Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-04-20

iio OutIcN. iaS a. consequence, through
out it's whole area, the rivers run into
broad. shallow lakes whence the waters
are gradually lost by evaporation dur
ing the dry season OF these rivers, the
largest is the NaZas, which has a course
OF nearly three hundred miles from it's
source to where it is dispersed over the
shadows, called by modern men Lake
Mayran. Sixty or seventy years ago
the Nazas discharged it's waters into a
series of extensive lagoons occupying
what is now the fertile I.agunn district
OF Durango and Coahula. still often de-
ricted on the maps as Lake Cayman.
About that time a phenomenal and long
continued rainfall so overcharged the
then bed of the Nazas as to cause it t,
open new course and leave the Cay
man lagoons thirty miles on one side
In the course of years these agoons
were converted into a mesquite wilder
| ness. almost dead level and composed
Of deposit of the finest detritus of un-
| known depth. The central depression
of this lake-bed filled a broad valley run
ming north and south and SUI rounded
| by parallelogram Of mountains. The
| area thus comprised was about two hum
| der and ten square miles of pure vege-
| table loan. locally known as the Lake OF
| Tlahualilo. This cuenca. bowl was
| the spot chosen about eleven years ago
for the establishment of a great irri.a-
| ton enterprise
| 1t is in this district that a. colony of
MOrmons settled some years ago, their
! population now number $500.
| The city of Mexico is situated in the
second of the zones. which, while in tn.
same latitude. gives every variety of
climate in their varying attitudes, In
no country in the world can you pass so
| tn
blazing shores of the heated tropics to
the region of perpetual winter from the
! land of palms and vine to that of the
| zine llnchen. For in twenty-four hours
! this can be accomplished, and the tray-
eler many ascend a snow peak with the
sands of the shore still upon his shoes.
! at the lowest point are the Savanas low.
hot and unhealthy; they are the pas
turage of vast herds of cattle Still.
there are. here and there. spots fortified
ny streams. here are the coco, vanilla,
/ sugarcane. banana and oranges.
Entering the hills there comes a cooler
region. Not until this zone is reached
can one drow breath defiant of bacille
and microbes. This is one of the most
beautiful regions of Mexico: it is known
as the Coffee region. In this zone is the
| town or CordoVa, and few miles from
It the railroad that traverses these
| zones circles the extreme edge of the
mountain. where a breakage would pre-
cipitate the train thousands of feet 10
destruction At this great height the
read crosses bridge ninety feet above
foaming river. and with a curve Of
three hundred and twenty feet radius,
several tunnels are in view from this
bridge. and one after another is entered
always mounting upward. Not far from
| the Civ Of MpycO is the villa nf r
peranza. the name is the Spanish equiv
| alent for hope. The village is situated
| at the beginning of a vast sandy plain.
| The unfortunate who stops here will
find nothing of interest nearer than the
Volcanic foot hills, and will soon realize
why the town was called Hope because
hc hopes to find a better place beyond,
and is certain he can enter none drearier.
1t is here one has an opportunity to pro-
cure drink of pulque. The Mexican's
opinion of their national beverage ~
expressed in the following lines:
''Know We not pulque
Liquor divine;
Angels in heaven
Prefer it to Wine"
The pulGue is produced from the
famous Maguey.
1t. is said that there are thirty-three
species of this plant growing on these
broad plains. The best plants yield
liquor for six months after being tapped.
From the leaves. root. and juice are OBJ
tanned a greater variety of products
than one would think it possible for one
plant to yield. First paper is made from
the pulp of the leaves, and twine and
thread from their fibres. The rare and
valuable Mexican manuscript were COM
posed of paper made from the maguey.
V-p io1 nYo1h1 lad fhh n w,
anything else.
Another use of this plant is in fur
nishing needles. The leaves are tipped
with sharp thorns, and by breaking off
the thorn and stripping the fbres at
tached to it away from the pulp, and
then rolling and twisting them together.
the native has a serviceable needle
ready threaded. The poor people thatch
their houses with the leaves, placing one
over the other, like shingles; the hollow
ed leaf also serves gutter. or trough,
, by which the water falling from the
caves is conducted away.
Ascending still higher we find the ver-
dure even more redundant. The trees
, are covered with vines and the delight
, full climate combines the moisture Of
the lowlands with the gentle winds and
, the healthy climate of the zone below
, Then comes the TERRA Fria, with it's
, prickly pears, its cacti, and it's aloes,
and not trace of other vegetation. Far
above the plateau tower the volcanoes
4 of Orizaba, Ixtaccihuatl and Popocata-
pelt, and ascending them we have
. traversed every zone of vegetation from
+ the palms of the TERRA Caliente to the
last starry cryptogram that tecks the
> border of the eternal SHOWS.
All of the main thorOughfares of the
O city converge at the Plaza Mayor the
square is fourteen acres in extent, and
is beautifully laid out. most IF the
7 public buildings are grouped around
! the square, and no city can boast of a
i, larger number of magnificent structures.