Page:Face to Face With the Mexicans.djvu/143

Rh to the tierra caliente, near two thousand miles, as smooth as a floor, broken only now and then by a river or arroya or barranca. Mountains on either side rise and tower nearer or more remote as the table-land narrows or widens. The mountains are dome-shaped and suggest a striking analogy between nature's economy and the structural skill displayed by man. Mountains and churches are alike dome-shaped.

There is an absence of large and navigable rivers, inland lakes and other water-courses. But there are many beautiful valleys. After a dreary desert of alkaline sand, parched by scorching winds, round the turn of the road appears a lovely vision of a sweet and peaceful valley, with a picturesque village or city resting in it like a jewel in its setting.

After leaving Fresnillo, a once widely known mining community, now in disuse, we come upon Zacatecas, the highest point and the largest city between El Paso and the capital, having an altitude of about nine thousand feet, and containing nearly one hundred thousand inhabitants. Having crept, as it were, along the smooth table-lands, not suspecting the nearness of this grand old city, its sudden appearance was a revelation to us, with its towering domes and glistening turrets, its lofty chimneys announcing its vast industries of silver mining and coining.

The principal streets run through a deep ravine, following its widenings. Cross streets, lined with domes and spires, and picturesque dwellings, climb the mountain sides. The houses are built of stone, brick, or adobe; all except those of cut stone being frescoed in bright colors which contrast strangely with the substantial character of the buildings. The Cathedral has an elaborately carved facade. The Mint, the Custom-House, and many business houses are of cut stone, porphyry being mostly used. The Alameda has two drives and two promenades, the latter in the center with rows of trees between and stone seats along the outer lines.

This distinctively Mexican city has now been invaded by the American innovations, street railways, telephones, and electric lights.