West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1897-09-02
MORE ABOUT MEXICO.
4 VISIT TO THE CITY OF GUAM.
AJUATO. TIE CATACONBS
ANs NATIONAL MINT.

YER Minerals I'm the HSSld.
by Miss MaG Morgan cf gHE AReus stan.
Guana5aato pronounced Wan
a-wa-to. is entirely different from
any other clty in Mexico. and we
doubtif there is another place in
the world just like this strange
oity. 1T has population of 20, 900
and an elevation of 6 ,S37 feet above
sea level. Guanajuato, beirg IN.
terpTetcd means "Hill Of the Sing
ing Frog" why it was given this
name is not known rs there were
never any frogs discovered at this
place, unless 1t was named in honor
Of one Of their gods, which was IN
the shape Of huge frog cut in
stone and found here. To reach
%uanaiuoto we went to Silao on
the Mexican Central Il. r., very
| pretty little town OF $4,000 popu.
iation and a delghtful climate;
4 tlom here branch road OF 10
miles leads mp through the noun
taIpS to Narfil, thence by horse or
mule cars up the barrGnca for
about 4 miles and we got off at the
4 Plaza de Mejia Mera. The entire
route is mp the "'gulch" as the
American miner would call it. Az
ter We loaye Sllao 1t takes the train
nearly one h0aV To cover the u
miles mp to Maril as the grade
rises so fast. Guanajuato being
nearly 1900 feet higher than Silao
only 1G miles eastward. There
isn't room enough fer the houses,
so the people have terraced the
mountain sides and built four and
five story adobe bouees which cling
to their sides like ancient fort.
resses. The streets are rock paved
and some OF them are hardly wide
enough for wheeled vehicles
Nearly all the streets are irregular
and precipitous. The men, women
and children OF t&e peen cl .ss con-
test the right of way with the gor-
geously accOutred horsemen and
droves of pack. laden burros. There
are many magnificent buildings
and elegant residences IN this city
as a great raany people Of wealth
reside here from different parts of
the world. Guanaiuato can boast
OF the finest theatre in North
America. 1T is built OF beautiful
green stone found here, and 1T took
twenty years to construct it at a
cost of over one million dollars.
The galleries are all made into fine
boxes. The greatest sllver mines
in the world are in the mountains
surrounding Guanajuato, it is no.
ted as great mining town and the
largest mint in the Republic is To-.
Gated here. The silver ore is hard
ly allowed TO stop from the time it
is dug out Of the mountain uRtil it
comes out of the mint coined into
big, bright silver dollars. AS we
went through this mint we saw
more than one gold bug editor
locking longingly and wishfully at
the large piles Of the E'big silver
dollars We all love SO we'll" The
process Of melting the bars Of sill
yer, stamping aud milling is the
same as in our mints. This mint
coins 20 dollars per minute every
day. 1t tvrns out more money
than any other ia the country.
We saw a whitc-haired old In
dian there that has lodled from The
furnace to the moulds for thirty
long years, until his locks seem
silvered by the metal no has han
died SO long. There arc also two
Indians seated on stools, surround
ed by the silver coins. They
handle every piece and by passing
it through their Fingers they can
detect the slightest scratch or Elin-
ute defect. Long practice has
made them perfect aud it is said
they never mako q mistake IN pick
pp just twenty pieces At . time, no
more, no less. Their work 10 SO
perfect that 70 further egamin-
alton is made but tie coins re.
ieotod By them are returned 10 tho
furnace to bo melted aud reeoinod
The ontiro roof Of the mint is
covered with o hanging garden that
70 adorned with beautiful. flowers
aud climbing vines, which makes
the building look ike some eld