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the time when Viceroy Velasco made grants of town lots arid agricultural lands to settlers in Querétaro, the progress of that place was rapid. Beautifully situated in a sheltered valley, the fertility of the soil and the pureness of the air invited immigrants from the capital and other populous towns lying to the south. In 1592 municipal books were opened, and henceforward its prosperity was such that in 1655 Felipe IV. elevated it to the rank of city, with the appellation of Santiago de Querétaro, and the honorable title of muy noble y real ciudad. A coat of arms was also granted, significant of the miraculous manifestation witnessed by the opposing armies in that strange battle which was fought in 1531. The