# Appleton's Guide to Mexico

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This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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APPLETONS'
GUIDE TO MEXICO,
INCLUDING A
CHAPTER ON GUATEMALA, AND A COMPLETE ENGLISH-SPANISH VOCABULARY.
BY
ALFRED R. CONKLING, LL. B., Ph. B.,
MEMBER OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, AND FORMERLY UNITED STATES GEOLOGIST.
WITH A RAILWAY MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS
NEW YORK: D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 1, 3, and 5 BOND STREET.
1884.
COPYRIGHT BY
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY,
1883.
PREFACE
Since the year 1880, a large amount of capital has been invested in Mexico by citizens of the United States. Within that period an unprecedented number of the English-speaking races have visited that country either as tourists, or as explorers with a view to an actual settlement and a permanent residence.
During a professional visit to the Mexican Republic, in the winter and spring of this year, the author experienced from day to day, and frequently from hour to hour, the want of a compendious guide-book. While many volumes of history and of general observation and travel relating to Mexico have, from time to time, been published, no book of this description is known to exist.
Believing that our sister Republic will in future, to a far greater extent than ever before, be the resort of the capitalist, the speculator, the artist, the archæologist, the valetudinarian, and the pleasure-seeker, as well as of the intelligent and enterprising man of business, the author has endeavored to render each and all an acceptable service by the preparation of this manual. It has been his ​constant aim to use the shortest words, and to adopt the most compact and abbreviated forms of expression consistent with perspicuity. In the spelling of both proper names and places he has, for the most part, followed the orthography of the best maps and of the standard works on Mexico, except where changes have been introduced by common usage. For instance, the name of President Santa Anna, although correctly spelled with a single letter "n," has so long been spelled with a double "n," that the change may be said to be sanctioned by universal usage.
The vocabulary of Spanish words, together with the collection of colloquial phrases, has been made as complete as the limited space devoted to it would permit. At present every new-comer, unless a Spaniard or a Spanish scholar, is obliged to purchase a dictionary immediately on his arrival in the country. It is believed that this want will be in a great measure supplied by this volume.
One half of this work is in the form of a compendium of general information for the use of tourists as well as of settlers. In the itinerary, all names of places are italicized for the convenience of the reader.
It is to be borne in mind that Mexico is at present in a transition state. The beard may be said to have grown during the shaving. It has accordingly been found necessary to revise the proof-sheets of Sections IV and V up to the moment of going to press.
The author desires to express his great obligation to General U. S. Grant; General Manuel Gonzalez, the ​President of Mexico; Señores Matias and Cayetano Romero, of the Mexican Legation at Washington; Don Ignacio Mariscal, ex-Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Mexican Republic; Hon. P. H. Morgan, United States Minister at Mexico; Hon. D. H. Strother, Consul-General of the United States; Hon. W. P. Sutton and Hon. A. Willard, Consuls at Matamoros and Guaymas respectively; Mr. Simon Stevens; Thomas Nickerson, Esq., Rudolph Fink, Esq., and D. B. Robinson, Esq., of the Mexican Central Railway Company; and to Messrs. Spackman, Gardner, and Nevin, of the Mexican National Railway Company, for much valuable information and assistance in the preparation of these pages.
New York, November 1, 1883.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
| PART FIRST. ||||
| CHAPTER | CHAPTER | CHAPTER | PAGE |
| I.— | Traveling in Mexico | Traveling in Mexico | 1 |
| | Hints | Hints | 1-2 |
| | When to Travel | When to Travel | 3-4 |
| | How to Travel | How to Travel | 4-5 |
| | An Agricultural Trip | An Agricultural Trip | 6 |
| | A Mining Trip | A Mining Trip | 6 |
| | The Cost of Travel | The Cost of Travel | 6 |
| | Railroads | Railroads | 7-12 |
| | Steamships | Steamships | 12-13 |
| | Diligences | Diligences | 13-14 |
| | Horse-cars | Horse-cars | 14-15 |
| | Horses and Mules | Horses and Mules | 15 |
| | Express | Express | 15-16 |
| II.— | History | History | 16-24 |
| III.— | Geography | Geography | 25-33 |
| | Situation | Situation | 25 |
| | Boundaries | Boundaries | 25 |
| | Area | Area | 25 |
| | Topography | Topography | 25-30 |
| | Mountains | Mountains | 25-28 |
| | Rivers | Rivers | 29 |
| | Lakes | Lakes | 29-30 |
| | Islands | Islands | 30 |
| | Climate | Climate | 30-31 |
| | Political Divisions | Political Divisions | 32-33 |
| IV.— | Literature | Literature | 33 |
| V.— | Ruins | Ruins | 34-49 |
| | Mayapan | Mayapan | 36 |
| | Uxmal | Uxmal | 36-38 ​ |
| | Palenque | Palenque | 38-40 |
| | Mitla | Mitla | 41-43 |
| | The Pyramids | The Pyramids | 43-47 |
| | Cholula | Cholula | 43-44 |
| | San Juan Teotihuacan | San Juan Teotihuacan | 44-46 |
| | Papantla | Papantla | 46-47 |
| | Northern Mexico | Northern Mexico | 47-49 |
| VI.— | Hotels and Restaurants | Hotels and Restaurants | 49-52 |
| VII.— | Passport | Passport | 52 |
| VIII.— | Custom-Houses | Custom-Houses | 53 |
| IX.— | Commerce | Commerce | 53-55 |
| X.— | Army and Navy | Army and Navy | 56-57 |
| XI.— | Duties | Duties | 57 |
| XII.— | Taxes | Taxes | 58 |
| XIII.— | Finance | Finance | 58-59 |
| XIV.— | Public Debt | Public Debt | 59-60 |
| XV.— | Money—Coins | Money—Coins | 60-62 |
| XVI.— | Mints | Mints | 63 |
| XVII.— | Post-Office and Letters | Post-Office and Letters | 63-66 |
| XVIII.— | Telegraphs | Telegraphs | 66-67 |
| XIX.— | Census | Census | 67-68 |
| XX.— | Population | Population | 68-69 |
| XXI.— | Architecture | Architecture | 69-73 |
| XXII.— | Painting | Painting | 73-74 |
| XXIII.— | Immigration | Immigration | 74-75 |
| XXIV.— | Mines | Mines | 76-82 |
| XXV.— | Mineral Springs | Mineral Springs | 82 |
| XXVI.— | Geology | Geology | 83-85 |
| XXVII.— | Zoölogy | Zoölogy | 86-89 |
| XXVIII.— | Botany | Botany | 89-91 |
| XXIX.— | Agriculture | Agriculture | 91-100 |
| XXX.— | Maps and Surveys | Maps and Surveys | 101-102 |
| XXXI.— | Stock-Raising | Stock-Raising | 102-103 |
| XXXII.— | Weights and Measures | Weights and Measures | 103-107 |
| XXXIII.— | Labor and Wages | Labor and Wages | 108-112 |
| XXXIV.— | Wines and Liquors | Wines and Liquors | 112-115 |
| XXXV.— | Cigars and Tobacco | Cigars and Tobacco | 115-116 |
| XXXVI.— | Manufactures | Manufactures | 116-119 |
| XXXVII.— | Native Productions | Native Productions | 119-121 |
| XXXVIII.— | Jewelry | Jewelry | 121-122 ​ |
| XXXIX.— | Theatres | Theatres | 122 |
| XL.— | Music | Music | 122-124 |
| XLI.— | Dances | Dances | 124 |
| XLII.— | Festivals | Festivals | 124-125 |
| XLIIL.— | Bull-fights | Bull-fights | 125-126 |
| XLIV.— | Cock-fights | Cock-fights | 126-127 |
| XLV.— | Costumes | Costumes | 127-129 |
| XLVL.— | Lotteries | Lotteries | 129 |
| XLVII.— | Stores | Stores | 129-130 |
| XLVIII.— | Pawnbroker-Shops | Pawnbroker-Shops | 130-131 |
| XLIX.— | The Church | The Church | 131-134 |
| L.— | Jurisprudence | Jurisprudence | 134-137 |
| LI.— | Education | Education | 137-139 |
| LII.— | Newspapers | Newspapers | 139-140 |
| LIII.— | Miscellaneous | Miscellaneous | 140-143 |
| LIV.— | What Mexico needs | What Mexico needs | 143-146 |
| PART SECOND. ||||
| SECTION | SECTION | SECTION | PAGE |
| I.— | How to reach Mexico | How to reach Mexico | 147-159 |
| | How to reach the Country | How to reach the Country | 147 |
| | Route I.— | New York to Vera Cruz by Steamer | 147-152 |
| | | Vera Cruz | 152-154 |
| | | Jalapa | 154-155 |
| | Route II.— | New York to New Orleans by Rail, thence by Steamer to Vera Cruz | 156-158 |
| | | Matamoros, Tampico, Tuxpan | 157 |
| | Route III.— | New York to Laredo or El Paso, Texas, by Rail | 158-159 |
| II.— | The Mexican Railway Company from Vera Cruz to Mexico | The Mexican Railway Company from Vera Cruz to Mexico | 160-174 |
| | From Vera Cruz to Orizaba | From Vera Cruz to Orizaba | 160-163 |
| | Orizaba | Orizaba | 163-165 |
| | From Orizaba to Esperanza | From Orizaba to Esperanza | 165-169 |
| | From Esperanza to Puebla via Apizaco | From Esperanza to Puebla via Apizaco | 169-170 |
| | Puebla | Puebla | 171-173 |
| | From Puebla to the City of Mexico | From Puebla to the City of Mexico | 173-174 |
| III.— | The City of Mexico and Environs | The City of Mexico and Environs | 175-201 |
| | Hotels, Restaurants, Theatres, Carriages, Banks, Societies, etc., etc. | Hotels, Restaurants, Theatres, Carriages, Banks, Societies, etc., etc. | 175-176 |
| | History of Tenochtitlan | History of Tenochtitlan | 176-179 ​ |
| | Places of Interest | Places of Interest | 182-194 |
| | Excursions around the Capital | Excursions around the Capital | 196-201 |
| | San Juan Teotihuacan | San Juan Teotihuacan | 196 |
| | Pachuca | Pachuca | 196-197 |
| | Cuernavaca | Cuernavaca | 199-200 |
| IV.— | The Mexican National Railway | The Mexican National Railway | 202-253 |
| | Route I.— | From the City of Mexico to Manzanillo | 202-236 |
| | | Mexico to Toluca | 202-205 |
| | | Toluca | 205-206 |
| | | Toluca to Maravatio | 206-209 |
| | | Maravatio to Morelia | 210-211 |
| | | Acambaro | 210 |
| | | Morelia | 211-215 |
| | | Morelia to Pátzcuaro and thence to Manzanillo | 215-220 |
| | | Pátzcuaro via Ario to Jorullo | 220-236 |
| | | Acapulco | 236 |
| | Route II.— | From the City of Mexico to Laredo and Corpus Christi | 237-253 |
| | | Mexico to Celaya | 237 |
| | | Celaya to San Luis Potosí | 237 |
| | | San Luis Potosí | 237-240 |
| | | San Luis Potosí to Saltillo | 240-245 |
| | | Saltillo | 245 |
| | | Saltillo to Monterey | 246-247 |
| | | Monterey | 248-249 |
| | | Monterey to Laredo | 249-252 |
| | | New Laredo | 252 |
| | | Laredo | 252-253 |
| | | Laredo to Corpus Christi | 253 |
| V.— | The Mexican Central Railway | The Mexican Central Railway | 254-289 |
| | Route I.— | From the City of Mexico to Zacatecas | 254-280 |
| | | Mexico to Querétaro | 254-260 |
| | | The Canal of Huehuetoca | 255-258 |
| | | Querétaro | 260-263 |
| | | Querétaro to Guanajuato | 263-269 |
| | | Silao | 264 |
| | | Guanajuato | 265-269 |
| | | Guanajuato to Lagos | 269-290 |
| | | Lagos to Guadalajara and San Blas | 270-273 ​ |
| | | Lagos to Zacatecas | 273-276 |
| | | Aguascalientes | 273 |
| | | La Quemada | 274 |
| | | Zacatecas | 276-278 |
| | | Durango | 279 |
| | | Zacatecas to San Luis Potosĺ | 280 |
| | Route II.— | El Paso to Chihuahua | 280-284 |
| | | Chihuahua | 284-285 |
| | | Chihuahua to Jimenez | 285-288 |
| | | List of Ranches | 288 |
| VI.— | The International and Interoceanic Railway | The International and Interoceanic Railway | 290 |
| VII.— | The Mexican Southern Railroad | The Mexican Southern Railroad | 291-297 |
| | Northern Division | Northern Division | 291-293 |
| | Southern Division | Southern Division | 293-297 |
| | Oaxaca and Mitla | Oaxaca and Mitla | 295 |
| VIII.— | The Morelos Railway | The Morelos Railway | 298-304 |
| | Mexico to Cuautla | Mexico to Cuautla | 298-303 |
| | Amecameca and Popocatepetl | Amecameca and Popocatepetl | 299-303 |
| | Cuautla to Acapulco | Cuautla to Acapulco | 303-304 |
| IX.— | The Tehuantepcc Railroad | The Tehuantepcc Railroad | 302-310 |
| X.— | The Sonora Railway | The Sonora Railway | 309-315 |
| XI.— | The American and Mexican Pacific Railway | The American and Mexican Pacific Railway | 316-318 |
| XII.— | The New York, Texas, and Mexican Railroad | The New York, Texas, and Mexican Railroad | 319-322 |
| XIII.— | The Mexican International Railroad | The Mexican International Railroad | 323 |
| XIV.— | The Sinaloa and Durango Railroad | The Sinaloa and Durango Railroad | 324-325 |
| XV.— | Table of Distances | Table of Distances | 326 |
| XVI.— | Guatemala | Guatemala | 327-343 |
| | Geography | Geography | 327-335 |
| | Miscellaneous | Miscellaneous | 335-338 |
| | Route I.— | Tonalá, Mexico, to San José de Guatemala | 338 |
| | Route II.— | San José to New Guatemala | 339 |
| | | Guatemala | 339-341 |
| | | Old Guatemala | 342-343 |
| Appendix | Appendix | Appendix | 345-378 |
| | Language | Language | 345-378 |
| | Vocabulary | Vocabulary | 358-378 |
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PART FIRST. :
| | PAGE |
| Scene in Mexico | 26 |
| Mexican Table-land | 28 |
| Aztec Temple | 44 |
| Toltec Palace at Tula | 48 |
| The Cathedral of Mexico | 70 |
| Longitudinal View of Timbered Level | 82 |
| The Peak of Orizaba | 84 |
| The Axolotl | 87 |
| Cochineal Insects on Branch of Cactus | 88 |
| Indigo Plant (Añil) | 90 |
| Brazil-Wood, Leaves, Flower, and Fruit | 91 |
| The Vanilla Plant | 92 |
| India-Rubber Plant (Hule) | 93 |
| The Coffee Plant | 96 |
| Cocoanut Palm | 98 |
| Mexican Porters | 109 |
| Pulque Tlachiquero | 113 |
| PART SECOND. ||
| A Tropical Jungle | 150 |
| Jalapa | 154 |
| A Mexican Cañon | 159 |
| The Pineapple Plant | 162 |
| Cut showing Zones of Vegetation | 167 |
| The Nopal | 70 |
| Popocatepetl | 72 ​ |
| The Volcanoes of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl | 177 |
| Plaza Mayor, Mexico | 183 |
| Quetzalcoatl | 185 |
| Feathered Serpent | 185 |
| Teoyaomiqui | 186 |
| The Noche-triste Tree | 90 |
| The Aqueduct and Fountain, Mexico | 92 |
| Pyramids of San Juan Teotihuacan | 195 |
| Silver-Mill, Pachuca | 198 |
| Indian Hut in the Tierra Caliente | 201 |
| City of Colima | 219 |
| Manzanillo Bay | 221 |
| A Pack-Train | 223 |
| Jorullo | 232 |
| Interior of a Modern Mexican House | 239 |
| Yucca-Tree | 244 |
| Scene on the Northern Plateau | 247 |
| Varieties of Cactus | 251 |
| The Cut of Nochistongo | 257 |
| Plaza de Armas, Guadalajara | 271 |
| Making Tequila | 273 |
| Ruins of Quemada | 275 |
| Church and Plaza, El Paso | 281 |
| Janos, Chihuahua | 283 |
| Casas Grandes, Chihuahua | 284 |
| Aqueduct and Church of Santa Rita, Chihuahua | 286 |
| La Punta de Sauz Cienega | 287 |
| Chiricahui Mountains | 289 |
| Scene in Northern Mexico | 290 |
| Victoria and Tula Pass | 292 |
| Scene in Mexico | 294 |
| Gathering Cochineal, Mexico | 297 |
| Acapulco | 302 |
| Tree-Fern | 304 |
| A Scene on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec | 308 |
| Fronteras, Sonora | 310 |
| Magdalena | 311 |
| Arispe | 312 |
| Defile in the Guadalupe Pass, Sierra Madre | 314 |
| The Pitahaya | 317 ​ |
| A Mexican Hacienda | 321 |
| Scene on the Sonora River | 325 |
| Map of Guatemala | 328 |
| Native of Mixco | 329 |
| Volcan de Agua, Old Guatemala | 331 |
| The Plaza, Quezaltenango | 332 |
| General View of the City of Quezaltenango | 334 |
| The National Institute, Guatemala | 336 |
| The Government Building, Quezaltenango | 337 |
| The National Theatre, Guatemala | 340 |
| The Cathedral, Guatemala | 341 |
| The Plaza, Old Guatemala | 342 |
| The Penitentiary, Quezaltenango | 343 |