Page:Face to Face With the Mexicans.djvu/150

144 Under the streets it is said that extensive ruins exist, the origin of which is lost in the mists of antiquity, no mention of them being made in the traditions of either Toltec or Aztec. They probably date back to a period before the coming of these races, and may even belong to the civilization which left the famous ruins of Uxmal and Palenque in Yucatan.

The city—six thousand feet above sea level—has a population of forty thousand; streets well paved and swept, and an excellent manufacturing interest in woolens of fine quality.

The State of Aguas Calientes was originally a part of Nueva Galicia, but in 1835 was created into a separate State. It has a delightful climate, is a fine farming country, and has a great variety of delicious fruits, both temperate and tropical.

As we move onward, the picturesque life of the country stands forth in inimitable representation at every station, large or small. Groups of horsemen, with gay blankets, bright silken sashes, and broad hats adorned with silver, curvet around on their high-mettled steeds, unconscious of the host of beggars who solicit alms from the passengers. A little removed are carriages containing dark-eyed, raven-tressed señoritas, with all the accompaniments of wealth and fashion, leaning idly back, and, like the rest of the crowd, waiting to see the cars. Thus "the rich and the poor are met together"—poverty in its most abject form stands side by side with the highest development of Aztec civilization.

At Aguas Calientes the great Central branches off towards San Luis Potosi, ending at Tampico on the Gulf, a distance of about 400 miles. Its western branch, now under construction, will extend from Irapuato to Guadalajara, and on to San Blas on the Pacific coast. Commencing at the extreme northern limit of the republic, and terminating at its capital, its arms stretching from gulf to ocean, this great iron road must inevitably remain the great international highway, and prove a boon to Mexico, developing her richest resources, and inviting the tourist to take advantage of the unrivaled facilities it offers in the comforts and luxuries of modern travel. Its steel rails and iron