Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/445

* MEXICO. 407 MEXICO. rizona and New Mexico. The country lies in the zone of trade winds blowinf; from northeast to southwest, but, as mentioned above, the trend of the ranges modifies their normal direction. Both the Gulf and Pacifie coasts are exposed to violent gales, which often do great damage to shipping. Geology and JIixer.^l Resoirces. The moun- tain ranges are formed chiefly of plutonic and volcanic rocks such as granites, gneiss, syenites, mineral-bearing trachytes, basalts, porphyries, obsidian, sulphur, pumice, lavas, and tufa. Sedi- mentary formations are also represented especial- ly b}' a carboniferous limestone interspersed with deposits of anthracite. The land consists mainly of metamorphic formations largely penetrated and overlaid by volcanic outpourings and the debris resulting from mountain denudation. The most valuable rocks thus far known are the argentiferous porphyries and schists of Sinaloa and the central plateau. It has not yet been re- vealed whether the auriferous deposits of Sonora are destined to equal them in economic value. The sandstones of the northern States have pro- duced the sandy plains of Xorth Jlexieo, but none of the horizontal layers is rich in ores, which are found chiefly in metamorphic rocks of Durango, Chihuahua, and the south. Mexico is one of the richest mining countries in the world. Excepting Sinaloa and Sonora, which contain vast stores of the precious metals. nearly all the historic mines lie on the south- central plateau at elevations of from 5500 to 9500 feet. A line drawn from the City of Mexico to Guanajuato, thence north to Chihuahua and south to Oaxaca, incloses a silver-yielding zone that is vmsurpassed in richness. The central group of mines in the districts of Guanajuato, Zacatecas, and Catorce in the States of Guana- juato, Zacatecas. and San Luis Potosi have thus far yielded over half of the silver mined in Mex- ico. The Veta ilailre lode of Guanajuato alone produced $252,000,000 between 1o5G' and 1803. Gold is found chiefly, not on the plateau, but on the slopes facing the Pacific. It is believed to be in greatest abundance in Sonora. but the gold- mining industry may be said as yet to W almost in its infancy, and the production is compara- tively .small. The inferior develoinnent of gold- mining is due to the fact that it is far more difBcult and expensive to mine and reduce gold than silver; and most of the gold ilexico pro- duces is that obtained in association with silver- mining. Copper in a pure state is found near the City of Guanajuato and associated with gold in several States. Iron is in vast abundance in Michoacan, Jalisco, and Durango, but until the coal fields found at various points are developed there is little prospect that iron-mining will be- come very important. The famoiis Cerro del Mercado in Durango. discovered in 1502. is a hill of magnetic iron ore, 4800 feet long, 1100 feet in width, and 640 feet high, averaging about 70 per cent, of metal and estimated to contain over .300,000.000 tons of ore above the plain, beneath which it may extend to a great dejith. Fuel is one of the most pressing needs of Jlexico. Fire- wood costs in the City of Mexico $14 a cord. Coal ranges from .$10 to $22 a ton. and is brought from England and the Uniteil States. The diffi- cnlty is that most of the coal is remote from lines of transportation, and the fields cannot be developed till means of cheap carriage are pro- vided. Sonora has a carlioniferous area with veins from 5 to 16 feet in thickness of hard clean anthracite carrying as high a per- centage of fixed carbon as the best coal of Wales. When it can be trans])Orted the anthracite of this field will supply the Pacific Coast of Xorth Amer- ica with anthracite of the first quality for years to come. The coal measures of Jlichoacan and Oaxaca are also luideveloped. Many of the in- habitants of the northern State of Coahuila burn mesquite bush, straw, and cotton bushes because they cannot procure the coal mined at Salinas in their State, which nov- supplies fuel for the International Railroad Company, a part of the Southern Pacifie Railroad, and the factories in Jlonterey. iluch lead is associated with silver, and tin, sulphur, salt, marble, and the building stones are in abundance. All other mining enterprises, however, are dwarfed by the colossal develop- ment of silver production. The value of the pre- cious metals presented at the Mexican mints and assav offices in the year 1898-99 was: Silver, $57,- 985,400: gold, $4,043,.374. In 1899 there were in Mexico 1142 mines including: Silver, 256: silver and lead. 171 ; silver and other metals, 114; gold, 84 : gold and silver, 278 ; gold and other metals, 117: copper, 31. The total output of ore was valued at $89,000,000, and the number of persons employed was 106,536. Three mints and eight Government assay offices are maintained, and producers of gold and silver ma.v have their bullion coined at small cost. The total coinage of Mexican silver from the time of its discovery by the Spaniards to 1895 amounted to $3,398,664,400, which is more than one-third of the world's production of silver from 1493 to 1895. As a large amount of silver is not coined, but is used in the arts, it is estiuuited that Mex- ico has produced nearly one-half of the world's silver mined in the past four centuries. The larger part of the gold and silver is exported. In the twenty-two years ending in 1896 the silver exports amounted to $429,057,100 in coin, $143.- 418.595 in bullion, $85,898,933 in ores, and $30.- 102.151 in other forms. Europe is the principal market for the export silver and the United States for the export gold. Flor. axd AgkicultuRjVL Resources. The sharp dift'erences in climate produce rapid transi- tions in forms of vegetation: in a few hours' travel not only great differences in the kinds of plants, but also in the stages of growth of the same plant, are observed. The Mexican Southern Railroad from Pnebla to Oaxaca descends by fer- tile terraces from 7000 feet to 1750 feet above the sea. In March the green wheat is just peer- ing above the ground in Puebla, while lower down along this railroad fields of wheat are ripe for harvest and still lower the grain is being threshed. The varied conditions of temperature and moisture result in the greatest contrasts, desert areas lying contiguous to grassy steppes, which are succeeded by cultivated fields, and in the lowlands by forests with an inextricable tangle of tropical undergrowths. Gray, thorny plants characterize the northern region, whei-e rain seldom falls, though even this region is brightened in the spring by many flowers. Owing to the undcvclojied state of coal-mining and the great need of fnid and timber for the mines, the forests that once covered the mountains have been largely destroyed, and thus the conditions of