Page:Appleton's Guide to Mexico.djvu/207

Rh Cholula. It was ninety feet on each side at the base, and decreased as it advanced in height to a surface of thirty feet square. There were two altars on the summit. Thus much for the history of Tenochtitlan.

The valley of Mexico, near the center of which lies the capital, is about forty-two miles long and about thirty miles wide. It contains six lakes, which were originally one large lagoon. Their names are—beginning at the south—Xochimilco, Chalco, Texcoco, San Cristobal, Xaltocan, and Zumpango. The last-named lake is the highest, while Texcoco is the lowest and largest. Lake Texcoco has heretofore received the overflow of the others. Their aggregate area is about twenty-two square leagues. The water of these lakes is salt, excepting that of Xochimilco. They are probably the highest bodies of salt-water in the world.

The climate is temperate, the mean annual temperature being 60° Fahr. There is considerable moisture in winter and during the rainy season, from June to September. The most changeable weather occurs in February. May is the hottest month. During the entire year the early morning is cold, the thermometer generally falling to about 40° Fahr., and occasionally sinking below the freezing-point. There are no fireplaces nor hot-air furnaces in the houses of Mexico, which circumstance renders a stranger uncomfortable during damp and cold weather. Travelers are cautioned to be extremely careful to avoid taking cold on reaching the capital. Many of the buildings are old, and the doors and windows do not fit tightly.

Mexico can hardly be called a healthy city. The great desideratum of the capital is proper drainage. This subject has been investigated by the ablest minds in the country from time immemorial. During the Spanish domination the dikes and causeways often proved insufficient to protect the city from floods. Since the foundation of the