Page:About Mexico - Past and Present.djvu/363

Rh road, is the city of Zacatecas, capital of the State of the same name. It is built in a cleft in the naked mountains so characteristic of this region and directly over a rich vein of silver. It is so situated that it does not come into view until one is within a mile and a half of it, and then only in sections unless one has climbed the hills to look down upon it. A number of churches and public buildings make a fine appearance.

Guanajuato has another of the curiously picturesque situations which Nature has provided for the cities of Mexico. It was founded by the Spaniards in 1545 for mining purposes. It is approached by a deep cañon. In what seems to be a collection of villages clinging to the steep mountain-sides are the houses of at least sixty thousand people. Along the winding streets or perched here and there on some "coign of vantage" are well-built houses of hewn stone. Deep as is the valley where these are situated, the whole place stands six thousand feet above the sea.

Guanajuato is the place where Hidalgo raised the standard of revolt in 1809 after gaining over the garrison, and not far away is the small village of Dolores, where he had his home.

Queretaro, also on the Mexican Central Railroad, is another city among the clouds, a thousand feet higher than Guanajuato. The whole State of which this city is the capital is remarkable for its fine scenery and its salubrious climate. Queretaro is furnished with water brought thither from springs six miles away. An aqueduct two miles long crosses the meadows on arches ninety feet high and joins a tunnel in the neighboring hills. This noble structure was built at his own expense by one of the early viceroys. In this beautiful city