# Appleton's Guide to Mexico/Section 5

SECTION V.
The Mexican Central Railway (Ferrocarril Central Mexicano).
(Compare with the chapter on railways.)
Of the two branches of this road, the southern or principal one will be described first.
Route I.
FROM THE CITY OF MEXICO TO ZACATECAS.
1. Mexico to Queretaro. 2. Querétaro to Guanajuato.
3. Guanajuato to Lagos.
4. Lagos to Guadalajara and San Blas.
5. Lagos to Zacatecas.
1. From Mexico to Querétaro, 246 kilometres, or 152½ miles.
Leaving the railroad-station at Buena Vista (elevation, 7,347 feet), the line runs northward over the broad valley of Mexico. The first station is Lecheria (21 kilometres). The track of the Mexican National Railway runs parallel with this road for several miles. The grade is slightly ascending, Lecheria being 7,386 feet above the sea-level, or 39 feet above the City of Mexico. The snow-clad peaks of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl remain in full view. We now stop at the hamlets of Cuautitlan (27 kilometres), Teoloyucan (36 kilometres), and Huehuetoca (47 kilometres).
Both of these American railroad companies have ​station-houses at these three places, and the Mexican National Railway crosses the Mexican Central at Huehuetoca.
The elevation of this point is 7,533 feet above the sea-level, according to Humboldt, or about 140 feet higher than the measurement of the railway-engineers. In general, it may be said that the distinguished German traveler and scientist, in taking altitudes with his barometer throughout the country, computed the elevations of the various points at somewhat higher figures than those of the engineers of the several railroads. Wheat and maize are cultivated in the vicinity of Huehuetoca.
This village is famous in Mexican History as being the scene of one of the greatest hydraulic operations ever undertaken by man. Frequent inundations of the City of Mexico, in the latter part of the sixteenth century, convinced the Spaniards that the system of dikes was insufficient to protect the capital. It was decided that the artificial draining of the Lakes of Tezcuco, Zumpango, and San Cristobal, would be necessary.
Two intelligent men, Obregon and Arciniega, proposed to the Government that a gallery should be made through the hills of Nochistongo, to the north-northwest of Huehuetoca. This spot was perhaps the lowest in the mountains bounding the valley of Mexico on the north. In 1607 the Marquis de Salinas, then viceroy, employed Enrico Martinez to begin the stupendous work of building a tunnel through the hills to drain the Mexican lakes. It received the name of the Desague (canal) de Huehuetoca. Work on the famous gallery of Nochistongo was commenced on November 28, 1607. The viceroy, in the presence of the audiencia, applied the first pickaxe, and 15,000 Indians were given employment. After eleven months of continued labor, during which many hundreds of Indians perished from severe treatment, the tunnel (el socabon) was completed. Its length was more than four miles, its width eleven and a half feet, and its height fourteen feet.
The water flowed through the canal for the first time on September 17, 1608. In the following December the viceroy and Archbishop of Mexico were invited by Martinez to witness it running, from the Lake of Zumpango and the Rio de Cuaulitlan, through the tunnel. The Viceroy Salinas is said to have ridden upward of a mile into this underground passage.
Scarcely had the water begun to flow from the valley of Mexico toward the Atlantic Ocean, when the canal was found to be too small. The loose earth surrounding the tunnel began to crumble, and it became necessary to support the roof, which was composed of alternate strata of marl and stiff
clay. At first wood was used, but afterward masonry was deemed preferable. The water, however, gradually undermined the lateral walls, and deposited a large quantity of earth and gravel on the bottom of the canal. Martinez built small sluices at intervals to clear the passage, to obviate these difficulties. This remedy, however, proved insufficient, and the gallery was stopped up by the constant falling in of earth.
From 1608 to 1614 various schemes for enlarging the canal were discussed. In the latter year the court of Madrid, wearied out by the disputes of the engineers, sent out Adrian Boot, a Dutchman of large experience in hydraulic architecture. He was in favor of the Indian system, and advised the construction of great dikes and mounds of earth around the capital. He was unable to bring about the relinquishment of the Nochistongo Canal till 1623. About this time a new viceroy (Guelves) arrived, who scouted the idea that the City of Mexico was in danger of floods.
He had the temerity to order the Desague to be closed, and to make the water of the Lakes of Zumpango, and San Cristobal return to the Lake of Tezcuco, that he might see whether the peril was, in fact, as great as it had been represented. The last lake soon swelled rapidly, and the foolish directions to the engineer Martinez were countermanded.
The latter now began his operations anew, and continued them till June 20, 1629. Heavy rains fell, and suddenly the capital became inundated to the height of a metre (3¼ feet). Martinez was committed to prison. Contrary to every expectation, Mexico remained flooded for five years, from 1629 to 1634! During this interval four different projects were presented and discussed by the Marquis de Ceralvo, the viceroy. The misery of the lower classes was singularly increased while the inundation lasted. Trade was at a stand, many houses tumbled down, and others were rendered uninhabitable. The waters, however, in 1634, receded, the ground in the valley having opened on account of violent and very frequent earthquakes.
The viceroy now set the engineer Martinez at liberty. He was ordered to finish the desague, by enlarging the original tunnel. The Government levied particular imposts on the consumption of commodities for the expense of these hydraulic operations.
In 1637 the Viceroy Villena put the entire work in charge of Father Luis Flores, of the Order of St. Francis. It was decided to abandon the tunnel (socabon), to remove the top of the vault, and to make an immense cut through the mountain, of which the old subterranean passage was to be merely the water-course.
The monks of St. Francis continued to retain direction of this work for about forty years, when Martin del Soils, a lawyer, obtained from the court of Madrid the administration of the desague. He proved to be
incompetent to manage such a gigantic engineering scheme, and the passage was stopped up. The canal had been opened and walled in a few years, but it required two centuries to complete the cut in a loose earth, in sections of from 262 to 328 feet in breadth, and from 131 to 164 feet in perpendicular depth. The work was neglected in years of drought, but renewed with extraordinary energy after a season of heavy rains.
In 1762 there were still at the northern extremity of the tunnel of Martinez 6,356 feet which had never been converted into an open trench (tajo abierto). At length, in 1767, the Flemish viceroy, the Marquis de Croix, undertook to finish the desague. The cut was enlarged, but, in fact, the great canal was never entirely completed. Millions had been expended, and the Government, hesitating between the Indian system of dikes and the modern scheme of a canal and open cut through the hill, never had the courage to adhere to the same plan.
The gallery was allowed to be choked up, because a wider and deeper one was required; and the cut of Nochistongo was not to be finished, while the officials were disputing about the project of the canal of Tezcuco, which was never executed.
In the beginning of the present century the entire length of the desague from south to north was 20,585 metres, or about 12¾ miles. This is reckoning from the sluice of Vertideros, about 2½ miles south of Huehuetoca, to El Salto del Rio de Tula.
For farther particulars about this great canal, the reader is referred to Humboldt's Political Essay on the Kingdom of New Spain, Black's translation, vol. ii, pp. 75-112, from which the above abstract is taken. Humboldt also discusses the scheme of extending the canal from El Salto to Tampico, on the Gulf of Mexico. For many years this plan, although never undertaken, was considered practicable by the Mexicans.
It may be remarked that a canal of such length could be used for irrigation in the dry season, as well as for the transportation of merchandise by small craft. Of course a great many locks would be necessary, as the difference of level between Huehuetoca and Tampico is 7,400 feet. The tourist can obtain a hasty view of this great hydraulic work from the car-window, as the track is now laid through the cut (tajo) of Nochistongo. But, to examine the desague ​properly, a stop should be made at Huehuetoca or El Salto, where a horse can be procured for the short journey. The traveler can leave Mexico in the morning by either road (i. e. , the Mexican Central or the Mexican National), inspect the ancient canal, and return in the afternoon train.
Leaving Huehuetoca, we pass Kilometer (53 kilometres), and the next station is El Salto (62 kilometres). Here the Mexican National Railway crosses the Mexican Central again. (Elevation of El Salto, 7,131 feet.) Between Huehuetoca and El Salto the road runs northwest, but from the latter station to San Antonio the general course of the track is westerly.
The snow-clad volcanoes are no longer visible after leaving Tula (80 kilometres) (Hotel Diligencias). This town was once the great Toltec capital. Ruins are found on the Hill of Treasure (see p. 48). From this station, having an elevation of 6,658 feet, the up-grade becomes quite perceptible for a few miles. Much wheat and maize grow along the line, especially in the river-bottoms.
We now stop at San Antonio (93 kilometres; elevation, 7,216 feet). Trees of nopal, pirú, and huisachi are abundant in places where the land has not been cultivated. The general direction of the route is now west-northwest. The country is rolling, and good for stock-raising. Passing the stations of Angeles (112 kilometres). Marqués (122 kilometres), Nopala (130 kilometres), Dañú (138 kilometres), Polotitlan (151 kilometres), and Cazadero (161 kilometres), the train describes a long curve, and reaches San Juan del Rio (191 kilometres). The highest point of the railroad is just east of Marqués station. Here the altitude is 8,134 feet, or 787 feet above the capital. Thence the grade is downward toward Polotitlan—elevation, 7, 534 feet, and San Juan del Rio—6,300 feet. ​This latter town is situated in a broad and very fertile plain, where cereals are cultivated. Some of the best agricultural land in the Republic lies between here and Leon. The population of San Juan del Rio is about 12,000, and the streets are wide and well paved. It was formerly one of the largest woolen manufacturing cities in the country. The train stops thirty minutes at this place for breakfast. The restaurant is very well kept, and the eastward and westward passenger-trains usually meet here.
Ahorcado (216 kilometres) is the next station; elevation, 6,258 feet. The track now runs slightly downward over a productive region, passing the immense cotton-mills at Hercules, and reaches Querétaro (246 kilometres).
QUERÉTARO.
Population, 38,000 in 1882; elevation, 6,363 feet, according to Humboldt, and 5,904 feet, according to the railroad-engineers.
Hotels.—Diligencias, Del Ferrocarril Central, Del Aguila Roja, Ruiz, and Hidalgo. Baths, in the Calle de Locutorios.
Post-Office, in the same street.
Querétaro is the capital of the State of the same name, and was founded by the Aztecs about the middle of the fifteenth century. It was conquered by the Spaniards, under Fernando de Tapia, a lieutenant of Cortes, in 1531. The city contains many fine edifices, several public squares, and numerous paved streets. It has a temperate climate, and fruits, flowers, and the cereals grow abundantly in the environs. The water-supply comes from a neighboring mountain, by means of a stone aqueduct, some of the arches of which are ninety feet high. The cost of this structure was $124,000, the greater part of which was paid by the Marquis de Villar del Aguila, to whom the citizens have erected a statue on one of the plazas.
Places of Interest.—1. The Churches of San Francisco, or the Cathedral; San Antonio, San Agustin, Santo Domingo, Santa Clara, El
Carmen, de la Cruz, and Santa Rosa. Santa Clara is the finest of all, and contains exquisite gilt wooden carvings. A convent adjoins it. 2. The Hercules cotton-mill. 3. El Cerro de las Campanas. 4. The Alameda, with beautiful groves of ash-trees.
No traveler should leave the country without visiting the famous Hercules mill. The railroad-track runs close to it, and the distance by carriage from Querétaro is about two miles. The factory was begun in 1840 by Señor Rubio. The cost of building it, together with the ground, was $4,000,000. It is a sort of citadel. Inclosed by a high wall, provided with port-holes, occupying several acres, and giving employment to 1,400 operatives, it forms a manufacturing town of itself.
The Rubio family live here, and their apartments adjoin a beautiful garden, laid out with artificial ponds and statues. The buildings are of stone, and the machinery has been imported principally from England. Both steam and water power are used in the factory, and it has one of the largest overshot wheels in the world, being fifty feet in diameter. The operatives are all Mexicans. There are, however, half a dozen Europeans employed as foremen and superintendents. The force of hands is kept working both day and night, and an immense number of yards of unbleached cotton, called manta, is manufactured annually. Señores Rubio have a small “army" of thirty-eight soldiers, who are provided with muskets and howitzers. Thus far the owners have defended their property successfully against the insurgents during several revolutions. The proprietors say that there has been but one strike among the operatives during the last twenty-five years.
Don Cayetano Rubio is the present manager of the establishment. He went to Manchester, England, when a lad, and learned the trade of cotton-spinning. He is very polite to strangers, and sends a clerk to accompany them through the factory. The Hercules mill suggests much ​material for study to foreigners who are reckoning on the future of manufactures in Mexico.
The Cerro de las Campanas is the hill on the north side of which the unfortunate Maximilian was shot. During the empire, earthworks were built on this eminence, which rises about one hundred feet above the plain. The Liberal army, under General Escobedo, besieged Querétaro while Maximilian was in command. Through the treachery of Colonel Miguel Lopez, the Emperor was taken prisoner, and his forces subsequently surrendered to the Liberals. Maximilian was tried before a court-martial, and sentenced to be shot. Persistent efforts were made to save his life. The Princess Salm-Salm is said to have ridden to San Luis Potosí, the seat of the Republican Government, 160 miles distant, and begged President Juarez to pardon the adventurer from Miramar. The Government of the United States was appealed to in vain. None of the European potentates ventured to intercede, and Maximilian, together with his comrades in arms. Generals Miramon and Mejia, was shot on June 19, 1867. His body was subsequently taken to Vienna for interment.
The night before the Emperor's execution, he wrote the following letter to his wife, who was then a maniac, confined in one of the palaces of her father, the King of the Belgians:
"To my beloved Charlotte: If God ever permits you to recover and read these lines, you will learn the cruelty of the fate which has not ceased to pursue me since your departure for Europe. You carried with you my soul and my happiness. Why did I not listen to you? So many events, alas! so many unexpected and unmerited catastrophes, have overwhelmed me, that I have no more hope in my heart, and I await death as a delivering angel. I die without agony. I shall fall with glory, like a soldier, like a conquered king. If you have not the power to bear so much suffering, if God soon reunites us, I shall bless the divine and paternal hand which has so rudely stricken us. Adieu! Adieu! Thy poor Max."
A diligence runs three times a week from Querétaro to San Luis Potosí, the distance being 160 miles, and the fare ​is $10. The road is rough, and two days are required for the trip. The route passes through two towns named after heroes of the War of Independence—San Miguel de Allende, a well-built city of about 20,000 inhabitants, and Dolores Hidalgo. The latter was the parish of the illustrious padre, Hidalgo, and it was here that he sounded the key-note for the Independence of Mexico, while addressing the populace on the 16th of September, 1810.
2. From Querétaro to Guanajuato, 160 kilometres, or 100 miles.
Leaving Querétaro, the road traverses a rich agricultural plain bounded by hills of moderate extent. The track runs nearly due west to Calera (264 kilometres), elevation, 5,904 feet, and the grade is now slightly downward. Passing the station of Apaseo (278 kilometres), we reach Celaya (292 kilometres), where the elevation is 5,800 feet. At the latter point the main line of the Mexican National Railway crosses the track. (For a description of this route, see Section IV, pp. 237-252.)
Celaya (Hotel Cortazar) lies in a broad plain. The population is about 15,000. The town is noted for its churches. Those of San Francisco and El Carmen are worthy of a visit. Several woolen-factories are found here. There are also factories of cotton thread at the town of Salvatierra, 20 miles distant.
Celaya is destined, when the American trunk-lines are completed, to become a place of some importance.
Leaving this station, the road continues in a westerly direction with a gradual descent to Guaje (311 kilometres), and thence to Salamanca (333 kilometres). The latter place has an altitude of 5,680 feet, and a population of 13,000. It is celebrated for the manufacture of leathern clothing and gloves. Boys bring the latter into the cars for sale. There are also rich deposits of kaolin and white clay here. The best hotel is the Cortazar. At Salamanca ​the line takes a northwesterly direction, and, passing the station of Chico (344 kilometres), reaches Irapuato (353 kilometres). A diligence connects at the latter town with La Piedad and Barca, and thence to Lake Chapala. The population of Irapuato is about 12,000.
The track now ascends in approaching Villalobos (370 kilometres), and the next station is Silao (383 kilometres).
SILAO.
Population, about 10,000; elevation, 6,910 feet.
Hotel.—Hidalgo. Also an excellent restaurant kept by a Frenchman opposite the station.
The town lies in a district where two crops of wheat and maize are grown annually. Irrigation is necessary, however, and the water is commonly raised from the ditches by a rude bucket-wheel worked by man-power.
The wheat-harvest is thirty-five and forty for one, and sometimes even as high as fifty or sixty to one. In the farms that are properly irrigated, the wheat is twice watered: first, when the young plant springs up in the month of January; and, secondly, in the beginning of March, when the ear is on the point of developing itself. Sometimes even the entire field is inundated before sowing. This method resembles the mode of cultivation of the cereals in lower Egypt. (Vide p. 95.)
A branch road leads to Guanajuato, 23 kilometres distant. This town is situated in the low range of mountains that forms the northern boundary of the plain. The intervening region has an undulating surface, and very little vegetation except the nopal. The branch track runs northeasterly, and the upward grade is heavy. It was finished in November, 1882. The line is built as far as Marfil (18 kilometres). At this station, both stage-coaches and horse-cars connect with Guanajuato, 5 kilometres distant. The fare in the former is 25 cents for each passenger ​with ordinary baggage, and in the tramway 15 cents, first class, and 7 cents, second class. The railway company intends to extend its track to Guanajuato in a few months.
GUANAJUATO.
Population, 56,112 ; elevation, 6,836 feet, according to Humboldt. Hotels.—Del Suizo, Bayas, and Diligencias.
Restaurants.—De Bordeaux, Frances.
Guanajuato is the capital of the State of the same name, and lies in latitude 21° north, and longitude 1° 49' west of the City of Mexico.
The city was founded by the Spaniards in 1554. It received the royal privilege of villa (town) in 1619, and that of ciudad (city) on the 8th of December, 1741.
Places of Interest.—1. The Church of La Parroquia. 2. The Mint. 3. The Prison (El Carcel). 4. The Silver-mills (haciendas de beneficios). 5. The Silver-mines. 6. Cerro (hill) de San Miguel. 1. The Paseo.
In 1803 Humboldt states that the population within the city was 41,000, and in the adjacent mines of Marfil, Santa Ana, Santa Rosa, Valenciana, Mayas, and Mellado, it was 29,600, making a total of 70,600, of whom there were 4,500 Indians. The same writer, in his Political Essay on New Spain, vol. iii, p. 138, ranks Guanajuato first in a list of the richest mining districts of Mexico. He remarks also that the vein of Guanajuato, from the end of the sixteenth century to the year 1800, produced foutteen hundred million (1,400,000,000) francs worth of silver, besides some gold. (See chapter on mines, in Part First.) This vein is familiarly called the Veta Madre, and the mines on it began to be worked in 1558.
For several years past these mines have not paid well, and it is believed by many persons that their mineral wealth has been exhausted. This impression, however, is not well founded, as the mines have in only two instances (Rayas and Valenciana) been explored to a depth of 1,500 ​feet. It is highly probable that rich bodies of ore will be met with by sinking the shafts deeper.
There are several families of great wealth in Guanajuato, whose fortunes have been acquired in silver-mining, Humboldt states that the Count de Valenciana dug three pits in one mine at an expense of $1,700,000. The proprietors of these mines are unwilling to sell them except at a large profit, as this class of real estate is regarded as a good investment.
At present but two English companies own mineral property in this region. One of them has an agency for the examination and purchase of Mexican mines. Thus far the Americans have not bought mines in this vicinity. Their mineral lands are mostly in the northern States of the Republic.
The traveler will have no better chance of visiting a mine than in Guanajuato. Accordingly, he is advised to descend one of the many pits in the suburbs. The Rayas and Nopal mines are both dry and well arranged. A carriage may be driven to the latter, and within a short walk of the former. Strangers are treated with great civility, and no card of admission is necessary.
The tourist will have an opportunity of seeing the celebrated peons at work, with their primitive tools and methods of mining. But he will be obliged to descend and ascend the massive stone steps to reach the vein, as no "elevators" have thus far come into use. A fee of twenty-five cents will be sufficient to give the boy who accompanies the traveler through the mine. (See p. 81.)
There are fifty mills for crushing and reducing silver-ores in Guanajuato. All of them are worked by horse-power, except the Pardo mill, which is operated by steam. This mill has six stamps and twenty-two arrastras. The ​ore is brought in sacks from the neighboring mines by pack-mules, and it is worked by the cold amalgamation or patio process, which was invented in 1557 by Bartolomé Medina, a Mexican miner. A description of it may be of interest:
The ore is first put in the mill (molino), which is a circular depression in the ground, and crushed by a revolving stone wheel covered with a thick cast-iron tire, and having a horizontal axis. The wheel is moved by two mules attached to a long shaft. There is a coarse iron sieve in the center of the mill, at the base of the vertical post in which the axle of the wheel is fastened. As the ore is crushed, a peon shovels it against the sieve, and the smaller pieces pass through an opening in the ground surrounding the post, and are collected in a vault below. The small particles of ore are now carried in litters to the arrastras, which are flat stones of porphyry, or some other hard rock, about three feet long, which revolve in a large tub.
The tub is half full of water, and the arrastras grind the fragments of silver-ore into a fine powder in about twenty-four hours. Mules are used to give a rotary motion to the arrastras, each animal working six hours. The machinery is run day and night. The next step is the conveyance of the pulverized ore, called lama, in a trough (batea) to the patio or court-yard. The patio is paved with large flat stones, and the soft lama is allowed to accumulate to a depth of about two feet. This muddy mass is then mixed with magistral, or blue vitriol, salt, and quicksilver, by scattering these substances with the hand, and employing mules to walk about in the torta, as it is now termed. A laborer rolls up his breeches and stands in the torta, holding the reins of three mules harnessed together, and drives the animals around him, changing his position every few minutes, in order to impregnate the powdered ore thoroughly with the several chemicals.
The mules tramp through the torta for seven hours daily, and the time required to mix the mass properly varies from two to four weeks, according to the quality of the ore.
The torta is then carried in litters to the lavaderos, or large cisterns, where it is washed and stirred by means of revolving sticks. The silvery mass being heavy, of course, settles at the bottom, and in two or three days the muddy water is drawn off. The amalgam, or pella, which has been formed, is now taken from the lavaderos to a sort of oven or depression in the ground, covered with a huge metallic hood termed a capellina. A fire is built around the capellina, and the mercury is separated by distillation in about four days. The block of silver which remains is transported to the nearest mint, and worked into coin or sold. The law of Mexico
compels the owners of haciendas de beneficios to send their silver to the mint. If the owner wishes to export the bullion, he must first obtain a certificate from the director of the establishment. N. B. — A picture of the patio process may be found on p. 198.
The peons are searched, when leaving the silver-works, at the end of the day's work, as fragments of the precious metal are often concealed in their hair and clothing. (See p. 81.)
The prison, or carcel, is worthy of a visit. It occupies an eminence in the heart of the city, near the causeway (calzada), and was formerly a castle. It was also the last stronghold of the Spaniards in Guanajuato during the great revolution. The castle was defended with fire-arms, while the Mexicans had merely primitive weapons, such as clubs, knives, missiles, etc. Finding the fortress impregnable, the latter approached the gate on all-fours, with flat stones on their backs to serve as armor, and set fire to it. The Spanish oppressors surrendered, and the natives decapitated four of the leaders, and hung their heads in the corners of the court-yard of the castle.
The prison is a two-storied building, about 150 feet long and 75 feet wide. The inmates work at various trades.
The traveler should ascend the Cerro de San Miguel, which lies south of the mint, and about twenty minutes' walk from the plaza, to obtain a correct idea of the location of Guanajuato. It will be seen that the city is built in a gorge, surrounded by rolling hills. The narrow streets are winding, and they have a cobble-stone pavement. The tourist is reminded of the towns in the Swiss Alps. Looking across the city, the observer has a fine view of the principal suburbs, the mines being chiefly on the northern and western sides of Guanajuato.
There are some foreigners living in the city. They are mostly French, although a few Germans, Spaniards, Englishmen, and Americans can be included in the number.
​The inhabitants are disposed to introduce modern inventions, such as the electric light and telephone. A New York company has erected seventy-five telephones, many of which connect the mines with the houses and offices of the owners.
The greater part of the population of Guanajuato consists of miners, who are an industrious and well-to-do class of people. On Sundays they dress up in their best clothes, and walk on the, plaza and paseo with their families.
The tourist can spend a week in Guanajuato to advantage, during which an excursion may be made to Dolores Hidalgo, about 35 miles northeast of the city. (See p. 263.)
3. From Guanajuato to Lagos, 115 kilometres, or 72 miles.
Leaving Guanajuato, the stage-coach sets out from the door of the hotel, and connects with the train at Marfil, 5 kilometres distant. The track has a downward grade nearly all the way to Silao, 18 kilometres farther. The railroad company has erected a large wooden station and freight-house at the latter point. This branch road carries large quantities of quicksilver, salt, and magistral to Marfil for the silver-reducing works. (See p. 267.)
From Silao the road continues in a northwest course through the fertile plain, passing the station of Trinidad (402 kilometres), and reaches Leon (416 kilometres). The grade ascends slightly to a point just west of Trinidad, having an altitude of 5,963 feet, and then descends toward Leon.
LEON.
Population, about 80,000; elevation, 5,862 feet.
Hotels.—Comercio, de la Luz, Colon.
Tramways run to the city, 1½ mile north of the station; fare, 10 cents for each passenger. The towers of the cathedral and several domes of the churches are visible from the train.
Leon is noted for its manufactories of saddles and leathern goods, and a quarry of building-stone is found near ​the town. It is said to have had 166,000 inhabitants in 1865. The residents claim that their city is second to the national capital in population. It is, however, greatly inferior to Guadalajara and Puebla in mercantile importance and in objects of interest. There is very little wealth in Leon. The city lies near the terminus of the rich cereal belt of the table-land, which is about 80 miles long, and from 21 to 26 miles wide, according to Humboldt.
From Leon the railroad goes northwesterly, with an ascending grade toward Lagos. Passing the stations of Rincon (431 kilometres), Pedrito (448 kilometres), and Loma (462 kilometres), the train arrives at Lagos (475 kilometres). This city is 13½ hours' Journey from the capital. On October 15, 1883, trains were running to Encarnacion, 41 miles beyond Lagos.
LAGOS.
Population, 10,000; elevation, 6,153 feet.
Hotel.—Diligencias.
Stage-coaches leave Lagos as follows: For Guadalajara, 2 days distant; fare, $14. For Zacafecas, 2 days distant; fare, $10. For San Luis Potosi, 2 days distant; fare, $10. A special diligence for San Luis Potosi in 16 hours; fare, $12.50.
4. From Lagos to Guadalajara and San Blas.
Guadalajaralies about 130 miles west-southwest of Lagos. The road is a rough one, and two days are required for the trip. The Mexican Central Railway Company will extend its line over this route to Guadalajara, and thence to San Blas. (See p. 272.)
GUADALAJARA.
Population, 78,600 in 1879; elevation, 5,052 feet.
Hotels.—Nacional, Hidalgo, Diligencias, and Nuevo Mundo.
The city is situated in latitude 20° 41' north, and on the west bank of the Rio de Santiago (the largest river in ​Mexico except the Rio Grande). It is the capital of the State of Jalisco. The houses are well built, and the streets are wide and laid out at right angles. Some travelers consider Guadalajara to be the finest city in the Republic. Lying far in the interior, and remote from the railway, it has not been affected by foreign influence.
Places of Interest.—1. The Cathedral and Sagrario. 2. The Government Palace. 3. The Bishop's Palace. 4. The Mint. 5. The City Hall. 6. The Academy of Fine Arts. V. The Plaza de Armas. 8. The Alameda.
The first three buildings are situated on the Plaza de Armas. The Cathedral was completed in 1618, and is one of the oldest in Mexico. The cupolas of both towers were destroyed by the great earthquake of May 31, 1818.
The city can boast of fourteen public squares, a university, and an academy of fine arts—the only one in the Republic except that of San Carlos at the capital. Much glazed pottery is made here; it is quite ornamental, and ​may be found in the shops at the City of Mexico. There are several woolen and cotton manufactories in Guadalajara.
Opinions are divided as to whether this city or Puebla should rank next to Mexico in wealth and commercial importance.
Guadalajara lies in a fertile region. The cereals, fruits, and vegetables grow in abundance. Some farms are said to yield as much as forty bushels of Indian corn to the acre.
The following table of distances will be found useful;
| From Guadalajara to | the City of Mexico via Lagos | 424 | miles. |
| " " | Tepic | 258 | " |
| " " | San Blas | 300 | " |
| " " | Colima | 142 | " |
| " " | Manzanillo | 211 | " |
| " " | Morelia | 191 | " |
| " " | Aguascalientes | 149 | " |
An excursion may be made to the Lake of Chapala, about 40 miles distant. This lake is the largest in Mexico, having an area of 415 square miles. (See p. 30.) There are several islands in it, on one of which ruins have been found. A small American steamboat makes a tour round the lake daily. The depth of Lake Chapala has not yet been ascertained.
Diligences run fromGuadalajara to San Blas, 300 miles distant, via the villages of Amatitan, Tequila, Ixtlan, Tetitan, Zapotlan, and Tepic. The latter place is a manufacturing town of 20,000 inhabitants. It is noted for producing a fine quality of cigars. The elevation of Tepic is 3,050 feet. The Mexican Central Railway Company will build a branch line from Guadalajara toward San Blas, which will run parallel to the stage route, or nearly so. It is expected that this branch will be finished in 1886.
San Blas has a population of 3,500. The Pacific Mail steamers touch at this port once a month. The distance to San Francisco is 1,519 miles, and the fare is $85. ​The climate of Making Tequila. San Blas is hot and very unhealthy. There are dense forests of tropical fruit-trees and plants in the vicinity.
5. From Lagos to Zacatecas; time, 2 days; distance, 141 miles by stage-road.
The diligence is run every day from Lagos northward. The road leads over a fertile plain, where the cereals are raised. Soon the country becomes rolling, and cultivation decreases in going toward Aguascalientes. There is a very sparse population in this region. Passing several hamlets, the diligence enters the city of Aguascalientes, 58 miles from Lagos. (See p. 270.)
AGUASCALIENTES.
Population, 85,000 ; elevation, 6,261 feet, according to Burkart.
Hotels.—Diligencias and Nacional.
Baths on the Alameda, which is reached by horse-cars ; hot baths at 20 and 25 cents. Places of Interest.—The Cathedral, Plaza de Armas, and the Paseo.
The latter is one of the finest parks in the country. The main line of the Mexican Central Railway will be completed to the city during the current year, and the branch from Tampico to San Luis Potosi will probably be extended to this point. ( Vide p. 238.)
Leaving Aguascalientes, the stage-road traverses a flat country that is barren for the most part. Some Indian ​corn is cultivated along the route, and a few villages are passed, the principal one being Rincon de Roma. The scenery is uninteresting, and the road is good and comparatively level.
Some interesting ruins of Indian architecture are found at Quemada, about 30 miles southwest of Zacatecas, and 2½ miles north of the village of La Quemada, at an elevation of 7,406 feet above the sea-level.
The remains are situated on a rocky eminence that rises abruptly from the plain. It is called “El Cerro de los Edificios.” The summit is reached by a causeway. An area of six acres has been inclosed by a broad wall, forming a sort of citadel. This barrier surrounds a quadrangle 340 X 200 feet, which to the east is sheltered by a strong wall of unhewn stones, eight feet in thickness and eighteen in height. A raised terrace of twenty feet in width passes round the northern and eastern sides of this space, and on its southeast corner is yet standing a round pillar of rough stones of the same height as the wall, and nineteen feet in circumference.
There are vestiges of five other pillars on the eastern, and four on the northern terrace. There is another quadrangle surrounded by perfect walls of the same height and thickness as the former one, and measuring 134 x 137 feet. This space contains fourteen columns of equal dimensions with that of the adjacent inclosure. They were made of clay mixed with straw.
There is a flat-topped pyramid of hewn stown in one of the quadrangles. Two small pyramids may also be seen. One chamber has an irregular structure 7x5 feet near the center. It was probably an altar, and the room may have been used as the Hall of Sacrifice or Assembly. These ruins are probably the work of the Aztecs.
miles before it is reached. It contains many furnaces and silver-mills, in which the ores from Zacatecas are worked. On account of the presence of sulphur, the ores are ​generally roasted before being treated in the crushing and reducing-mills.
The stage-coach enters a cañon at Guadalupe, and, traveling up a heavy grade, the old mining settlement of Zacatecas is reached. The latter place is 83 miles from Aguascalientes, and the time required to make the distance is 13 hours.
ZACATECAS.
Population, 46,000, including Guadalupe; elevation, 9,012 feet, according to Burkart. Hotels.—Zacatecáno, Del Comercio, Nacional, and Del Progreso. Baths, in the Plaza de Armas. Post-Office in the Calle de la Moneda. Horse-Cars to Guadalupe (see time-table).
Zacatecas is one of the oldest mining towns in Mexico. It received the title of city in 1585 from Philip II. The streets are well paved and somewhat tortuous, although not as much so as in Guanajuato. The city is not behind the age, even though 140 miles from a railway terminus, and a much greater distance from any seaport. The electric light shines on the plaza, and a number of telephones are in use. Zacatecas lies in an arid and mountainous region, with an inclement climate.
Places of Interest.—1 . The Cathedral; observe carvings on the façade. 2. The Palace. 3. The Mint. 4. The Bufa, a hill north of the city. 6. The silver-mines.
There are fourteen churches of minor importance and a Protestant chapel. Some of them are ornamented with artistic gilt wooden carvings and old paintings, that were transported to the city at enormous expense.
The tourist should ascend the Bufa, about 500 feet above the plaza, for a view of the city and its environs.
There is a small chapel on the summit, known as the ​Capilla de la Bufa. It is worthy of remark that several kinds of igneous rocks occur near each other on this mountain. The observer will see that the city is built in a valley, surrounded by rolling hills, which contain numerous mines. He stands on top of a ridge that rises from the great table-land. To the westward lies the spur of the Sierra Madre, which extends nearly to the Pacific coast. There are many low ridges running north and south, that are situated on the eastern and northern sides of the Zacatecas range. The country is very barren, scarcely a particle of vegetation being visible. The broad plain below has an elevation of about 7,000 feet, and there are nine small lakes of salt and carbonate of soda in this plain, a few miles from Zacatecas. This salt is transported to Guadalupe for use in the silver-mills. The geological formation of this district has been compared by Humboldt to that of Switzerland.
The mines next demand attention. In mineral wealth Zacatecas is the richest State in Mexico. The district, however, which includes the city, does not rank first. In 1804 Humboldt placed Zacatecas third in a list of the principal mining towns.
Guanajuato ranks first and Catorce second in the production of the precious metals. The Veta Grande, or great vein, is next in magnitude to the Veta Madre of Guanajuato. Its average width is about 25 feet, and in a few places it has a breadth of 75 feet, although the entire mass is not metalliferous. The mines of Zacatecas began to be worked in 1548. Up to the year 1732 they are said to have produced the enormous sum of $832,232,880, on which a tax of $46,523,000 was paid to the Spanish treasury.
About 1728 the mines of Zacatecas yielded $1,800,000 annually, which was then estimated as one fifth of all the silver coined in Mexico.
During the War of Independence, the amount of ​precious metal extracted greatly diminished; and at the present time (1883) these mines are not doing well. It remains to be seen whether their wealth is exhausted, or whether new bodies of ore will yet be found in paying quantities.
There are a dozen mines within a half-hour's walk of the principal hotels, and which can readily be visited. It is best to go in the morning. A series of ladders is used in most of them, instead of the massive stone steps as in Guanajuato. The largest mine is the San Rafael, and the oldest one bears the name of the famous Cortes. The latter is about two miles north of the city. An English company owns the Clerigos mine. Two other mines in the vicinity are also owned by Englishmen. There is one American company in Zacatecas, called the Chicago and Mexican Syndicate, that controls several mines in this district.
Stage-coaches run from Zacatecas as follows:
| To | San Luis Potosí, | distance | 156 | miles; | fare, | $12.00. |
| ” | Jerez, | ” | 40 | ” | “ | 1.50. |
| ” | Fresnillo,. | ” | 37 | ” | “ | 1.00. |
| ” | Durango, | ” | 234 | ” | “ | 14.00. |
A well-known Mexican, named Sada, has run a line of ambulances, called "the money-train," from Zacatecas to Monterey for many years. Before the Mexican National Railway was built, Sada drove his wagons as far as the frontier, at Laredo. The time required to reach Monterey is six days and a half, and the fare is $40, including board and lodging on the journey. A dozen mounted guards accompany the train. Bullion and silver coin are carried chiefly, although packages and personal baggage will also be forwarded. The route to Monterey traverses an arid and barren region, having a gently undulating surface, and very little vegetation, except the various species of cactus. The road goes via the hacienda de Cedres and Saltillo.
This hacienda, is the only redeeming feature of the trip, and it is one of the largest in Northern Mexico. There are ​some silver-mines on it, as well as many horses, cattle, and sheep.
The train of ambulances starts about daybreak, and travels till noon; then a long rest is taken, after which the wagons continue the journey till sundown. Many extra mules follow the train, and, when one of the animals grows tired, a change is at once made.
The Mexican Central Railway will probably be completed to Zacatecas in December, 1883, and will then be extended toward Durango as rapidly as possible.
The country north of Zacatecas does not present any obstacles to the construction of a railroad. The grading will be easy all the way to the border. The plain is apparently level for hundreds of miles. The engineers report that the maximum grade from El Paso to Fresnillo will be six tenths per hundred feet.
Humboldt has stated in the Cosmos, vol. v, p. 380, that the great table-land from Mexico to Santa Fé, a difference of parallels of fully 16° 20' (equal to about 1,200 miles), can be traversed in four-wheeled carriages without the advantage of artificially prepared roads. (Vide. p. 28.) On these facts it may be assumed that lack of capital will only prevent the Mexican Central Railway Company from completing its line at an early day. The railroad will pass between the towns of Villa de Coz and Fresnillo. There is a large deposit of sulphate of soda at the former, and rich mines of silver are found at the latter, the principal of which are in the Cerro del Proano. The district of Fresnillo was discovered in 1569, and the city has a population of 15,000. The elevation is 7,244 feet.
From this point the line will run nearly due north, through the town of Sombrerete, which contains mines of gold, silver, lead, copper, and iron. Thence the road will pass near Durango, where the famous iron mountain, the Cerro del Mercado, is found. The elevation of Durango is 6,847 feet, according to Humboldt. This town is the capital of the State of the same name, and lies in latitude 24° 2' north. It has a population of 27,119.
An American mining company has recently been organized to work the iron deposits of the Cerro del Mercado.
Scorpions (alacranes) are common in Durango. They are often found in abandoned mines. As their sting is sometimes fatal, travelers should be careful to avoid these insects.
Owing to the formation of the table-land, the grade of the Mexican Central Railway will be slightly downward north of Durango.
A railroad is in course of construction from Zacatecas to San Luis Potosí. The concession is granted to the Mexican National Railway Company. The intervening region is arid and very barren for the most part. A few cattle and sheep are raised along the proposed route, and the country is gently rolling. Ojo Caliente, about 25 miles from Zacatecas, is a town of some importance. It has a good hotel, adjoining a fine grove of trees.
From this place to Las Salinas the country is covered with nopal, tazahillo, huisachi, and dagger-plant, interspersed with a little mesquite.
There are several salt lagoons at Las Salinas, as the name suggests, and the owner, Señor Erazos, has built a stately residence, which is surrounded by a stone wall and a deep moat. A draw-bridge across the moat is raised at night, reminding the traveler of the baronial castles of the middle ages.
The country between this town and San Luis Potosi is rolling, and a portion of it is adapted to grazing. Some maguey grows along the route. (For description of San Luis Potosi, see pp. 237-240.)
Route II.
1. El Paso to Chihuahua. 2. Chihuahua to Jimenez
1. From El Paso to Chihuahua. Distance, 225 miles; time, 14 hours. One passenger-train daily.
EL PASO, TEXAS.
Population, 3,000; elevation, 3,600 feet. Hotels.— Central, Windsor, and Pierson House.
El Paso is a great railway center, and is destined to grow rapidly within a brief period. Real estate is becoming higher in price, and the rents for all classes of buildings are said to be enormous. There is a union depot occupied by the Southern Pacific and the Missouri Pacific Railways. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé Railroad Company has also a depot. The last-named line makes connection with the Mexican Central Railway, and it is the most desirable route from the eastern and central cities of the United States to Mexico in the summer season, which will henceforth be the time when most travelers will approach Mexico by land.
​Leaving El Paso, the train crosses a six-pile bent trestle-bridge over the Rio Grande which connects this town with Paso del Norte. An iron bridge will soon take the place of the trestle-work. There is besides a small-pile
trestle-bridge, owned and operated by the horse-car company, which is also used as a highway for wagons and pedestrians.
The population of Paso del Norte is about 7,000. (Hotel Gallardo. )
This town is the terminus of the Mexican Central ​Railway, although the company's trains are run across the river to El Paso. Leaving El Paso del Norte, the following stations are passed:
| Distance from Paso Del Norte. | Stations. | Elevations. |
| Miles. | | Feet. |
| | Paso Del Norte | 3,600 |
| 30 | Samalayuca | 4,300 |
| 74 | San Jose | 3,950 |
| 96 | Ojo Caliente | 4,090 |
| 139 | Gallego | 5,360 |
| 164 | Laguna | . . . . |
| 181 | Encinillas | 5,060 |
| 192 | Sauz | 5,168 |
| 210 | Sacramento | . . . . |
| 224 | Chihuahua | 4,690 |
The country between Paso Del Norteand Chihuahua is well adapted to grazing. There are several large mining districts on either side of the line of the railroad, at distances varying from ten to a hundred miles. The mines are chiefly of silver, although there is an extensive deposit of iron-ore near Ojo Caliente.
About 100 miles west of Samalayuca lies the old presidio or military post of Janos. It is 35 miles north of the ruined town of Casas Grandes, which is about half a mile distant from the modern town of the same name.
The remains lie adjacent to a fertile valley about two miles in width.
They are built of adobe, and are called the "Casas de Montezuma." They face the cardinal points, and consist of fallen and erect walls. The latter are from five to thirty feet in height. The edifices resemble the Pueblo dwellings of Arizona and New Mexico. Fragments of pottery have been found in them. The original buildings are supposed to have had three stories and a roof, with stairs outside, probably of wood.
​generally travel either in the first or second class cars, the proportion being evenly divided. There is but little third-class travel. The freight carried by this company consists of lumber, coal, machinery, live-stock, and general merchandise. Bullion is transported in considerable quantities by Wells, Fargo and Company's Express.
CHIHUAHUA.
Population, 17,500, of which about 1,500 are foreigners ; elevation, 4,690 feet. Hotels.—American and National. Baths, on the upper Alameda.
Telegraph and Post-Office, on the main plaza. Bankers, Messrs F. MacManus & Sons.
Chihuahua, the capital of the State of the same name, lies on a broad plain at the base of the Sierra Madre, in north latitude 28° 35' 10".
The city was settled toward the close of the seventeenth century by some adventurers, for the purpose of working the rich silver-mines in the vicinity. In 1833 the population was 10,600, and in 1853 it was 12,000.
Places of Interest.—1. The Churches of La Parróquia (or Cathedral), Guadalupe, and San Felipe. 2. The College of the Jesuits, in the rear of
which the great revolutionary leaders Hidalgo and Allende were beheaded. 3. The Palace. 4. The Tribunal of Justice. 5. The Mint. 6. The Alhondiga, or granary. 7. The Aqueduct (6,068 yards long).
The Cathedral, or parochial church, stands on the plaza. It is built of cut stone of a very light color, and has two towers and a dome. The exterior is very imposing. The church cost $800,000. It was erected from a fund raised by levying a tax of one real on every mark of silver obtained from the mines of Santa Eulalia, fifteen miles distant.
Fruit, vegetables, and the cereals grow in the environs of the city. There is fine grazing-land in Chihuahua. In 1871 the American consul reported that there were 800,000 sheep and 250,000 cattle in the State.
The climate is salubrious, the temperature ranging from 16° to 94° Fahr. May, June, and July are the warmest months, but the nights are always cool and pleasant during this season. The rains begin about the 25th of June, and last till the middle of October.
2. From Chihuahua to Jimenez, 146•3 miles.
On June 1, 1883, this section of the road was finished, and trains began to run about August 1st.
Leaving Chihuahua, we pass through a grazing country for about 50 miles, when the valley of the San Pedro River is reached. Maize, wheat, and cotton are grown here. Proceeding southward, we enter the valley of the Conchos River, near the station of Santa Rosalia.
Florido River, where the cereals and some cotton are cultivated. The rich mining districts of Parral and Santa Barbiara lie about 50 miles to the southwest. We soon arrive at Jimenez, a town of about 8,000 inhabitants, which is situated near the Rio Florido.
The stations on this division are:
| | Miles from Chihuahua. | | Miles from Chihuahua. |
| Chihuahua | 0•0 | Saucillo | 68•7 |
| Mapula | 14•4 | Concho | 78•4 |
| Horcasitas | 28•3 | La Cruz | 91•1 |
| Temporary siding No. 1 | 33•7 | Santa Rosalía | 101•0 |
| Bachimba | 39•1 | Bustamante | 110•8 |
| Temporary siding No. 2 | 46•7 | Florido | 122•7 |
| Ortiz | 54•2 | La Reforma | 133•6 |
| Las Delicias | 58•7 | Jimenez | 146•3 |
On October 15, 1883, the railway was in operation as far as Villa Lerdo, 515 miles south of Paso del Norte.
The stations beyond Jimenez are:
| | Miles from Chihuahua. | | Miles from Chihuahua. |
| Corralitos | 167 | Conejos | 237 |
| Zavalza | 200 | Mapimi | 266 |
| Laez | 212 | Villa Lerdo | 291 |
| Yermo | 223 | | |
The elevation of Villa Lerdo is 3,900 feet. It lies in the so-called "laguna country."
The maximum grade for 600 miles south of El Paso will be but 37 feet to the mile. (Vide p. 279.) There are only two important bridges, those at the San Pedro and Conchos Rivers, which are built of iron, with spans of 150
It is expected that the Chihuahua division will connect with the southern terminus of the line about July 1, 1884. At present 2,000 men are at work on the division between Paso Del Norte and Durango.
The following is a list of the various ranches along the line of the railway, as far as the present terminus—viz., Villa Lerdo:
Samalayuca, 1,500 head of cattle; San José, 3,000 head of cattle; Corralitos, 10,000 cattle and 30,000 sheep; Santa Domingo, 3,000 head of cattle; Ojo Caliente, 1,000 head of cattle; Carmen, 3,000 head of cattle and 30,000 sheep; Gallego, 3,000 head of cattle; San Lorenzo, 60,000 sheep; Encinillas, 5,000 head of cattle ; Agua Nueva, 4,000 cattle and 5,000 sheep; Torreon, 4,000 cattle and 10,000 sheep; Sauz, 6,000 cattle; Sacramento, 2,000 cattle; Labor, 1,500 cattle; Tabalopu, farming, and 1,000 cattle; Rancho de Avilos, 1,500 cattle; Mapula, 5,000 cattle; Rancho Viego, 5,000 cattle ; Bachimba, 4,000 cattle; Dolores, farming; Saucillo, cotton and grain; Santa Gertrudes, 7,000 cattle; San Luis, 2,500 cattle; La Cruz, farming ; Santa Rosalia, hot sulphur springs, cotton and grain; Enremoda, 3,000 cattle; Jimenez, farming; Corralles, 2,000 cattle; General Grande, not stocked; Cadena, 2,000 cattle; San Isidro, 2,000 cattle and 40,000 sheep; Membrea, 50,000 sheep; Villa Lerdo, cotton, grain, and sugar-cane.
We may add that the completion of the Mexican Central Railway will give a great impetus to the development of the immense mineral wealth of Chihuahua, which contains so many mining districts that an elaborate description of them would require a volume. The following is a list of the principal mining towns in the State, classified according to their richness: Batopilas, Parral, Santa Eulalia, Jesus Maria, Cusihuiriachic, Morelos, Guadalupe y ​Calvo, Uriqui, Umachic, Corralitos, Zapuri, Topago, and Umapa.
American miners have been introduced to some extent in several of the above-named districts, and Chinamen are employed by an English mining company at Pinos Altos. Peon labor is, however, cheaper in the present condition of the country. It is highly probable that European miners will emigrate to Mexico within a few years. They will receive much higher wages here than at home, and the cost of living will always be comparatively low.
* ↑ El Salto is 67•29 kilometres from Mexico, via the Mexican National Railway.
* ↑ The Rayas mine has three shafts, the deepest of which is 1,640 feet. In April, 1883, two thousand peons were employed.
* ↑ Native sulphide of iron and copper.
* ↑ This is too high an estimate; 8,000 feet would be more correct.
* ↑ The width of the Rio Grande varies from 300 to 600 feet in the vicinity of El Paso.
* ↑ Eight dollars.
* ↑ This river flows northerly and empties into the Rio Grande near the town of Presidio del Norte.
* ↑ Americans have invested largely in the gold-mines of Batopilas and Parral.