founders of the city. It was conquered by the Spaniards in April, 1521. Both of the foreign usurpers, Cortes and Maximilian, made this place their favorite winter resort.
Cortes's Palace is now used as a court-house, and has been rebuilt since the Independence of Mexico. The Borda Gardens, once very beautiful, are in ruins. They are on the western edge of the town, and are worthy of a visit. Maximilian's villa is now used as a school-house. It is called El Colegio de Niñas. A handsome garden adjoins the villa, but it is not in good condition. Cotton, coffee, bananas, and palms, besides flowers, grow here. The unfortunate emperor occupied this place from January to October, in 1866. He is said to have built the charming villa at his own expense. The snow-clad mountains of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl are in full view, and lie about twenty-five miles to the eastward.
The village of Acapancingo is situated about one mile and a half southeast of Cuernavaca. There was once a good wagon-road thither, but now it is practicable only for horsemen and pedestrians.
Much sugar-cane is grown in the neighborhood, and a crop may be reaped within twelve months after planting the cuttings.
The tourist should visit the temple or fortress of Xochicalco, which is one of the most remarkable remains on Mexican soil. It lies eighteen miles from Cuernavaca, on a rocky eminence, almost a league in circumference, which is cut into terraces faced with stone. The building on the summit is seventy-five by sixty-six feet in area. It is of hewn granite, and was constructed in the usual pyramidal-terraced form. A few years ago this temple was used as a sugar-refinery.
An excursion may be taken from Cuernavaca to the famous cave of Cacahuamilpa, which lies in a limestone region, about forty miles south of the city. It can be reached
