POST-OFFICE AND LETTERS.
XVI.
Mints.
There were formerly fourteen mints in the country, the oldest of which is that of the City of Mexico. Visitors are admitted to these institutions from 8 to 12 a.m., and from 1 to 4 p.m. It is better to go in the morning, as the workmen are more commonly employed during this time. English machinery is generally used at the mints.
The following table, taken from Señor Busto's great work, gives the coinage of the mints for the fiscal year of 1878 to 1879:
| Mints. | Gold. | Silver. | Copper. | Total. |
| Mexico | $304,500 00 | $5,116,000 00 | $14,800 00 | $5,435,300 00 |
| Zacatecas | 50,111 00 | 4,597,939 50 | 4 648 050 50 | |
| Guanajuato | 212,158 00 | 3,740,403 75 | 3,952,561 75 | |
| San Luis Potosí | 2,519,110 00 | 2,519,110 00 | ||
| Guadalajara | 3,830 00 | 1,413,161 00 | 1,500 00 | 1,418,491 00 |
| Chihuahua | 806,025 00 | 806 025 00 | ||
| Culiacán | 49,230 00 | 891,951 00 | 941,181 00 | |
| Durango | 23,935 00 | 854,882 50 | 878,817 50 | |
| Alamos | 13,700 00 | 756,598 15 | 770,298 15 | |
| Hermosillo | 1,360 00 | 555,650 00 | 557,010 00 | |
| Oaxaca | 3,700 00 | 153,610 00 | 157,310 00 | |
| ——————— | ——————— | —————— | ——————— | |
| $662,524 00 | $21,405,330 90 | $16,300 00 | $22,084,154 90 |
XVII.
Post-Office and Letters.
Before the Conquest letters were carried throughout the realm by swift-footed couriers. The distance from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico, about 300 miles, was traversed in twenty-four hours.
