Page:Appleton's Guide to Mexico.djvu/233

Rh fuel. Fine wheat grows here, and the maguey is also cultivated. The track now winds round many long curves, and presently a grand view of the broad valley of Toluca is obtained. Looking out of the car-window, the observer may see the line of the road far below him.

The next station is Camino de Ocoyoacac (55•40 kilometres). The train runs along the side of the mountains, and soon the town of Ocoyoacac is seen in the plain below. The streets are well laid out, and there is considerable stir on the plaza, but the church is by far the most conspicuous object, as it is in other Mexican and Spanish towns. We now arrive at the station of Lerma (59•55 kilometres). The elevation of this place is 8,456 feet. The houses of Lerma are built of adobe, with tile roofs. Much maguey is grown in the vicinity. The pulque from the valley of Toluca is famous. The road runs over the plain for about eight miles, and the next station is Toluca, 73 kilometres from the capital. This place, with perhaps the exception of Ameca-meca, in the State of Mexico, is the city of the highest altitude in the Republic, being 8,653 feet above the sea-level. The Nevado de Toluca, an extinct volcano several miles to the south, is the most prominent feature in the landscape for many miles. This mountain is often cloud-capped.

Toluca is a well-built and thriving town. The streets are clean and well drained. The tourist may obtain a