Page:Mexico in 1827 Vol 2.djvu/668

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MEXICO IN 1827.

tion worthy of the Vega of Cuautla itself. All the fruits of which Jălāpă can boast, are to be met with in this isolated spot; and we saw with astonishment, as we approached it, the dark foliage of the Ăguăcātĕ and Chĭrĭmōyă contrasting with the light green of the sugar-cane and the brilliant yellow of the orange. During the afternoon, we feasted upon Zăpōtĕs, and other delightful fruits, of which we had been long deprived; and on the following morning, we laid in a stock of oranges for the road, the value of which is never so fully appreciated as after a dusty ride beneath a burning sun.

About four leagues North-east of Zăpōtlănējŏ, we passed the Bridge of Căldĕrōn, celebrated in the annals of the Revolution for the action which proved so fatal to Hĭdālgŏ, and gave Căllējă his title. It is thrown across a river, with banks precipitously steep, and presents a position highly favourable for defence, if attacked only in front, but disadvantageous if turned, as it was, by the Royalist cavalry. On the hill, upon the Guădălajāră side, there is still a mound of stones, covered with an infinity of little crosses, which denote the spot where the slaughter is said to have been greatest.

Jan. 3.—From Zăpōtlăn to Guadalajara, ten leagues.

The moment that we left the barranca in which Zapotlan lies, we lost sight of the luxuriant vegetation by which the Pueblo is surrounded. The fields resumed their old broun colouring; maize stubbles