a gift, and in return the Spanish sovereign presented a clock to the cathedral, which has already been described.
3. From San Luis Potosi to Saltillo; time, 4 days.
Leaving San Luis Potosí, the railroad will be continued northward through Venado, Charcas, and Encarnacion, to Saltillo, a distance of about 330 miles. The road will cross the great table-land, and the grading will be easy. The engineers report that the line just mentioned can be constructed in about the same time that has been necessary to lay the track between Monterey and Saltillo. At the present time the stage-coacli route from San Luis to the north passes through Charcas, Matehuala, Cedral, La Ventura, and Saltillo; thence by rail to Laredo via Monterrey.
The diligence starts daily from San Luis at 4 a. m.
The average distance traversed is about 82 miles a day. The taverns along the road are very inferior, and the tourist is advised to provide himself with beef-tea, canned goods, red wine, etc. The route from San Luis Potosí to Saltillo may be briefly described as follows: The road leads northward from the former city over the broad and level valley, in which mesquite, maguey, and nopal grow for many miles. The picturesque sierra bounds the plain on the east, while a rolling country is seen to the westward. The town of Montezuma, famous for its red wine, is passed on the way.
The first night is spent at Charcas, which has about the same elevation as San Luis Potosí. The meson is clean, and the water good. There is a telegraph here. The population numbers about 2,000, and the distance from San Luis is 91 miles.
Leaving Charcas, the road trends slightly to the northeast, and lies over a broad plain for several miles, when the mountains of Catorce come into view. The diligence stops at Matehuala for dinner. The hotel is tolerably well kept. This city has a population of 15,000, and contains many haciendas de beneficios, or silver-reducing works. There are also silver-mines in the vicinity.
Catorce is 13 miles distant. It has about 12,000 inhabitants, but no hotel. The population at one time reached 20,000. Some of the richest veins of silver in the Republic are found in the vicinity. They are owned chiefly by Spaniards and Englishmen. During the French invasion a mint was established here. The mines of Catorce have not paid well for the last few years; but it is said that some rich pockets of ore have been found very recently, while driving a tunnel, in one of the old Spanish claims.
The word "catorce” means fourteen. The town was named after a band of fourteen robbers, who were the terror of the neighborhood for many years.
On reaching Matehuala, the traveler enters a region abounding with bhie hmestone. The water is purgative, and should be drunk sparingly. The road continues over a level plain toward Cedral, about 13 miles farther. In places, the tourist may see solid stone fences, marking the boundaries of haciendas, or farms. These fences are often carried up to the summits of the adjacent ridges.
The soil is little cultivated between Charcas and Cedral. Irrigation is necessary, and there are no acequias or ditches. By taking advantage of the rainy season, however, more cereals could be grown. This portion of the great northern table-land, like the others, will always yield more in mineral than in agricultural products, unless water companies are organized, and tanks built in the ravines of the sierras for irrigation.
The second night is passed at Cedral, 78 miles from Charcas. The former town has about 4,000 inhabitants and two taverns. The Diligencias is the better. It has accommodation for eight passengers. There are several silver-reducing mills in Cedral. The ores come from Catorce, and contain sulphur. They are roasted, therefore, in a reverberatory furnace, before being crushed and amalgamated. The pyramidal mountain of El Fraile stands near the town. It may be ascended by a bridle-path to a point a short distance from the summit, and thence on foot.
Leaving Cedral, there is a good road to La Ventura, 81 miles distant, over a broad valley, bordered with sierras on either side. There is but little vegetation to be seen, other than the huisachi, mesquite, and shrub-palms. At El Salado, about 27 miles from Cedral, a stop is made for lunch. We are now on the eastern boundary of one of the largest estates in Mexico, the Hacienda del Salado. It lies partly in the four States of San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, Nuevo Leon and Coahuila. There are 8,000 horses and 3,000 cattle on the farm. Wells and tanks are used for watering the stock, as no running streams exist here.
The next night is spent in La Ventura, at the ranch of General Treviño. This spot lies in a broad plain, surrounded by lofty ridges of mountains. There is a large pond in the rear of the farm-house, where the tourist can bathe. The "hotel" accommodation is very poor, and the traveler is warned to beware of fleas (pulgas).
Leaving La Ventura, where the elevation is 5,840 feet, the road continues level for several miles. The limestone rock still covers the country. Presently a long hill is ascended, and Agua Nueva is reached. Here the altitude is 6,380 feet. This is a fertile spot, and affords good water. It is about 20 miles from Saltillo. This part of the route is celebrated in Mexican history as being the scene of battles, both during the War of Independence as well as in the conflict with the United States. A few miles farther is the hamlet of La Encantada, having an elevation of 6,171 feet. General Taylor with his army encamped here before the battle of Buena Vista.
A wagon-road goes from this place to Parras,[5] and the "laguna" country of Coahuila. The altitude of Parras is 4,986 feet, according to Wislizenus. Cotton, fruit, and the cereals grow in considerable quantities in the vicinity of Parras. The annual crop of the former staple amounts to 650,000 pounds. The yucca-tree is common in Coahuila. It grows to a height of thirty feet. Some species bear an edible fruit which resembles the banana. Proceeding farther, the traveler crosses the famous battle-field of Buena Vista, on a plateau about half a mile wide. Here, on February 22 and 23, 1847, the American army, under General Taylor, defeated the Mexicans, who were commanded by Santa Anna. The forces of the latter outnumbered those of the former by about four to one.
The stage-road descends from Buena Vista nearly all the way to Saltillo, the first part of it being quite rough.
The difference of elevation between the two points is almost
a thousand feet. The jagged ridge of limestone on the eastern side of the route soon trends to the eastward, and extends as far as Monterey.
The tourist approaching Saltillo does not see it until within about 300 yards of the city. He may have, however, an extensive view of the valley in which this town lies, as well as the picturesque sierras bounding it, from the plateau on the south.
After a continual descent, the houses come in sight, and the diligence rattles over the cobble-stone pavement of the streets to the hotel, stopping first at the post-office to deliver the mail. The city is 81 miles from La Ventura.
SALTILLO.
Population, 11,340; elevation, 5,204 feet.
Hotel.—San Esteban.
There are a few mesones. The water for the city is brought from the mountains in a long aqueduct. Saltillo is the capital of the State of Coahuila, and is a very healthy place. It is well built, and contains an Alameda and several plazas. The parochial church on the Plaza mayor is worthy of a visit. There is a small garrison and a bull-ring here. A fort, which was built during the French occupation, stands on the hill behind the city. Several cotton-factories are found in the neighborhood, and a considerable trade in goat and sheep skins is carried on in Saltillo. This city is destined to become the emporium of Northeastern Mexico. A wagon-road leads to Monclova, 121 miles distant, and the Mexican International Railroad, starting from Piedras Negras, will probably have a branch line from Monclova to Saltillo. The Mexican National Railway began to run trains to the latter town about September 15, 1883.[6] The climate is temperate and dry. An American capitalist is about to erect a hotel, with all the modern conveniences. Saltillo is likely to become a resort for invalids. It has many advantages over Colorado, and the distance from New York or Philadelphia to either place is about the same.
4. From Saltillo to Monterey, 67•8 miles. Difference of elevation, 3,414 feet.
Leaving Saltillo, the railroad traverses a fertile valley, in which wheat, barley, and maize are cultivated. The views along the route are beautiful. The first station is Capellania (8 miles). Passing the hamlets of Ojo Caliente (18•4 miles) and Los Muertos (24•5 miles), we reach Rinconada (31•1 miles). Here the altitude is 3,316 feet, or 1,888 feet lower than Saltillo. There is a large ranch near the station. The track of the Mexican National Railway leaves the broad cañon near Rinconada. The grade now descends rapidly, and the scenery becomes magnificent. The walls of the valley are formed of steep, rocky ridges with serrated outlines. The next stop is made at Garcia (46•8 miles), elevation, 2,465 feet. The next station is Santa Catarina (59-8 miles). This village has a population of about 1,500. There is a great deal of mesquite and nopal growing in the vicinity. The famous potrero is about four miles distant. It is a pasture which is reached by a winding cañon intersecting the south side of the lofty and rocky sierra. The scenery is very picturesque. The limestone has been shaped into pinnacles, domes, and towers. In fact, it reminds the traveler of a miniature Yosemite. A very pleasant excursion from Monterey would be. to take the morning train to Santa Catarina, visit the potrero on horseback or on foot, and return to the city by the evening train. The wagon-road passes Independence Hill, a few miles beyond Santa Catarina. It is an artificial mound about 150 feet high, with two wooden crosses on the summit, erected to the memory of the heroes who fell at the battle of Monterey in 1847. There was considerable fighting in this region during the Mexican War. Among other soldiers who fought here and have since become famous, may be mentioned General William T. Sherman, who was then a lieutenant in the United States Army.
We now pass the stations of Leona (61•5 miles) and San Geronimo (64•1 miles). Continuing the Journey toward Monterey, the next place of interest is the Bishop's Palace, situated on a hill about 150 feet above the surrounding plain. A fort was built on this eminence, and occupied by the Mexicans during the war. After a short resistance, the
Americans caused it to surrender. At present the Bishop's Palace is used as a barracks. A company of artillery, with half a dozen guns, is stationed here. The city is four miles distant. A species of dwarf palm-tree, popularly called the dagger-plant, grows along the wagon-road.
The next stopping-place is Gonzalitos (66 miles), after which comes Monterey (67•8 miles).
MONTEREY.
Population, 15,300; elevation, 1,790 feet.
Hotels.— Iturbide, Monterey, Fonda Americana.
Baths.— Del Refugio, in the Calle de Dr. Mier.
Carriages.—Four reales an hour.
Post-Office, on the plaza.
Telegraph-Office, at the railway-station.
Horse-Cars, from the plaza to the railway-station; fare, a medio (6¼ cents).
The city is the capital of the State of Nuevo Leon, and is situated on the Rio de Santa Catarina, in latitude 25° 40' 6" north, and longitude 0° 49' west of Mexico. It lies in a broad plain, with the majestic Bishop's Mitre, or Cerro de la Mitra, on the west, and the unique Saddle-Mountain, or Cerro de la Silla, on the east. Both of these hills are formed almost entirely of solid rock. The latter is 4,149 feet and the former 3,618 feet above the level of the sea.
Monterey covers a great deal of ground. The houses are mostly of one story, except on the two public squares, where they have two stories.
Places op Interest.—1. The Cathedral. 2. The Bishop's Palace (already described). 3. The New Bridge, or Puente Nuevo. 4. The Tank, Ojo de Agua. 5. The Chapel of Guadalupe. — 6. The Market.
The bridge is famous as the scene of a battle between the Mexicans and Americans. The former defended it successfully against the onslaught of the latter. Zealous Catholics in Monterey say that the image of the Virgin, then on the bridge, assured the victory of their countrymen.
The tank is much used lor washing clothes and for bathing. The stranger should ascend the hill known as the Caido, beyond the chapel of Guadalupe and due south of the city. A carriage may be driven to within a hundred yards of the summit, or it can easily be reached on horseback. The view is one of the most picturesque in the Republic, and affords an opportunity of studying the topography of Monterey and the neighboring battle-fields.
It reminds the traveler of Salzburg, and several other towns in the Tyrol. If the tourist intends remaining long in the city, he may ascend the Saddle-Mountain, or the Bishop's Mitre. A visit should be made to the potrero (described on page 246). Native work, such as fancy baskets, purses, bird-figures, etc., can be purchased at the jail, which is in the old convent of San Francisco.
Monterey has become more Americanized, perhaps, than any other Mexican town. The hotels are kept on the American plan; and merchants, lawyers, doctors, and dentists from the United States have established themselves here.
There are beautiful drives in the vicinity. The climate is dry and healthy, although very warm for half the year. Monterey is on the isothermal line that passes through the Canary Isles, and Canton, in China. The prevailing wind is from the southeast. The following temperatures were taken in 1865 by Dr. E. Gonzalez, and given to the author.
| Mean temperature of the year | 71° | Fahr. |
| Mean temperature of the winter | 55° | ” |
| Mean temperature of the summer | 83° | ” |
| Hottest month, July | 8413° | ” |
| Coldest month, January | 51° | ” |
| Maximum temperature, May 25th | 107° | ” |
| Minimum temperature, January 24th | 32° | ” |
This city may become a resort for invalids, a few of whom passed the winter of 1883 here. The changes of temperature, however, are said to be more rapid than at Saltillo, and the climate of the latter town is certainly much cooler in summer.
5. From Monterey to Laredo. Distance, 172 miles. Fares: $7.05, first class; $5.75, second class. Two passenger-trains daily.
Leaving Monterey station, which is about a mile and a half from the plaza, the road runs northward over the broad plain. The mountains surrounding the city present a magnificent spectacle to the eye, and are seen to best advantage from the rear platform of the last car. As the train moves onward, they appear to fade out of sight like a dissolving view. Much coin and bullion are transported over this route. Sometimes $100,000 will be carried in the baggage-car of the train. Passing the hamlet of Estancia (6 miles), the next station is Topo (13 miles). Here the elevation is 1,590 feet, or 200 feet lower than Monterey.
The next stop is made at Salinas (21 miles), where the altitude is 1,432 feet. This town has about 4,000 inhabitants, and is situated on a river of the same name. The surrounding region is fertile, and produces fruit. The adjoining cañon contains silver-mines that are worked at the present time.
Leaving Salinas, the lofty sierra still bounds the plain on the west. The ridge-line is, however, somewhat lower than at Monterey, and it decreases in height on running northward, until it assumes the form of a mesa, or terrace.
Palo Blanco (43 miles) is the next station, and then the train stops at Villaldama (59 miles). A forest of palm-trees is passed on the way, and the country to the eastward continues level for many miles. The elevation of Villaldama is 1,412 feet, and it is named after Aldama, one of the heroes of the War of Independence. The town lies about a mile east of the railroad, and was formerly known as Boca de los Leones. The population numbers about 5,000, and it is chiefly descended from Spaniards. There are lead-mines in the vicinity, but they have been abandoned, owing to lack of capital. Leaving Villaldama, the next station is Bustamante (67 miles), where a stop of twenty minutes is made for dinner. The next station is Golondrinos (74 miles), where a stock-farm may be visited. Passing the hamlet of Salome Botello (83 miles), we reach Lampazos (96 miles), which has an elevation of 1,032 feet.
The latter town lies eastward of the track. Mexican blankets are manufactured here.
Opposite Lampazos is the Mesa de los Cartuhanes, a terrace rising about 2,000 feet above the plain. Its area is about 20 X 15 miles, and it is accessible from only one point. This plateau affords good water, grass, and timber. It was formerly used by Indians as a hiding-place. The 
Varieties of Cactus.
mesa is owned by Patrick Milmo, Esq., an Irish settler, who married the daughter of an ex-Governor of Nuevo Leon. Mr. Milmo is also the proprietor of an immense amount of real estate in Monterey and the adjacent region.
Leaving Lampazos, the train passes Mojina (109 miles) and Rodriguez (124 miles). Just before reaching the latter place the track makes a bend to the east. The elevation of Rodriguez is 651 feet. The country is now covered with nopal-bushes and mesquite. The mountain-ridge gradually subsides into the plain. We cross the Salado River, and reach Huisachoto (135 miles), where the road-bed curves eastward. The next station is Jarita (148 miles). Here the altitude is 674 feet. The surrounding country is flat and uninteresting as far as the frontier. Passing Sanchez (150 miles), New Laredo (166 miles) is reached. The Mexican National Railway crosses the Mexican Southern just before reaching its station.
NEW LAREDO.
Population, about 10,000; elevation, 438 feet.
Hotel. —Rio Grande.
This town was a part of old Laredo, on the opposite side of the river, before Texas was separated from Mexico. Communication has always been made by ferries, until the recent completion of the railroad-bridge. New Laredo will become an important city when the two American trunk-lines are finished. The Mexican National and the Mexican Southern Railway Companies have recently made arrangements to build jointly a substantial iron bridge across the Rio Grande, to replace the wooden trestle-work erected by the former company. The new bridge will be used by both roads. Leaving New Laredo, the train passes the station of Rio Grande (168 miles), and then crosses the river, which is about one quarter of a mile wide. The next stop is at Mexico Junction (169 miles). The track now makes a long bend to the northwest, and reaches Laredo, Texas (172 miles). Between the two Laredos, an express agent passes through the cars, and checks baggage to any part of the latter city. He also sells transfer tickets to the depot of the International and Great Northern Railroad, which runs to San Antonio. The customs inspector meets the train on arrival at the station of Laredo, and examines baggage on the platform without causing any unnecessary delay to the passengers. There is a dining-room adjoining the station, owned and controlled by the Mexican National Railway Company.
LAREDO.
Population, 12,000 ; elevation, 438 feet above the Gulf at Corpus Christi.
Hotels.— Wilson House, Laredo Hotel.
Tickets are sold at Laredo to all parts of the United States. The distance to San Antonio is 153 miles, and the time is 9½ hours. There is but one passenger-train daily. The tourist can go eastward from San Antonio to Houston and New Orleans, or westward toward El Paso and California. The distance from—
| Miles. | |
| Laredo to the City of Mexico is | 820 |
| Laredo via Houston to New Orleans is | 720 |
| Laredo to St. Louis, Mo., via Texarkana is | 1,084 |
| Laredo to New York via St. Louis is | 2,181 |
| Laredo to New York via New Orleans is | 2,398 |
6. From Laredo to Corpus Christi, distance 161 miles. Time, 12½ hours.
Two passenger-trains daily. Fare, $4.83, or three cents a mile.
The stations between Laredo and Corpus Christi are:
| Miles. | Miles. | |||
| Laredo | 0 | Sweden | 85 | |
| Mexico Junction | 3 | Benavides | 91 | |
| Pescadita | 18 | San Diego | 108 | |
| Aguilares | 30 | Collins | 121 | |
| Los Angeles | 46 | Banquete | 136 | |
| Peña | 61 | Rogers | 149 | |
| Realitos | 75 | Corpus Christi | 161 |
Corpus Christi (St. James Hotel) is the terminus of the Texas-Mexican Railway, and is 981 miles from the City of Mexico.
The mean depth of water at high tide in the harbor is 12 feet, but a recent congressional appropriation has led to the improvement of the channel. When the Mexican National Railway is completed, it is expected that merchandise will be shipped from Europe and from the Eastern and Middle States to Corpus Christi, and be sent thence by rail direct to the Mexican capital. In this respect, the line will have an advantage over its rival, the Mexican Central.
(For additional information concerning the routes through Texas, see Appletons' General Guide to the United States.)