prepared for the purpose; on paper made of the agave, and on other
substances. These people preserved by symbolical paintings, the
memory of former events relating to their general and particular
history; the colours are extremely bright, and the designs, though
rude, are well executed.
_Manufactures._--The manufactured articles of New Spain, consist
chiefly in cottons, woollens, soap, and soda, plate, coin, powder,
cigars, and snuff. The manufacture of tobacco is a royal monopoly,
and carried on by the government; the others are principally
carried on by individuals, (coin and powder excepted,) who
employ the Indians, mulattoes, negroes, &c., and are (in large
establishments) allowed a certain number of slaves. There are some
trifling manufactories of crockery-ware and glass in the cities
near the capital.
The silver and gold taken from the mines, is either wrought into
services of plate for the table, for the churches, in ornamental
works, or is coined at the royal mint of Mexico, which was
established by Antonio de Mendoza, first viceroy of Mexico,
fourteen years after the conquest; it is estimated that upwards of
four hundred and eight millions of money has issued from this mint
since that period.
The Indians manufacture beautiful toys of bone, wood, &c.
Cabinet-ware and turnery are executed with great skill by the
white artisans, the woods they are able to employ being cheap and
beautiful; carriages are also made in New Spain, but most of those
which are in use in the capital and great cities, by the nobility
and gentry of fashion, are the productions of the London workshops.
_Commerce._--The commerce of New Spain has been of late years
considerably augmented, both by the great additions made to
agriculture, and by the formation of good roads from the interior;
when these shall become sufficiently finished to admit of the
conveyance of merchandise by means of waggons instead of on the
backs of horses, mules, and Indians, the commercial relations of
New Spain, will embrace the most remote countries of the Old World.
The internal traffic consists chiefly in maize, ingots of metal
carried from the mines of the capital to be coined or assayed,
hides, flour, tallow, woollens, European goods, of which iron and
mercury form the most prominent articles; cocoa, chocolate, copper,
woods for the cabinet-makers, cottons, wines, tobacco, sugar, rum,
pulque, wax, powder for the mines, &c.
The exterior traffic consists in coin, plate, ingots of the
precious metals, cochineal, sugar, flour, indigo, provisions,
hides, pimento, vanilla, jalap, sarsaparilla, mahogany, logwood,
cabinet-woods, soap, cocoa, &c.; these are exported from Vera
Cruz and Campeachy. The imports from Europe, are cottons, linens,
woollens, silks, paper, brandy, mercury, steel, iron, wines, wax,
vinegar, raisins, almonds, olives, oil, saffron, corks, thread,
crockery-ware, and cordage, with a variety of minor articles,
such as fruits, medicines, toys, &c. The imports from the East
Indies, at the port of Acapulco, are calicoes, silks, muslins,
cottons, spices, gums, and jewellery, which trade is carried on by
armed vessels, under the orders of officers of the Spanish royal
navy; New Spain returns to the East Indies, coined silver, iron,
cochineal, cocoa, wine, oil, wool and hats.
The imports from the other Spanish American colonies to Acapulco
are chiefly in cinchona, or Jesuits bark, Chili, or long-pepper,
oil, Chili-wine, copper, sugar and cocoa; for which New Spain
returns woollens of her own manufacture, cochineal, tea and some
East Indian articles.
The commerce of New Spain has suffered much since the war, from
the heavy duties exacted at Vera Cruz, for articles the produce
of European soil, manufactured in the mother country, and by the
want of encouragement to the introduction of goods manufactured in
countries which have carried the arts to a greater height than they
have hitherto reached in Spain, as well as to the restrictions put
upon the cultivation of tobacco, the olive, and the wine. We shall
not examine here the value of the export and import trade of this
viceroyalty. It is well known, that the duties do very little more
than support the administration, and that having subsidies to make
annually to the islands of Cuba, Porto Rico, and to other of the
Spanish colonies, Mexico affords very little towards the support
of Old Spain. Indeed amongst the whole of the Spanish American
colonies, none but the vice-royalties of Peru and Mexico, make any
regular remittances of monies to Spain for the assistance of the
mother-country; the charges of government swallowing up all the
revenues in the others. M. de Humboldt cites the public accounts
of the colonies as his vouchers, and states, that the revenue of
New Spain may be estimated at upwards of four millions sterling,
of which about a million and a quarter are annually remitted to
Spain, the remainder being consumed in the subsidies paid to Porto
Rico, Cuba, &c., and in the interior administration. An anonymous
writer, who styles himself _Espagnol amante de su Patria_, has
lately published a pamphlet in London, in which he shows that the
revenue derived by the Spanish government, has very much decreased
since the period of M. de Humboldtʼs travels; although a free
trade has been conceded to the island of Cuba, by means of which,
the administration of that island has been enabled to meet their
expences, and to have a small sum in reserve, without being obliged
to have recourse to the Mexican subsidy.
_The revenue_ of New Spain consists in the duties paid on all gold
and silver extracted from the mines, on the sale of quicksilver,
the coinage, sale of tobacco and powder, duties of entry, and
embarkation at the ports, the tribute imposed on the Indians, duty
on pulque (the fermented liquor of the agave), sale of indulgences
from Rome, tax on the clergy, sale of powder, stamps, sale of snow,
which is a royal right, and very productive in the hot regions,
where so much cooling liquors are consumed, and some other minor
taxes. With the amount of money collected under these heads, the
expences of the administration, of the missions to the northern
provinces, the fortifications, dockyards, ships of war, the
militia and regular troops are paid, together with the subsidies
before-mentioned.
_The Army of New Spain_ consists of a regular force raised in the
country, of ten thousand men, and more than 20,000 militia. In the
present time, the army and navy of New Spain must be considered as
a component part of the military force of the Mother country, as
she is engaged in reinforcing them, by every means in her power, in
order to quell the disturbances which have arisen to such a height
in her more southern colonies.
The insurgents have made no decided progress in New Spain; they are
seen only in the province of Puebla, or rather in the old province
of Tlascala, in small bodies, and in the district of Texas, on the
northern part of San Luis Potosi, where they have formed a slight
establishment in Galveston Bay.
In Guadalaxara and Valladolid symptoms of disaffection have been
shown; but it has been immediately quelled, and the discontented
were dispersed by the Spanish troops; the few who could get
together taking shelter in an almost inaccessible island of the
lake Chapala in Valladolid.
The Indians are said to take no part with the insurgents, nor
are the people of the interior at all willing to enter into the
struggle; on the contrary, they have formed themselves, in many of
the districts, into military bodies for the preservation of the
public tranquillity.
It will be seen, on consulting the journals of the present time,
that the Government of the United States lays strong claim to
that portion of the kingdom of New Spain, east of the bay of St.
Bernardo; it having been declared in congress, that Galveston Bay,
where the insurgents have been attempting to form settlements,
in order to annoy from thence, the coasts of San Luis Potosi
and Vera Cruz, is within the limits of the United States. Should
this assertion, which is founded on the treaty of 1783, be well
grounded, the Spanish government will have no other barrier to
oppose to any future aggression of that power, than the great river
Bravo del Norte, which will bring the Americans within a very short
distance of the capital, and will leave them some of the richest
silver mines in the government of San Luis Potosi.
We shall now give a description of the capital of New Spain, as in
it the commerce, the wealth, and the power of the country, is, as
it were, concentrated.
METROPOLIS OF NEW SPAIN.
MEXICO, the capital of the Spanish vice-royalty of New Spain,
is situated in 19° 25ʹ 45ʺ north latitude, and 99° 5ʹ 5ʺ west
longitude, in a beautiful valley near the banks of the lake
Tezcuco. The houses are mostly founded on piles, on account of
the marshy nature of the ground, and the town is intersected by
numerous canals. The scite of the city is the same as that of the
ancient Mexico, which is said to have been so denominated from the
god of war of the Mexicans, whose appellation was Mexitli, as he
had a temple erected there to his worship. A palace was erected by
Cortez, opposite to the scite of the palace of Montezuma. This city
is a very fine one, and it is asserted that, with the exception of
some parts of Westminster, Petersburgh, Berlin and Philadelphia,
there is no city of the same magnitude which bears any comparison
with Mexico for its great regularity, the extent of the public
buildings and places, the level, and the general architecture.
The railings and gates of the houses are of iron, ornamented with
bronze, and the roofs of the houses are flat, and formed into
terraces. The great breadth and length of its streets is an object
of admiration to strangers, but it is said they are nevertheless
dirty. The streets are paved and lighted by large reflecting lamps,
and generally run in straight lines, from west to east, and from
north to south; the footpaths are guarded by little stone-pillars,
and a covered sewer runs along the middle of the streets, as in
France.
The chief building is the vice-regal palace, built by Fernando
Cortez, near the ruins of that of Montezuma; it stands in the
central square, near the cathedral, and is a massive stone edifice.
The cathedral is a magnificent building, and cost the labour of
upwards of ninety years. In it are two images of the Virgin, one
of solid gold, weighing fourteen pounds, six ounces, eighteen
pennyweights. There are upwards of 100 other churches, which are
decorated in the usual glittering style of Catholic countries; the
monasteries and convents amount to twenty. Behind the palace of
the viceroy stands the mint, where 100 workmen are employed; the
bullion being here exchanged for coin, by the proprietors of mines.
The cathedral is so rich in plate, and gold, &c. that there is a
solid, silver rail round the high altar, and an enormous silver
lamp, enriched with gold embossed work, into which lamp, it is
said, three persons might enter, and the images of the saints, are
mostly solid silver, enriched with jewels and gold. The inhabitants
of the better sort are habited generally in silks, their hats
having diamond ornaments and gold lace; even the very slaves wear
bracelets of gold, silver, and gems.
The shops of Mexico make a profuse display of the most valuable
articles, and every thing wears the appearance of great riches, and
consequently of great luxury. There are thirteen hospitals, and
many charitable buildings; the population is estimated at 137,000
souls, of which 2,500 are Europeans, 65,000 white creoles, 33,000
copper-coloured natives, 26,500 mestizoes, and 10,000 mulattoes.
This great mass of people are abundantly supplied with provisions
from the neighbourhood of the city, which is very fertile.
Mexico is not fortified, having merely a ditch round it, without
ramparts or walls; there are however six gates for the great
communications from the country, together with other smaller ones,
for the immediate environs. The extent of this city is four miles
from north to south, and three from east to west. There is a great
market place, and a sort of bazaar, after the eastern fashion,
being a square of shops.
Mexico is plentifully supplied with good water, by means of two
aqueducts; the police of the city have guarded against fires by
water pipes, and they have lately built ten fountains with cocks,
after the manner of the towns in France, &c. They have a regular
watch, who take care of the lamps, and guard the streets; besides
which, the guard of the city, a species of troops, who are under
the orders of a judge, (who has, besides those who act immediately
in the city, about ten thousand spread through the kingdom,) patrol
the streets constantly, and punish excesses in the most exemplary
manner. The municipal body consists of a corrigidor or mayor,
twelve regidors or aldermen, and other inferior officers; the
alcades, or justices of the peace, sit for the judgment of civil
and criminal cases; their judgments, as well as that of the chief
judge of the police, are reversible by the Audienza Real, which
again refers to the viceroy, whose judgment is final, except in
particular cases, which he deems necessary to refer to the king of
Spain.
The courts, are the above-named Audienza Real, or royal audience,
the chancery, tribunal of accompts, the strangersʼ court, the court
of administrations for persons dying intestate, the tribunal of
registers, the tribunal of the inquisition, the royal tribunal
of mines, the tribunal of the descendants of Fernando Cortez, the
tribunal of the city, &c. Amongst the public offices are the royal
mint, chancery, the royal coffers, the house of the Californian
missions, the mount of piety, and the chapter and government of
the city, which is stiled Illustrious. The city arms are a castle
with three towers, an eagle on a tree, with a serpent in its beak,
and the Lake Tezcuco at the foot of the tree; supporters, two
lions; and crest, an imperial crown. These arms were granted by
the Emperor Charles V. whence the city has sometimes the title of
Imperial and Illustrious. In 1728, Philip V. granted it all the
privileges, &c. of a grandee of Spain, and in 1773 Charles III.
granted to the chapter of magistrates of the city, the distinction
of pre-eminence over all other tribunals, excepting the royal
audience and tribunal of accompts; and the use of uniforms laced
with gold. There are thirteen hospitals, and various charitable
establishments under their jurisdiction.
The viceroy of New Spain, a grandee of Spain, and of course always
a nobleman of high connections and rank, is commander in chief,
and president of the government, or in fact, king; and as Mexico
is the seat of his government, it will not be improper to give an
account of his command, &c. in a description of the city. He is
regarded as the chief viceroy of Spanish America, his territory
being equal to an European kingdom of large size. The governors of
the provinces of his vice-royalty are not however all named by him,
this power resting with the court of Spain. His patronage over all
the churches makes no inconsiderable part of his power.
The court of the viceroy is formed in the most splendid style;
he has body-guards both horse and foot, an immense train of
attendants, &c. His salary is not great, but the patronage over
lucrative places, monopolies, and the presents he receives, are
supposed to render it enormous; as he however is obliged to
support the style of a king, the greater part is spent in the
payment of his household, equipages, &c.; he is commander in chief,
and has under his orders in the kingdom of New Spain, about 10,000
regular troops, and 20,000 militia, making a total of 30,000 men;
these are however so dispersed, and ineffective, that he can send
no very large force into the field.
Mexico is an archbishopric, and metropolitan see; it is very
valuable, as the income is inferior to none but that of the
bishopric of Puebla de los Angelos; the archbishopʼs annual income
being 100,000 dollars.
The clergy of Mexico are numerous and wealthy, the chapter of the
cathedral containing twenty-six ecclesiastics. The income of the
dean is 10,000 dollars, the canons from 7,000 to 9,000, and the
sub-canons, from 2,000 to 4,000, and the parish curacies very
valuable in general.
The ecclesiastic courts of Mexico are comparatively as numerous as
the clergy, the principal one being the Holy Tribunal of the Faith,
or as it is better known by the title of “the Inquisition.”
The university of Mexico was founded in 1551, and is called the
Royal and Pontifical university of Mexico; it is composed of two
hundred and fifty doctors in all the faculties. It is under the
government of a rector, who is annually chosen by the preceding
rector, and eight of the council chosen by ballot from amongst
the doctors and bachelors. It has a chancellor, who is the chief
schoolmaster of the city, and who presides at the conferring of
degrees. The professors are nominated by a council, consisting
of the archbishops, the chief-judge of the royal audience, the
chief-inquisitor, the dean of the cathedral, the rector of
university, the chancellor, the senior professor of theology and
the dean of faculty.
The library of the university is in a bad condition, having been
only lately endowed, and is filled chiefly with theological works;
it is open to the public.
The college of Santa Maria de Todos los Santos, is the principal
college of Spanish America; it was founded in 1682, by the
archbishop of Mexico, and has a public library and thirteen
professors; it received additional buildings in 1750, and has 400
students.
The college of St. John is the oldest in New Spain; it was endowed
for children of Spanish and Indian parents.
The Jesuits had formerly five colleges in Mexico; there are now
two only remaining under the direction of the viceroy. Like the
colleges of this order in all parts of the world, these buildings
are strong, massive and magnificent; the great hall and chapel
of one being the most beautiful pieces of architecture in the
viceroyalty.
The public schools are numerous, being chiefly conducted by the
priests of the several religious orders.
The royal academy of Arts and Sciences has a good establishment of
professors of architecture, sculpture, painting, engraving, and
mathematics. There has also been lately erected a college of mines,
in which young men are instructed in various branches of science,
and in every thing that relates to mining.
The botanical garden is another useful institution, lately much
enriched.
The patron saint of Mexico is St. Mary of Guadaloupe, who is also
the patroness of Spanish America.
The character of the people of Mexico, as given by late travelers,
is that of a courteous and charitable people. The polite arts are
their chief study, and they boast of their painters. They are
great smokers, using cigars even at the theatre, and the ladies
all smoke; a part of their ornaments being a gold or silver cigar
box suspended by a chain or ribbon, in which they keep their
paper cigars; on the chain they wear little pincers to hold the
cigar, which, is nearly finished, whilst they light the new one.
The manufactory of cigars, a magnificent building, employs near
5000 persons; such is the demand for this article. They are fond
of theatrical exhibitions and have a handsome theatre. As in all
Catholic countries, religious processions and shows occupy a great
part of their attention; amongst the most splendid of these,
is the procession of the Corpus Christi, the festival of the
anniversary of the conquest of Mexico, and the publication of the
bulls of indulgence; which are hailed with eagerness, and looked
for with earnestness. The great civil show, is the entrance of a
new viceroy, on which occasion, the city is all splendour and joy.
The lower people are immoderately fond of a liquor named pulque,
and the number of houses for the sale of it have of late become so
numerous that the Police allow them only to remain open from ten
till four in the day-time, on account of the riots and violence
that happens in them; this liquor is allowed to enter the city only
by one gate, that of Guadaloupe; and such is the consumption of it
by the inhabitants, that the tax on it yields a revenue annually
of a million of dollars. The shopkeepers of Mexico issue tokens of
copper, iron and wood; and even grains of cacao pass as current
in the neighborhood; which arises from there being no bullion
currency. The price of bread is regulated three times in the year
by the price of grain. There are numbers of sugar mills in this
capital, and from there numerous distilleries of rum are kept at
work.
Mexico is at present a place of immense commerce, and will become
of more importance in a commercial point of view, when the great
roads from Vera Cruz, &c. are completed; as the transport of goods
will then be easier and less expensive; and the wheat, &c. of the
fine plains of Mexico, will find a ready market all over the world.
This city, though on a marshy soil, is in general healthy, and the
black vomit or yellow fever is here hardly known; but consumptions,
apoplexy, agues, fever, and pleurisy, are not uncommon. The worst
disorder to which the inhabitants of Mexico are subject appears to
be what they denominate “flato” or “flatus;” the unhappy patients
appearing in a state of madness, and have hot and shivering fits as
in the ague; convulsions, and hysteric affections also accompany
this strange disorder; which has been supposed to arise from the
great quantity of spice they use in their food, and from the
excessive use of tobacco.
This extraordinary city attracts the notice of Europeans from its
curious situation, as well as from the remembrances attached to its
name. It is placed on a plain, the height of which above the level
of the sea is 6900 feet, near the banks of the lakes Tezcuco and
Chalco, which are about ninety miles in circumference; the waters
of the latter are salt, of the former fresh; they communicate with
each other, and contain only two sorts of fish, one of which is
of very peculiar organization. The city at a distance, appears
to rise from the waters of the former lake; the banks of which
are beautified with the most enchanting village scenery; on the
opposite side of the lake, a luxuriant and highly cultivated valley
is contrasted with the towering summits of the enormous mountains,
emitting flame and smoke, in regions where eternal snow and winter
reigns. This extensive plain is covered with flax, hemp, cotton,
tobacco, sugar, indigo, &c.; and furnishes the markets of the
city with abundance of vegetables, meat, fruits, and poultry,
and reaches to the mountains, whose bases repose on its bosom.
These mountains are diversified into every form that imagination
can present, and are clothed with cedars, shrubs, and plants,
and contain in their bowels precious jewels and minerals. The
plain extends on all sides of the city and of the Lakes Tezcuco
and Chalco; but on the eastern-side of the latter it is not so
prolific, owing to the saline exhalations from the waters. On the
lower parts of the mountains, farms, country-seats and romantically
situated cottages are seen; and the whole plain appears well
watered by numerous canals and rivulets. To the north of the town,
near the suburbs, is the promenade, or Alameda; it is surrounded
by a rivulet, and is in the shape of a large square, with a basin
of water and fountain in the middle. From this bason eight walks
strike out, each bordered by two rows of trees: there are also
several other public walks, but the ground, in the immediate
neighbourhood of Mexico, is full of rivulets and canals, and rather
swampy.
The cold at Mexico is not great in the winter, as the Lake Tezcuco
seldom freezes thicker than a sheet of paper; in the summer it
is very hot, but as there are regular showers, which fall in the
evening, the air during the summer is much tempered. The rainy
season occupies four months, from the middle of May, to the middle
of September.
The houses of pilgrimage in the neighbourhood of Mexico are
singular; the chief one is the sanctuary of Neustra Senora de los
Remedios, on the spot where Cortez retired when he was repulsed.
The sanctuary of Guadalupe has a college, church, &c.
Just without the city is the sanctuary of Neustra Senora de los
Angelos, formerly the retreat of an anchorite. The desert of the
Carmelites is five leagues from the city, and here, in an inclosure
of three miles, the most austere of these monks live in solitary
cells.
About half a league from the city is the rock of the warm-baths.
The village of Traspana is also a place of great resort, the air
being thought very wholesome and pure. On a hill in the environs,
where there was formerly a palace of Montezuma, is the great
aqueduct of Chapultepec, which conveys water to the city; it is
above 9000 feet in length. The water of this, is however, not so
pure as that of the aqueduct of Sante Fé, which is 30,600 feet in
length, and which runs along the Alameda, but is not so beautiful a
structure as the former, as the water is not conveyed the whole way
over arches.
The surrounding scenery of the metropolis is in all respects highly
beautiful and singular; from it are seen the summits of some of the
loftiest mountains of North America, and the varied foliage of the
cypress, the avenues of elms and poplars, which branch to the city
from all quarters, the gardens of oranges and European fruits, the
deep verdure of the plain, the golden tint of the ripening corn,
and the different shades of the various Mexican plants, conveys,
through the medium of a pure and cerulean atmosphere, the utmost
delight to the eye of the beholders. The valley in which the city
and its neighbourhood rests, is filled with villages and towns, and
surrounded with enormous masses reposing on the great plain; two of
which, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, are the most remarkable of
the group; the first is continually vomiting fire and smoke, though
covered with snow. The Pico de Orisaba is also visible, and forms a
grand feature of the scene. On the west of the city, the chain is
very high and continuous.
The remains of the former city are inconsiderable; some traces
of the great dikes yet subsist, as well as of the aqueducts. The
temples have been destroyed, but the foundations of the ancient
Mexican habitations are numerous in the environs of the city, and
prove that it was much larger than it is at present.
The lake has retired a league from the city, so that it is now
situated in a marshy soil to the left of the southern extremity of
Lake Tezcuco, and between it and Lakes Xochimilco and Chalco. To
the north it has two small lakes, one called Lake San Christoval,
and the other Lake Zumpango.
The palace of Montezuma stood opposite to where the viceroyʼs
palace now stands, and a palace was erected on the site of
Montezumaʼs, by the descendants of Cortez, as they were obliged to
resign the original building of the conqueror to the government;
this house still belongs to a descendant of Cortez, who is Marquis
del Valle de Oaxaca, and is also Duke de Monte Leone in Naples.
The building in which Cortez was stationed when he first entered
the city, still shows some of its remains behind the convent of
Santa Teresa.
Of the great temples nothing is to be seen; that dedicated to the
god of war was destroyed to make room for the cathedral.
A fine modern equestrian statue in bronze, of one of the Spanish
kings, ornaments the great square, which was cast and erected by a
Spanish artist residing in the city.
In this city, there are a set of people who resemble, in their
general habits, the Italian Lazaroni. They pass the night under
the arcades and porches, and work one or two days of the week, to
gain enough to enable them to buy sufficient liquor and food. They
amount to 30,000, and are designated by the names of Saragates,
and Guachinangos; they differ only from the Lazaroni, in not being
ferocious, and in never asking alms.
After having given this extended description of the metropolis
of New Spain, we shall return to the subject of its division
into provinces, &c. These have been before enumerated; we shall
therefore commence at the northern boundaries of the viceroyalty,
and proceed regularly to the southern limits of North America, on
the isthmus of Panama or Darien.
_NEW MEXICO._
The most, northerly province of New Spain is New Mexico, which
extends from the Spanish boundary in 39° of north latitude, and is
terminated by an unknown country, inhabited by the savage tribes,
and by ranges of lofty mountains which have been very little
explored; on the east, it has unknown countries between it and the
United Statesʼ territory of Louisiana, from which it is divided by
an ideal line; on the west by unknown lands and Indian nations; and
on the south by the intendancy of New Biscay; it is 175 leagues in
length and 40 in breadth: the limits on the east and west are not,
however, very accurately defined. This country has been subdivided
into several districts; but as few details of these have ever been
published, it is impossible to ascertain their accuracy. Though
very extensive, it is but thinly peopled, and that chiefly by the
native tribes.
Throughout its whole western extent, the great chain of the Sierra
Madre presents itself, running from south to north, and extending
nearly the whole length of North America; this chain changes its
name after quitting the Spanish territory, and then receives that
of the Stony Mountains, Crane Mountains, Azure Mountains, &c. It
is supposed, and with great probability, that this immense range
is part of the same Cordillera as the Andes; thus forming one
continuous ridge from the Tierra del Fuego to the Icy Ocean in the
north. It is the great barrier of the west, and interposes its
awful front to the whole length of the world.
In New Mexico, the climate is colder, generally speaking, than that
of any other part of the Spanish possessions. The summers are warm,
but not intensely scorching, the winters cold, and frequently very
severe, especially in the higher regions of the mountains; and they
are not deluged with those incessant rains that prevail in some
other parts of New Spain. This country lies within the temperate
zone. The soil is represented as, in some parts, extremely fertile,
which appears from the luxuriancy of the pasturages, where the
herds of buffaloes and bisons are found; in others, as very arid
and barren. The country is, excepting on the Cordillera, agreeably
diversified into hill and vale; and the rivers and lakes are
well stocked with fish; great quantities of game frequent the
mountains; and the forests are stored with wild animals. Many of
the writers on this country state, that it is amongst the most
agreeable and the most plentiful colonies of America. Under these
circumstances, it is wonderful that the Spaniards do not settle it
more effectually; their attention has, however, of late years, been
so much distracted by the unhappy state of the mother country, and
by the struggle of the colonies for independence, that they have
not had leisure to extend their views to this desirable land.
The capital of New Mexico is Santa Fé, which is in 36° 12ʹ north
latitude, and 104° 52ʹ 45ʺ west longitude, on a river which falls
into the Great Rio del Norte; it was founded in 1682, and is small
and placed near the northern limits of the colony; its population
is 3,600.
The other towns of most importance are;--Santa Cruz, containing
8900 souls, and Albuquerque 6000 souls; both near the east bank of
the great Rio del Norte.
There are enumerated 26 villages and 19 missions in New Mexico.
The Passo del Norte, or Fort, is the most noted of these, and is
situated in a country which produces all sorts of fruits and a fine
wine; it is on the right bank of the Rio del Norte, 60 leagues
south of Santa Fé.
This country, which was discovered by a missionary in 1581, was
finally subdued in 1644, and slightly settled by the missionaries.
The mines are generally of tin; and the total population is about
40,000.
The chief river of this country is the Rio Grande del Norte,
(the great northern river,) called also Rio Bravo, rising in the
Sierra Verde, beyond the extreme bounds of the province; and after
a course of 2000 miles, this noble stream enters the Gulf of
Mexico, traversing the whole length of New Mexico, the province of
Coaguila, and that of New Santander. In the province of Coaguila it
receives the Puerco River, a considerable stream, which rises south
of Santa Fé, the capital.
The Rio Grande is beautifully adorned in New Mexico by woody banks
of poplar and oak. It is subject to periodical floods, which
begin in April and end in June; the great road from the south to
Santa Fé, runs along the east bank of this river in New Mexico,
and crosses it at the Fort del Passo before mentioned, and is so
level, that carriages of a light construction are used on it; but
the wandering Indians render travelling unsafe in some points. In
New Mexico, the Rio del Norte frequently is encrusted, during the
winter, with ice thick enough to travel on. This river is fordable
for horsemen in the droughts of summer; the streams which join it
in New Mexico, are of no moment, the country being in general dry;
near the northern part some rivers rise which have been conjectured
to be the Red River, and Arkansas of Louisiana; but the geography
of the countries to the west and east of New Mexico, remains in a
very defective state.
The eastern towns of New Mexico, as well as its villages, are in
general thickly peopled, on account of the proximity of the country
to tribes of warlike Indians. On the west of the great river Del
Norte, the Indians are of a comparatively peaceable character, and
are on friendly terms with the natives, of New Mexico.--Of these
western tribes--
The Moqui Indians have towns well constructed, after the manner
of the ancient Mexicans, for the purposes of defence; and the
missionaries who have visited these tribes, say, that although
their language is different from that of the ancient Mexicans, yet,
from several concurrent circumstances, they appear to be part of
the remnant of those people who scattered themselves at Cinaloa, on
their march from the north. Their houses exactly resemble those of
Casas Grandes, which the Aztecs built on their route near the Rio
Gila.
It is the Indians of the east country, from the great river Del
Norte, that are so constantly engaged in disputes with the New
Mexicans.
Of these, the Cumanches are amongst the most warlike. They have no
settled place of abode, but wander about, as the chase, or their
inclinations dictate, in the immense extent of country from the
rivers Trinidad and Brazos, across the Red River, to the heads
of the Arkansas and Missouri, and beyond the Rio Bravo, over the
ridge of the Great Cordillera; they have, of course, from this
unsettled life, no towns or villages, and are subdivided into many
hordes, who have so little communication with each other, as to be
often supposed to be distinct tribes. They principally exist by
the chase, the flesh of the bison and buffalo being their chief
food; this, with some vegetables, which they procure from the
tribes and settlements in their vicinity, constitutes nearly the
whole of their nourishment. They carry about with them tents made
of the skins of these animals, which they form like a bell, large
enough to contain a dozen people; but the heads of the tribes and
other great persons, have them of a much larger size. The tents are
pitched in regular order, in the manner of a town, having streets
of communication.
The wild horses which run about the country serve the Cumanches in
their predatory excursions; they know well how to ride and manage
these animals, and pass nearly all their time on horseback; their
tents are removed on horses, and having few other goods to pack up,
they perform marches with astonishing quickness, and fall upon the
unsuspecting settlers, whom they plunder of every thing, and carry
off their children to serve them as slaves; many Spaniards existing
in a state of servitude amongst them.
The chase of the buffalo is carried on by them on horseback, and
they kill that animal either with arrows or with spears.
In person, the Cumanche Indian is strong and well made, uncommonly
neat and clean; the dress of the women is a long loose robe, tied
round the waist with a fine girdle; the whole is formed of leather,
decorated with paintings in a rude manner: the men wear a close
shirt and pantaloons of the same materials.
Their language is totally different from that of the neighbouring
Apaches.
They cook their beef with a mixture of wild fruits and herbs, and
particularly with a sort of bean which grows on a tree; this mess
they season with pepper, which grows abundantly in the country they
inhabit; and the food, so prepared, is said to be very good and
palatable.
The great extent of uncultivated territory on both sides of New
Mexico is subdivided amongst many other Indian tribes; of these,
however, a dry detail cannot prove interesting; and so little
is accurately known concerning those subdivisions, that errors
would unavoidably arise in recapitulating them. The chief of
these districts is named Apacheria, from the Indian tribes called
Apaches, a warlike and restless race of Americans, who inhabit the
country to the west and east of Santa Fé.
They are denominated, towards the southern part of New Mexico,
Apaches Mescaleros; Apaches Llaneros, and Lipanes in the northern
part; and Apaches, Chicaraguis, Mimbrenos and Gilenos, on the
eastern side. They are a brave, resolute and independent people,
extremely attached to their primitive customs, and very jealous
of the power of the Spaniards, with whom they are frequently at
variance; but this does not proceed to open war, as they stile
themselves the allies of Spain. They were subjugated on the first
settling of this country, but revolted towards the close of the
17th century, since which time they do not acknowledge subjection
to that power.
In referring to what has been before observed concerning the
great chain of mountains which pervade this country, it will be
necessary to state, that the name Sierra Madre, or Topia, is more
strictly applied to that elevated part of this immense ridge, which
commences near Guadalajara, and extends 450 miles in a northerly
direction into New Mexico; the breadth of all its ridges, or
parallel crests, at this part, is sometimes 120 miles, where the
chain is called more distinctively by the appellation of Sierra
Madre, or Mother Ridge, on account of its great altitude above
the other parts: it has, by some writers, been compared with the
Cordillera of Peru; and the chasms and precipitous terminations of
its sides, are said to exceed any of the most terrific and sublime
mountain features of the world; their aspect is terrible, their
depths profound, and appear to the wondering traveller, to unite
the concave of heaven and the valleys of New Spain, by everlasting
walls of adamant.
This part of the chain, and indeed nearly the whole of it, is in
general densely covered with forests of the most gloomy appearance,
composed principally of pines and oaks. In these impracticable
wilds, birds of every description, peculiar to the country,
inhabit; and their variegated and beautiful plumage throws a ray of
lustre on the sombre scene.
On the summits of some of these mountains snow eternally lodges,
and the cold, in consequence, is intense. Many rivers take their
rise in the sides and near the tops of this Cordillera, and rush
with impetuous force into the valleys below, whence they take
their courses to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. During the rainy
season, (from June to September,) and when the upper snows lose
their solidity and become fluid, these rivers, and the smaller
streams, are turned into torrents, inundating the lowlands;
and their devastations, to the distance of 10 or 12 miles, are
inconceivable. During this period, when the natives are forced to
much manual labour and bodily exertion in the open air, to repress
the ravages of the waters, these pests of warm climates, the
musquitoes, become intolerable.
Bears, tigers, &c. with various beautiful species of squirrels,
inhabit the thick forests on the sides of the Sierra Madre. This
ridge is most prolific in silver, each quintal of earth in the
mines yielding a mark (two thirds of a pound); but these mines,
on account of their distance from Mexico, have many of them been
forsaken.
This ridge received its other name of Topia, from the appellation
of a tribe of savages who inhabited it, and who were converted to
the Catholic faith by the exertions of the Jesuit missionaries in
1590. So little was known of the existence of the Indians in some
of the middle parts of this chain, that the inhabitants were not
converted till the year 1718.
As before observed, nothing can be accurately advanced with
respect to the termination of the continuation of the Topia, or
Sierra Madre Cordillera on the north; but it seems, without much
doubt, to be continued to an amazing distance towards the north
pole, and that the Stony Mountains are certainly a part of it. In
the immediate vicinity of the northern boundary of the Spanish
territories, the tribe of Indians called the Moquis, are reckoned
amongst the inhabitants of its regions; they live under the same
parallel as Santa Fé, the capital of New Mexico, and some distance
to the westward of that place; their houses have already been
mentioned.
The Sierra Madre sends off a branch in the west part of the
province of New Mexico; this ramification, the summits of which are
very lofty, is called Gemes, and bears a south-easterly direction;
whilst on the eastern side, it throws off another arm, called the
ridge of Nahmi; which is, however, of inferior height, and of
shorter duration, than that of Gemes.
From the shore of the Pacific to the great Topian ridge, the
general distance may be computed at 140 miles; in many places,
however, it is greater, and in some, where the continent begins to
straighten its bounds, not one half that distance.
The Topian chain takes the name of Sierra de las Grullas, from
38° to 40° north latitude; beyond that to 42° north latitude, it
receives the name of Sierra Verde; during its southern course, it
bears several distinct names, besides the general one of Sierra
Madre.
It is in the Sierra Verde, that the great rivers, Colorado and Del
Norte take their rise, and their sources are only separated from
each other by the ridge of the mountain.
The great tract of uncultivated country between the Colorado
and Gila, is inhabited by tribes of wandering Indians whose
names appear on the map. To the south of the Gila is a tract of
uncultivated country, inhabited by the Apaches Tontos, and other
tribes: it was in this country that two missionaries in 1773, at
the distance of three miles from the Gila, discovered the ruins
of a Mexican or Aztec city, the houses of which were similar to
those that are mentioned in the account of Mexico. These houses
were large, and the one most entire, consisted of five rooms three
stories high, and in length, was 445 feet by 276 broad, the walls
being 3 feet 11 inches in thickness. A wall and towers surrounded
the mansion; and the ruins of the city occupied more than a square
league; fragments of pottery and domestic utensils were found in
all directions; and a canal had conducted the waters of the Gila
to the city. This was supposed to be the second station of the
Mexicans in their migration from the north; the third is in New
Biscay, near Fort Yanos.
The Indians in the environs of these great buildings are more
polished than their neighbours, and are in a more social state;
from which circumstance, it is conjectured, that they are a remnant
of the Aztec nation, who settled here in their journey from the
northern countries.
_CALIFORNIA._
CALIFORNIA is divided into two intendancies. New and Old California.
Old California consists of the peninsula bearing that name. New
California reaches from Port San Francisco to the isthmus, or down
to the Colorado, and comprises a strip of land along the coast; as,
however, neither of these countries are at present of any great
importance, we shall not divide them in our account, but describe
them both together under the general head of California.
The boundaries of this country are an imaginary line, in the 39th
degree of north latitude; on the north, the river Colorado and
Indian tribes; and the Vermillion Sea, or Californian Gulf on the
east; the Pacific Ocean on the west and south.
The bay of Sir Francis Drake, which runs some distance into the
country, is the limit placed by nature between the claims of
the British government and that of Spain in North America; and
on the south-side of this bay is another, called the bay of
St. Francisco, where the Spaniards have a small town and fort;
this settlement is in 37° 48ʹ north latitude according to the
latest authorities, but some have made it near 39°. The length
of California, may be however computed from Sir Francis Drakeʼs
harbour, in 39° north latitude, to Cape Lucas, in 22° 55ʹ north
latitude, and 109° 52ʹ west longitude; the breadth varies so much,
that a reference to the map will give a better idea of it than
words.
Fernando Cortez seems to have been the discoverer of this country;
he had sent several vessels in pursuit of the desirable object
of making the coast of the Pacific known, when Hernando de
Grijalva discovered the coast in February 1534; but they were so
unsuccessful, that Cortez determined to undertake a voyage himself,
which accordingly performing, he discovered the Gulf of California,
in the year 1536, after encountering all sorts of misfortunes and
perils; it was however neglected, and the form of it remained
unknown till long after. In 1540, the viceroy of Mexico sent a
vessel to explore it, but nothing was done of consequence; the
same attempt was again made, but with like success. In 1578, the
English navigator, Sir Francis Drake, explored the western coast
of America, from 48° of north latitude, to 37° north latitude,
and gave his name to the harbour, in 39° north latitude, which
is the boundary of Californian lands. He called the country New
Albion, and took possession of it in the name of Queen Elizabeth.
In 1595, the Spaniards sent another vessel to explore the coast of
California, but this vessel perished in Puerto de los Reyes. They
were however determined to prosecute this object, on account of
their wish to obtain a harbour for the Manilla galleons on their
homeward voyage; the viceroy therefore dispatched Admiral Biscaino,
who discovered and explored the harbour and land, to which he gave
the name of the Viceroy. This place, Monterey, is in 36° 36ʹ
north latitude, and has since become the chief settlement of the
Spaniards in California. After a long interval, Spanish missions
were sent to this country, and inland discoveries consequently
made. In 1684, Father Caino, a Jesuit, discovered that California
was actually a peninsula; he came from the east, and crossed the
country in the 35th degree of north latitude.
The Jesuits made many exploratory journeys in the latter part of
the seventeenth century, and having converted many of the natives,
they ruled with absolute sway, and continued in possession of what
they gave out as a barren country, till their final expulsion from
the territories of Spain. Some doubts having arisen as to their
representations of the unfavourable nature of the country, the
viceroy appointed Galvez, afterwards the minister of the Indies, to
explore it, and from his accounts of the value of its productions,
new regulations were ordered; but it has not yet been colonized to
any extent. In 1769, ships were sent to build forts at St. Diego
harbour, in 32° 39ʹ 30ʺ, on the west coast of California, and one
at Monterey. This research occupied a whole year, and still nothing
of consequence was achieved on the coast, and it was not till 1786,
when that unfortunate but great navigator La Perouse, visited the
west coast of America, that the whole of the coasts of California
were made known.
The inhabitants of the Old and New Californias, are chiefly the
native Indians, the Spanish settlers not forming any considerable
body. There are twenty-five missions or subdivisions of these
countries, the principal of which are Loretto, St. Domingo, St.
Josef of Cape Lucas, and All Saints, El Rosario, St. Fernandez,
St. Francisco de Borgia, St. Gertrude, St. Ignacio, La Guadalupe,
Santa Rosalia, La Conception, St. Josef, and St. Francisco Xavier.
Monterey is the capital and place where the governor lives.
The natives of Old California are computed at about 6000 who
live in the villages of the missions; those who live a wandering
life are not enumerated, but are supposed not to exceed 4000; of
these the greater part are Roman Catholics, having been converted
by the missionaries. The natives of New California are computed
at 15,600; they are a small race of people, and of an indolent
character. Their complexions are dark, and they wear their hair
long; the custom of eradicating the beard is prevalent amongst
them, though not universally adopted. They are very expert at
catching their game, and their principal weapon is the bow. Loretto
is the chief town on the east coast. Old California appears not
to be so estimable a province as New California, the climate not
being so good or the land so fruitful; it abounds, however, with
fish and game. The habitations of the natives are as miserable as
the wigwams of Northern America, and in some measure resemble them,
being constructed of boughs; they however will not alter them,
preferring a life of independence to a settled state; they are
much attached to the priests, who rule them with the authority of
fathers over their children. The women manufacture coarse stuffs,
and prepare the food, which is generally the objects of the chase,
and corn or maize with pease and beans. They have caciques or
chiefs of their own, but their power is very limited; they wear
skins made in the forms of cloaks, and the women and men dress
nearly alike; the boys go naked, but the young women have girdles
round their loins; they all paint their bodies, and scalp their
enemies, as the Canadians do, and they sometimes burn their dead
with many ceremonies; the priests who settle amongst them are
Europeans, who are sent from Mexico.
The women are the best looking, but in general, are not handsome;
they are mostly taller than the men, who have low foreheads,
projecting cheekbones and hollow eyes, with a large mouth, thick
lips, and strong teeth, with bushy, eyebrows; the women are
particularly careful to eradicate the hair from their bodies, and
pierce their ears for ear-rings; the age of puberty in the women
is as early as eleven and twelve, in the boys about thirteen; they
are rapid and violent in the expressions of the passions of anger
and joy; like other savage nations, they are divided into tribes,
which move together from one place to another as fancy or necessity
dictate. Their chiefs are chosen from the tallest, the strongest
and the most warlike amongst them, and are distinguished by their
head-dress. Such as are not under the immediate influence of the
missionaries, practise polygamy; but the men hold their women in
servitude.
Sore throats, colds, pleurisies and disorders, attendant on a
variable climate, are their complaints in the severe seasons;
they make use of vegetable decoctions for the cure of these
disorders; fevers prevail in summer. The women suffer very little
in child-birth, and the attendant in those cases, plunges the new
born infant into cold water, the mother bathing soon after, and is
then covered up warm near a fire: she performs these ablutions and
heatings successively for some time, and the infants are bandaged
up in furs and pieces of bark, nearly in the same manner as in
Canada. Their religion, previous to the priests coming amongst
them, was very similar to that of most savage people, having a
faint, idea of the Creator. A chain of mountains runs through the
peninsula, the highest of which, called Cerro de la Giganta, is
4920 feet above the level of the sea.
The peninsula, or Old California, is, as we before observed, more
barren than the northern province; it is mostly a rocky soil,
and seems as if some concussion of nature had disjoined it from
Sonora; the climate is hot in the summer, but it is moderated by
the sea breezes. Few trees of any consequence are found except on
the south; there are some small volcanoes in it, with a ridge of
mountains; vines and the Indian fig grow wild; the coast of the
gulf is low and marshy, and the pearl fishery is very valuable;
the gulf produces all sorts of shell-fish, turtles, oysters,
lobsters, &c. Peacocks, bustards, geese, ducks, cranes, vultures,
and sea-fowls, are plenty on the coasts; horses, asses, sheep, and
goats, have been introduced and thrive very well. In New California
the climate is nearly the same as in New Mexico, the western side
being superior to the other parts, on account of the neighbourhood
of the Pacific; the soil of this province is very prolific. The
harvests of maize, barley, wheat, pease, and beans, are comparable
to those of Mexico and Chili, corn produces in a seventy-fold
proportion, and the soil is favourable for nearly all sorts of
fruit trees. The climate is compared by late travellers, to that of
the south of France; the forests, that great feature of American
scenery, are extensive, and contain cypresses, pine-apple-firs,
evergreen oaks, and the western planes and rose trees; on which
a singular kind of dew falling in the morning, and covering the
leaves, candies, and has the appearance of manna, being as sweet as
white sugar. Immense bodies, or plains of salt, are found in the
interior, and there are some gold mines.
The animals of the two provinces resemble each other, chiefly
consisting of wolves, bears, wild sheep, bisons, buffaloes,
rabbits, foxes, wild goats, and an animal peculiar to the country,
called taye, as large as a young ox, and resembles the ox in its
body, having a head like a deer, with horns as a ram. The great
article of Californian commerce consists in the furs of the
northern and pearls of the southern province, the pearls equalling
in size and beauty those of Ormuz or Ceylon. The languages of the
natives are too numerous for description, each tribe having a
peculiar one of its own.
The mission of St. Domingo is the most northerly of the New
Californian settlements, and borders upon New Albion. This and the
other northern missions of California were hastily settled, on
account of the Russians having advanced their colonies considerably
to the southward, on the north-west coast of America.
The other missions or settlements, which are twenty-five in number,
are divided into four districts, the whole under the directions of
the governor of Monterey, the captain-general of the province, and
of the father president of the Franciscan order of missionaries. In
each of these divisions, is a presidio or fort under the command of
a lieutenant, with an ensign, serjeant, &c. The most northern fort
is St. Francisco, which has under it, the missions of St. Francisco
and Santa Clara; the town of St. Josef, and a settlement in the
southern part of the bay, or Port Juan Francisco, or Bodega.
The next division is that of Monterey, the capital of the province,
under which is the mission of Santa Cruz, at Point Aña Nueva,
established in 1789, and some others; southerly, and easterly from
this, are the missions of St. Carlos, St. Antonio, St. Louis, Santa
Rosa, and La Purissima.
The ensuing division is that of Santa Barbara, established in
1786, which governs that of Buena Ventura, founded in 1784; south
of which is the town of Los Angelos, founded in 1781; this last
is under the government of the fort of St. Diego, which is the
southernmost of the new settlements.
The climate of the country from Port St. Francisco, in the
thirty-eighth degree of north latitude, to the thirtieth, is
subject to great drought; the season of the rains is from December
to March, after which the summer and autumn is dry; however the
dews are heavy, and in some measure supply this want. The air is on
the whole healthy, the soil sandy, very capable of improvement, and
generally fertile, except in the upper and rocky country; in these,
the soil is of course naturally very barren. The Spanish settlers
have large flocks of sheep, and much poultry near Santa Barbara.
Buena Ventura is abundant in fruit, viz. apples, oranges, peaches,
pomegranates, pears, plums, figs, grapes, the plantain, cocoa-nut,
banana, sugar-cane and indigo, with the kitchen-garden produce.
The towns are in general no larger or better than villages; they
contain from 500 to 1000 Spaniards and creoles; some late accounts
say, that 20,000 natives have embraced the Catholic religion, but
half that number may be judged as the fair proportion in both
Californias. Their principal and best fur is the sea-otters,
which abound on the northern coast. Many of the natives cultivate
corn under the direction of the missionaries, but they refuse to
become stationary. The trade in the above-mentioned skins has
been monopolized by the Spanish government, and these settlements
furnish a yearly supply of about 10,000.
The presidio or fort of St. Francisco was founded in 1776, and has
a fine harbour, with a population of 820 souls; it is the most
northern fort of the Spanish American dominions, and as such,
is worthy or note. M. de Humboldt, gives the population of the
villages of the missions of New California, but they are of course
liable to constant changes. The missions of Old California are not
so thickly inhabited, and several of them are deserted.
The presidio of Monterey, or San Carlos de Monterey, has a
population of 700 souls, and was founded in June 1770. This town
is in latitude 36° 36ʹ, and west longitude 121° 50ʹ 43ʺ, at the
foot of the chain of Santa Lucia. Monterey is the capital of the
Californias, and in it resides the governor. In this settlement the
soil is productive, but generally not very good, and the climate
fine, though troubled with fogs. Unfortunately, the rains in the
rainy season are excessive, and they have dreadful hurricanes and
water spouts on the coast. Peltry it the principal article that is
sought after.
The European and American fruits have been propagated here by the
missionaries, and yield very well; the mezcala is the chief plant,
and like the maguay of the south, is the principal article of food
of the natives, and at the same time supplies them with drink and
raiment. Northward from this settlement there are immense forests
of pines and firs. Their trade is with Manilla, in furs, chiefly
of the sea-otter, which is of a fine glossy black. The manner of
catching this animal is peculiar to the Indians; they pursue it
in small canoes, capable of holding one man, in which they go to
sea, with a long rope in them, with two hooks; when they see the
otters and their young, the Indian advances towards them, the old
ones immediately dive, and the Indian catches a young one by the
foot; he then paddles off, and the young one, struggling with the
pain, soon brings the dam its assistance, who in her turn becomes
entangled with the hook, and is killed by blows from the hunter.
The natives massacred some of the settlers at the missionary
district of Todos los Santos, at the station of St. Ann. This must
have arisen from some oppression, as the Californians, in general,
are very submissive and indolent. They are very dexterous at the
chase and in fishing; their wigwams are generally two or three
together, and the women wear a head dress of rushes, whilst that
of their chiefs have feathers; the women have necklaces of little
shells in the north, and pearls in the south. The furniture of
their hovels consists of a quiver for arrows, two pieces of wood to
light their fires, a pipe of clay, a net for seeds, tobacco, a bow
and arrows, their lines and hooks for fishing, and a club to kill
rabbits. They often pierce the nostril, and wear ornaments in it;
seaming their flesh, and painting horribly to inspire their enemies
with fear. The women carry all the household goods when they move,
and the men the weapons. They have magicians, who act as priests
and physicians, and these magi are the great obstacles in the way
of converting the natives.
The bay of Monterey is formed by Point Año Nueva on the north,
and Point Pinos on the south; it is twenty-four miles wide at its
entrance, and six in length to the east; the east shore is low and
sandy, and the sea runs into the beach with a tremendous noise,
that may be heard three miles off.
The Spanish ships which stay at Monterey, anchor in six fathoms
water, at two cables length from the shore, and moor to the beach;
ships putting in, keep the south shore aboard, and after doubling
the south point, or Fir Point (Point Pinos) which stretches to the
north, they see the fort, and drop anchor in ten fathoms behind
the point, where they are sheltered from the west winds--the south
winds blow here very strong off shore. At full and change of the
moon it is high water here at half-past one; the tide rises seven
feet.
The whales, a species of finner, are numerous in the bay, and La
Perouse says, that they came within half pistol-shot of the ship,
and occasioned a disagreeable smell. The coasts of this bay are
generally covered with fogs, which render it dangerous to approach,
otherwise it is not at all hard to enter. Pelicans frequent the
sea at a small distance from land, and are a good sign for seamen,
never going more than six leagues from shore; pelicans are very
common on the coast of California; where they are called Alcatras
by the Spaniards. Late travellers who have visited Port Monterey,
say, that a better harbour could not be found for ships coming from
the west, and that the soil in its neighbourhood is good, though
dry; all sorts of grain succeed very well, and the cattle are very
fine. The Manilla ships find this a good harbour to recruit in,
when driven to the north by contrary winds.
_THE INTENDANCY OF SONORA._
Is the next subdivision of New Spain which meets our attention
in proceeding to the south. It is bounded on the north by the
Rio Colorado, on the east by New Biscay, on the west by the
great Californian gulf, and on the south by the intendancy of
Guadalaxara. Under the title of Sonora, are comprehended the
provinces of Pimeria, Sonora, Hiaqui, and Mayo, or Ostimuri, and
Cinaloa. The capital of Sonora is Arispe; and its provinces lie
from the Colorado River in the north to Culiacan on the south,
following the order above mentioned; we shall begin therefore
with Pimeria; and the description of climate, soil, &c., of each
subdivision, will best explain the general appearance of the whole
of Sonora, or as it is called in modern maps, New Navarre.
PIMERIA.
PIMERIA is the most northern district of this extensive division,
and is bounded on the north by The Rio Colorado, by New Biscay on
the east, by the Californian gulf on the west, and by Sonora on the
south.
Pimeria received its name from the Pimas, a tribe of Indians who
inhabit this tract of country. It is subdivided into high and low
Pimeria, and extends about three hundred miles to the north of
Sonora. The climate is cold and moist, and the rains often last a
week without intermission in the winter season, and torrents from
the mountains during that period descend in all directions.
Pimeria is very little known, being inhabited chiefly by the native
tribes, the Spanish colonists frequently deserting it on account
of the irruptions of a warlike race of savages, who inhabit the
neighbouring country of Apacheria in New Mexico.
The river Colorado is the principal river of the uncolonized
country north of Pimeria. This river has been also called Rio
Colorado de los Martyres. The course of the Colorado may be
computed in a straight line at 200 leagues, or 600 miles, and it
is generally from north-east to south-west. It is called Colorado,
or coloured, from the water being tinged red by the clay of its
banks. This river rises in the Sierra Verde, it is navigable for
a considerable distance, and very deep where it is joined by the
Rio Gila, which issues from the same mountains in Pimeria, further
to the south. This latter river, though broad and large, has no
depth, and the country which lies between these streams is a desert
of high land, without water or grass. The savages who inhabit the
northern side of the Colorado, are termed Cocomaricopas, and are
celebrated for their dexterity in swimming the river with a piece
of wood in their left hand to support their goods and weapons above
the water, and steering with their right, the women carrying their
infants on a basket work attached to their bodies. Their side of
the river is fertile, and they are an industrious people. The
Colorado meets many other rivers which rise in the same chain; the
chief of these is the Zaguananas, which rises in those mountains,
in about 40° north latitude. There is a large lake near this
branch, called Buenara, in 39° north latitude, on the frontier,
but of this lake nothing certain is known. The Colorado empties
itself by an immense estuary into the northern part of the gulf of
California. The Rio Gila is the next river of importance of this
country, but both this and the Rio Colorado are north of the actual
intendancy of Sonora.
There are several rivers in Pimeria, but so imperfect are the
accounts relative to this province, that nothing can be advanced
with certainty about them. The Rio Ascension is the chief, on whose
banks live a tribe of warlike Indians, named Seris.
Higher Pimeria contains the fort of Ternate and Lower Pimeria, the
fort of Buenavista. The province contains much gold in grains, but
it is not sought after, owing to many causes, amongst which the
incursions of the warlike Indians of the neighbouring country is
the principal one.
SONORA.
SONORA is the next province in proceeding southward, but, as in
all this part of the New World, its limits are not accurately
defined; it is however bounded by Pimeria on the north, the gulf
of California and Hiaqui on the west, New Biscay on the east, and
Hiaqui on the south. It is about 420 miles in length in a northerly
direction, and 380 in breadth, from west to east.
The soil of Sonora is good on the shore of the gulf, and very
fertile, but no very extensive forests are found in this province.
The climate is good, the air being reckoned very pure; but on the
immediate vicinity of the gulf, the air is indeed impregnated with
marshy effluvia, and therefore not so conducive to health as in the
interior.
The gold and silver mines of Sonora are very numerous, the mines of
gold being in the greatest proportion, and in which the chief value
of the province consists.
The trade of Sonora consists in the exchange of its natural
productions with Mexico, both by land and by means of the gulf of
California, as also with New Mexico and New Biscay. Sonora will
in all probability become in time a very valuable province, its
natural advantages being great.
Sonora is in the diocese of the bishop of Durango.
This country is famed for an excellent breed of horses, for its
fine cheeses, and for its cattle, which are superior and numerous.
The animals of Sonora are chiefly the deer, the bear, the goat,
and an extraordinary species of large lizard, which the natives
domesticate, and teach to hunt mice and vermin.
The capital is Arispe, situated near the head of the Hiaqui River,
108° 53ʹ 15ʺ west longitude, and 30° 36ʹ north latitude. This town
is celebrated for its hospitality, and for the great quantity of
gold used in the table services of the chief families, with a
population of 7600 souls.
Sonora is the next town of any importance, its population is 6400.
The principal rivers of Sonora are the Hiaqui or Yaqui, which rises
in the Sierra Madre, and falls into the gulf of California, (after
watering the district of Hiaqui,) in 28° north latitude, and the
Ascension River, which falls into the same gulf in 31°.
HIAQUI, AND MAYO, OR OSTIMURI.
HIAQUI and Mayo are two small districts, situated between Sonora
and Cinaloa. The district of Hiaqui is bounded on the north by
Sonora, and on the south by Cinaloa, on the west by the Californian
gulf, and on the east by the ridge of mountains. Hiaqui is so
called from a river of that name, which flows through it from
Sonora. It is not a very extensive district, and little is known
concerning the climate and productions, though they are nearly the
same as those of Sonora.
The Rio Hiaqui is the principal river, a branch of which in the
south east, divides that part of Cinaloa which lies on the eastern
side of the ridge from Sonora; it also overflows occasionally, and
inundates in the rainy seasons part of Sonora and Mayo, rising in
a southerly direction in a place called Tauramara, and bending in
a north-west course for half its length, it pervades the grand
chain of mountains, and then turns off to the south-west, and falls
into the Californian gulf, at the village of Huiribis, and forms
a good harbour, from which a trade in provisions is carried on
to the opposite shore of California. The banks of the Hiaqui are
extremely fertile, and produce abundance of maize, beans, pease,
and vegetables. The chief town is Riochico, situated fifty leagues
north-north-west of Sinaloa.
MAYO is a small district to the south of Hiaqui, and is bounded by
that province on the north, on the east by the ridge of mountains,
on the south by Sinaloa, and the west by the gulf of California. Of
it very little is known with accuracy; it is fertile, aid watered
by the river Mayo, from which it receives its name; this river
falls into the Californian sea in north latitude 27° 40ʹ.
SINALOA OR CINALOA.
SINALOA is the most southern province which is comprehended under
the intendancy of Sonora; it is bounded by the gulf of California
on the west, on the east by New Biscay, or the ridge or Cordillera
of Topia, also called Tepecouan, and Sierra Madre, on the north by
Mayo, and on the south by Culiacan. This country is about 300 miles
in length from the south-east to the north-east, and 120 miles
broad.
Sinaloa was discovered by Nunez de Guzman in the year 1552. The
climate is good, the air being very pure, the land fertile, and
producing abundantly grain, cotton, and fruits.
The rivers are numerous, though small, and well stored with fish.
Sinaloa is chiefly inhabited by Indians, though there are numbers
of mining stations established; and the province bids very fair
to be well colonized. The natives are a warlike race, and were
with great difficulty brought to submit to the dominion of the
Spaniards. They have caciques or chiefs, whose authority is however
very limited, being confined to heading warlike expeditions.
It is chiefly by valour displayed in battle, or hunting, that
they obtain this distinction; sometimes indeed the interest of a
powerful family elevates one of their number to the caciqueship.
They are fond of oratory, and if one of their number displays
any great ability in this art, universal acclamations decree him
their chieftain. These latter instances are however rare. Laws are
unknown.
Their weapons are bows, with poisoned arrows, heavy clubs of
wood and shields. These people are more industrious than their
Californian neighbours in manufacturing coarse cotton stuffs. Many
of the tribes subsist entirely by hunting and fishing, and have no
regular residences, neither do they till the ground. In the inland
parts these tribes are chiefly found subsisting by the chase; on
the sea coast they live by their industry, and by the fishery.
Those in the mountainous regions are reckoned to be in the most
perfect state of nature of any of the American Indians, relying
solely on their skill in the chase, and on the bounty of nature in
her produce of roots, fruits, and plants. During the rainy season,
they make a large cap of rushes like a pent-house or umbrella,
which they wear on their heads to throw off the water, by which
means they keep themselves dry for a considerable time. They
construct a sort of rude wigwam of branches, to shield themselves
from the scorching rays of the summer sun, and in winter they
constantly keep large fires, round which they sleep, eat, and
drink, with no other canopy than Heaven. The heat in this country
exceeds the cold, and they have little other bad weather, than
during the rainy months.
There are many gold and silver mines in the mountainous parts of
this district, and in one of these called Yecorato, there was found
a piece of gold which weighed 16 marks and upwards, the mark being
two-thirds of a pound, or eight ounces. This was sent to Spain and
deposited in the royal cabinet of Madrid. The chief mining station
is Sivirijoa.
The principal town is _Cinaloa_, or _St. Felipey St. Jago_, on the
river Cinaloa, in 106° west longitude, and 26° north latitude, 630
miles north-west of Mexico; the stream on which it stands and the
Rio del Puerto, form the two principal rivers of this province;
they both rise in the Cordillera of Topia, and receiving other
streams in their course, enter the southern part of the Californian
sea, very near each other, and a little to the northward of
Macapule Bay. Cinaloa contains 9500 inhabitants.
The chief place of the whole government of Sonora is the capital.
_Arispe_, which has the forts of Bacuachi and Bavispe on the south
and west.
_Hostimuri_, the chief place of Mayo and Hiaqui, has many rich
mines in its vicinity, with a council of the mines situated at St.
Xavier.
_Los Alamos_ is also another station of note for the mines, between
the Mayo and Fuerte rivers, with a population of 7900.
The towns of Sonora Proper, and Ostimuri, are three in number,
the villages 46, and the missions 46; of these villages, many are
mining stations.
Cinaloa contains four towns, Cinaloa, Montes Claros, with 7900
souls; and El Rosario 5600; with 92 villages, numerous distinct
farms and missions, and many important mining stations.
_INTENDANCY OF NEW BISCAY OR DURANGO._
IN quitting Sonora, on the east, we find the province and
intendancy of New Biscay or Durango, which is bounded on the north
by New Mexico and Indian nations, on the east by a desert country
between it and Coaguila, on the west by Sonora, and on the south
by Zacatecas and Guadalaxara, or New Gallicia. It is about 100
miles in medial breadth, and 690 in length. The great ridge or
Cordillera of Sierra Madre crosses it in its whole length, and the
whole country is very mountainous, well watered by small rivers,
the climate temperate, the soil fertile, the cattle fine and
numerous, and the mountains abounding in ores. This intendancy has
a population of 159,000 souls.
The country near New Biscay contains several small marshes, in the
islands or firm ground of which the Indians bid defiance to their
Spanish neighbours, and are so hostile, that many forts have been
built along the country to prevent their incursions.
The capital is _Durango_, which is the farthest town of any
consequence north of Mexico; it is situated on a river which
empties itself into a lake, (the river is called Durango or
Guadiana).
The population of this city amounts to 12,000. It is the see of
a bishop, which is very extensive; in his jurisdiction all the
western interior provinces, comprehending those on the east shore
of the Californian gulf, are included. It was erected in the year
1620. The tithes of this see are said to have amounted in ten years
to 1,080,300 dollars.
A branch of the royal treasury of Mexico is established here
for collecting the duties on the mines. The climate in the
neighbourhood of this city is mild and healthy, and the country
fertile, producing corn, maize and fruit, and pasturing fine
cattle. It has three churches and four convents, and is 170 leagues
from Mexico, and 298 from Santa Fé. Durango is elevated 6845 feet
above the level of the sea, and the intendant or governor of the
province resides here.
The inhabitants of New Biscay are all whites, there being no
Indians amongst them; they are a people of robust constitution and
good intellectual qualities.
They live in a state of constant warfare with their neighbours the
Indians, particularly with the Cumanches, a very warlike race of
people, who bear an inveterate hatred to the Spaniards. A tract
of desert country to the west, called the Bolson de Mapimi, is
inhabited by the Acoclames, the Cocoyames, the Apaches Mezcleros,
and Apaches Fardones. It is from this waste that the natives are
principally annoyed by the Indians; in it is a large lake called
Cayman, and part of another called Parras.
The Rio Conchos is the largest river of New Biscay, which rises in
the Sierra Madre, and after taking a southerly course, suddenly
turns to the east, and again to the north, and empties itself into
the Rio del Norte, at the Fort de las Juntas. New Biscay has six
towns and 199 villages, with innumerable stations and farms.
The towns of New Biscay of the greatest note after Durango, are
_Chihuahua_, formerly the residence of the captain-general of all
the interior provinces of the upper part of the viceroyalty of New
Spain, and now the residence of the captain-general of the western
interior provinces, which comprehend New Biscay, New Mexico,
Sonora, and the two Californias. The population of Chihuahua is
11,600, and it is surrounded with mining stations, the principal
of which is _Santa Rosa de Cosiquiriachi_, where that part of the
Sierra Madre, called De los Metales, has valuable and numerous
silver mines; this mining station is peopled by 10,700 souls.
_Mapimis_, on the south extremity of the desert of Mapimi, is a
military port, with 2700 inhabitants.
_St. Juan del Rio_, south of Lake Parras, 10,200 souls.
_Saltillo_, situated to the west of Monterey, in New Leon, on a
barren dry soil; 6000 people.
_Pasquaro_, south of Rio de Nasas; 5600.
_Batopilas_, west of Rio Conchos, 8000, formerly a place of great
repute for its mines.
_Parral_ the seat of a council of mines, 5000, and the mining
station of _Guirisamey_, 3800.
The population of this government is concentrated entirely in these
towns and in the mining stations, as in New Mexico, the warlike
Indians rendering this method of living necessary; even the forts
are well peopled, as the settlers choose to live under their
protection, in preference to possessing large tracts of land at a
distance from any defence.
_INTENDANCY OF SAN LUIS POTOSI._
THE intendancy of San Luis Potosi, comprises the provinces of
Coaguila, New Leon, Texas, and the colonies of New Santander; and
forms the western captain-generalship of the interior provinces.
It is bounded on the north by desart countries, inhabited by tribes
of wandering Indians; by the Bolson de Mapimi, an unconquered
desart on the west, as well as by part of New Biscay and Zacatecas;
on the south by the intendancies of Guanaxuato, Mexico, and Vera
Cruz. On the east its limits are not defined; by the Spaniards they
are considered to reach to the river Mexicano or Mermento, between
the sixty-fifth and sixty-sixth degrees of west longitude, but the
American congress deny this being the boundary of Louisiana, and
extend their claims as far as the bay of St. Bernardo.
This intendancy is computed to have a population of 334,900 souls.
That part of San Luis Potosi which joins Zacatecas, is a
mountainous country; in New Leon the land is not high, consequently
the summers are hot and the winters cold; the land on the right,
between Coaguila and Louisiana, is represented as containing
impervious savannahs and enormous desarts. The nearest post of the
Americans to New Spain, is Fort Clayborne, on the Red River. In
the greater part of this immense territory of San Luis the climate
is good, and the air pure and healthy.
The coast which borders the Mexican gulf, is lined with long narrow
islands, between which and the continent, are sheets of water
denominated lakes. The mouth of the Rio Panuco, and the bar of New
Santander, are the only ports of the coast from which vessels trade
with the West Indian Islands in provisions. The whole coast has
remained very little explored; such parts as have been surveyed,
are found to be shut out by sand bars, which prevent large vessels
from passing into the harbours, which are otherwise excellent.
The southern parts contain the mines of Catorce, Guadal-Cazar and
Charcas, in the mountain districts.
There is a route which the Americans follow from New Orleans,
through this intendancy, to Mexico, for the purposes of traffic,
which is represented to require ten weeks to perform it, under
great perils and hardships.
The great ridge of Anahuac, or plain of New Spain, gradually
descends, and loses itself in this intendancy; and on its slope is
situated the capital, _St. Luis Potosi_, where the intendant or
governor-general resides; it is a little westward of the source of
the Panuco River, and contains a population of 12,000 persons.
COAGUILA.
COAGUILA is a province of St. Luis Potosi, lying to the north
of New Leon, and sometimes included in that division; it is
also called _New Estremadura_, and in some maps Cuvilla. It is
bounded on the north by uncultivated countries, on the east by
the provinces of Texas, New Santander, and Leon, on the west by
New Biscay, and the Bolson de Mapimi, and on the south by New
Biscay. Its extent is 200 leagues from north to south, and 160 from
north-west to north-east.
This province is nearly a waste, peopled only by the Indians and
some few missions, and if it possesses mineral treasures, they
remain to be discovered. The capital is Monclova, situated in the
south part, the residence of a military governor. The next town of
importance is Castanuela, on the southern borders.
The Rio del Norte pervades this district.
NEW LEON
Is bounded on the north by Coaguila, on the west by Coaguila and
New Biscay, on the east by New Santander, on the south by Zacatecas
and St. Luis Potosi, or Guasteca. It is a very mountainous country,
thinly inhabited and possessing few other mines than those of lead.
The chief town is Monterey, the see of a bishop; there are also
several villages and small stations; but although it has been
sometimes designated by the high sounding title of the New Kingdom
of Leon, it is only a small tract, of which scarcely any thing is
known.
NEW SANTANDER AND TEXAS, AND PANUCO, OR POTOSI.
THESE provinces extend for an immense length along the shores
of the Mexican gulf, and commencing at the estuary of the river
Mexicano follow the course of that river; Coaguila then bounds them
on the north, New Leon on the east, Mexico on the south, and the
gulf of Mexico on the west. The Rio Bravo del Norte flows through
the centre of these provinces.
Numerous herds of cattle feed in this country, which abounds in
fruit, corn, &c. A chain of mountains, from the main ridge, runs
through New Santander, and is called the Sierra Gorda; from which
the district has sometimes been named; this chain abounds in mines.
It was not till 1748, that this district or province was wholly
subdued, in which year the capital was built. There is a fine
harbour attached to it, which was first observed in 1739.
The richest mines are in Panuco or Potosi, and the chief of these
is Catorce, or La Purissima Conception; it was discovered in 1773,
and is said to yield annually to the amount of from seven to
800,000_l._ sterling of silver. Charcas is the next mining station
of note, and is in the north of Panuco or Potosi.
The remaining towns of most importance in the intendancy of San
Luis Potosi, are _New Santander_, the capital of the province of
that name, with its port of _Soto la Marina_, which however does
not admit vessels that draw more water than six feet.
_Linares_, in New Leon, between the Rio del Norte, and the Tigre,
and--
_San Antonio de Bejar_, capital of Texas, between the two rivers
Nogales and St. Antonio.
The most eastern fort of this intendancy is the Presidio of
_Nacogdoch_, which is 68 leagues from the United Statesʼ Fort
Clayborne.
The great river of this government is the Rio del Norte, which
enters the Mexican gulf in about 25° 40ʹ north latitude, and 97°
20ʹ west longitude. The other rivers of most note are, beginning
from the east, the Rio Mexicano, Rio de Sabina, Rio de la Trinidad,
Rio Colorado de Texas, Rio St. Antonio, Rio de las Nueces, Rio de
Tigre, to the south of the great Rio del Norte, and the Rio Panuco
or Tampico; of all of which very little is known.
_INTENDANCY OF ZACATECAS._
THIS intendancy is one of the smallest in New Spain, and is the
first of those we are about to describe, which are under the
immediate controul of the viceroy.
It is bounded on the north by the intendancy of New Biscay
or Durango, on the east by San Luis Potosi, on the west by
Guadalaxara, and on the south by Guanaxuato. It is 85 leagues long,
and 51 broad in its greatest dimensions.
The population of this province is 153,300.
Zacatecas consists almost entirely of mountain country; so much so,
as to have been said greatly to resemble Swisserland. The climate
is very variable and inclement, and the soil far from fertile; but
all this is compensated by the riches of the mines, which are only
inferior to those of Guanaxuato.
Its chief town is _Zacatecas_, where the great mines are situated.
The population of this town, is 33,000; it is a bishopʼs see, and
is 240 miles north-north-east of Mexico.
The next is _Sombrerete_, the seat of the chief-council of mines;
_Fresnillo_, near the latter, both of which are great mining
stations. Sombrerete was formerly the richest of the whole, and
there are many other mining stations of great importance in this
district, most of which are very populous.
_THE INTENDANCY OF GUADALAXARA._
THIS, with Zacatecas, formed New Gallicia, in the former division
of New Spain. It is bounded on the north by Sonora, and New Biscay,
on the east by Zacatecas and Guanaxuato, on the west, by the
Pacific, and on the south, by Valladolid, or Mechoacan; it is 118
leagues long, and 100 broad. This province is of importance, from
being the seat of a royal audience, or supreme court, which, as
before observed, governs in civil affairs, more than one-half of
New Spain. It was established in the year 1548.
Guadalaxara, contains a population of 630,500 souls, and its
eastern side is a part of the declivity of the plain of Anahuac;
the western side is mountainous, and covered with extensive
forests. On the sea coast, the air is hot and unhealthy, but on the
heights, pure and wholesome.
The chief productions of this country are wheat, maize, cotton,
and cochineal, all of which are produced in very great abundance.
Guadalaxara contains two cities, six towns, and 322 villages; there
are five mines of silver of great value, the chief of which is
Copala.
The great river of this country is the river Santiago, which
crosses it from east to west, communicating with Lake Chapala.
The volcano of Colima is the most striking feature in this
province, and is the last of those which lie on the same parallel
to the west. Its height is near 10,000 feet above the sea, and its
crater continually ejects smoke and ashes. This volcano is isolated
from the neighbouring chain.
The Rio Santiago, or Rio Grande, is a noble stream, which rises
in the Nevada de Toluca, near Mexico, and after traversing the
extremity of Valladolid, or Mechoacan, and Guanaxuato, crosses the
province of Guadalaxara, first going through the northern extremity
of Lake Chapala; it throws itself into the Pacific, at the point of
St. Blas; in Valladolid it bears the name of Rio Lerma.
Lake Chapala is a fine sheet of water of this province, much larger
than the Mexican lakes, and has some islands in it; it is about
ninety miles long, and thirty broad, but its dimensions are not
accurately ascertained.
The great towns of Guadalaxara, are _Guadalaxara_, where the
governor, the bishop, and the officers of the supreme court of
the royal audience reside; its population is 19,500 souls. It is
placed on the Rio Esquitlan, or Santiago, which flows from Lake
Chapala. At the distance of twelve miles from the town, this Great
River has a cataract, and is very rapid. The city stands on a
plain, in which there are many rivulets, surrounded by mountains,
and covered with oaks and pines. Handsome gardens are seen in all
directions, which abound with every sort of fruits. There is in
estate belonging to the Marquis of Altamira near it, which sends
annually to the markets of Mexico, four thousand head of cattle,
with numerous flocks of sheep and swine; it also grows great
quantities of pimento, maize, &c., of which it has been computed to
yield, to the value of 40,000 dollars per annum.
The extent of the city is very great, and the population consists
of Spaniards, mulattoes and mestizoes; the native Indians inhabit
the suburbs and villages adjacent. The people are celebrated for
industry, and they have excellent artisans amongst them; they are a
good looking and well made race. The streets are unpaved, and mules
are used for their carriages; this city is subjected to tempests of
a very violent nature, but snow never lodges there.
Here there is a manufactory of cigars, and the natives make a sort
of jars of a fine scented earth, which are in much request.
They have fine aqueduct, many churches, convents, and two colleges,
with eight fine squares.
The revenues of the bishopric amount to 2,579,100 dollars annually.
The jurisdiction of the royal audience has been already mentioned
in a former part.
The other towns of most importance are--
_Colima_, six miles south of the volcano of the same name.
_Aguas Calientes_, near the mines of Asiento de Ibarra.
_Compostella_, _Lagos_, and _San Blas_; the latter of which is a
noted sea port, where the marine department is stationed.
San Blas is at the mouth of the river Santiago; here there are
magazines, dock yards for the royal navy, and in the vicinity, all
sorts of necessary timber for constructing ships; but it is so
unhealthy a place, that the officers usually reside in a village
near it, where the air is better.
_THE INTENDANCY OF GUANAXUATO._
THIS is one of the small but populous provinces of New Spain, and
is situated on the great ridge of the Mexican Cordillera. Its
length is fifty-two, and breadth thirty-one leagues. The highest
land is the mountain De los Llanitos, 9325 feet above the sea.
The value of this province consists chiefly (although great part
of it is very fertile) in its mines. They are the richest of North
America, and exceed in produce and value that of Potosi in South
America, or indeed, any mines in the world.
The population of this province consists of 517,300 souls, of
which, 180,000 are Indians.
The cities of Guanaxuato are three in number, with four towns,
thirty-seven villages, and numerous settlements.
_Guanaxuato, or Santa Fé_ is the capital; it was founded in 1554.
It is surrounded closely by the silver mines, six principal ones of
which have been enumerated. The height of Guanaxuato is 6836 feet
above the sea; some of the mines have their entrance shafts even
higher, the one called _Valenciana_, having its mouth as high as
7856 feet above the level of the ocean.
In the city, and mining villages surrounding it, the population is
estimated at 70,600; the other towns of most note are--
_Salamanca_, at the height of 5762 feet, _Silao_ or _Celaya_,
which has a very fine church, still higher, and _Villa de Leon_,
celebrated for its neighbourhood producing fine maize and corn.