Page:About Mexico - Past and Present.djvu/331

Rh, and each block presents a solid front, with windows and one door opening into each separate dwelling. The soil is very spongy, and, what with floods and earthquakes, many of the foundations have sunken; so that

church-towers lean and doorways may be a foot below the pavement. During the heavy rains of September, Lake Tezcuco is apt to overflow and the city to be flooded. Indeed, the sidewalks are always damp upon the shady side. The lower story of the houses being damp and dark, it is the custom to leave it to the ser