Page:Pictures of life in Mexico Vol 2.djvu/75

Rh having receded to the distance of nearly 15,000 feet from the centre of the city the intervening ground consists of pretty chinampas and saline marshes dotted with pools of mud and flocks of wild fowl. The citizens at present derive their fresh water by means of canals from the Lake of Xochimilco.

The city of Mexico presents a fine appearance. Its situation and the character of the surrounding scenery are most imposing. The suburban roads are lined with splendid trees; and large tracts of land are devoted to the culture of fruit-trees and flowers. The principal streets are broad and well paved and run in straight lines, with intersecting squares. The houses are frequently built of hewn stone—tetzontli, or porphyry; and are erected round patios, or court-yards. Lodges, offices, and coach-houses are on the ground-floor; next comes the story occupied by the domestics, and the upper rooms are the best and most fashionable, the principal saloon being often about thirty or forty feet in length. The windows are gaily balconied and draped; and the azoteas, or flat roofs, afford pleasant retreats in the cool of the evening. The population of the city is estimated at about 130,000.