82 VOLCANOES OF JORULLO. 



but fifty years ago, and within six days journey of the capi- 

 tal of Mexico. 

 Country de- Descending from the central flat toward the coasts of the 

 scribed. Pacific ocean, a vast plain extends from the hills of Agiia- 



sarco to the villages of Toipa, and Patatlan, equally cele- 

 lebrated for their fine cotton plantations. Between the 

 picachos del Mortero and the cerras dp las Cuevas and de 

 Cuiche, this plain is only from 750 to 800 met. [820 to 880 

 yards] above the level of the sea. Basaltic hills rise in the 

 midst of a country, in which porphyry with base of green- 

 stone predominates. Their summits are crowned with oaks 

 always in verdure, and the foliage of laurels and olives in- 

 termingled with dwarf fan palms. This beautiful vegeta- 

 tion forms a singular contrast with the arid plain, which 

 has been laid waste by vojcanic fire. 

 A fertile plain To the middle of the eighteenth century fields of sugar- 

 canes and indigo extended between two rivulets, called Cui- 

 timba and San Pedro. They were skirted by basaltic 

 mountains, the structure of which seems to indicate, that 

 all the country, in remote periods, has several times expe- 

 rienced the violent action of volcanoes. These fields, irri- 

 gated by art, belonged to the estate of San Pedro de Jo- 

 rullo (Xorullo, or Juvriso), one of the largest and most 

 Shaken by an valuable in the country. In the month of June, 1759, fear- 

 earthquake, f u j rumrJ ling noises were accompanied with frequent shocks 

 of an earthquake, which succeeded each other at intervals 

 for fifty or sixty days, and threw the inhabitants of the es- 

 tate into the greatest consternation. From the beginning 

 of the month of September, every thing seemed perfectly 

 quiet, when in the night of the 28th of that month a terri- 

 ble subterranean noise was heard anew. The frightened 

 Indians fled to the mountains of Aguasarco. A space of 

 and a hill rais- three or four square miles, known by the name of Mai pays, 

 edonit. rose j n tne sr ,ape of a bladder. The boundaries of this 



risiug are still distinguishable in the ruptured strata. The 

 Mai pays towards the edge is only 12 met. [13 yards] above 

 the former level of the plain, called las playas de Jorullo; 

 but the convexity of the ground increases progressively 

 1 toward the centre, till it reaches the height of iGO met. 



[175 yards]. 



They 



