VOLCANOES OF JORULLO. 85 



In the opinion of the natives these extraordinary changes The catasro- 

 1 have described, the crust of earth raised and cracked bv J 3 , J "EPJS 

 volcanic fire, the mountains of scoriae and ashes heaped up, vengeance of 

 are the works of monks ; the greatest, no doubt, they ever *° me monks ' 

 produced in either hemisphere. Our Indian host, at the 

 hut we inhabited in the plain of Jorullo, told us, that some 

 missionary capuchins preached at the estate of San Pedro, 

 and, not U^eeting a favourable reception, uttered the most 

 horrible and complicated imprecations against this plain, 

 then so beautiful and fertile. They prophesied, that the 

 estate should first be swallowed up by flames issuing out of 

 the bowels of the Earth ; and that the air should afterward 

 be cooled to such a degree, that the neighbouring- moun- 

 tains .-hould remain for ever covered with ice and snow. 

 The first of these maledictions having been so fatally veri- 

 fied, the common people foresee in the gradual cooling of 

 the volcano the presage of a perpetual winter. i have 

 thought it ri^ht to mention this vulgar tradition, worthy a 

 place in the epic poem of the Jesuit Landivar, because it 

 exhibits a striking feature of the manners and prejudices 

 of these remote countries. It shows the active industry of 

 a class of men, who, too frequently abusing the credulity 

 of the people, and pretending to possess the power of sus- 

 pending the immutable laws of nature, know how to avail 

 themselves of every event for establishing their empire by 

 the. fear of physical evil. 



The situation of the new volcano of Jorullo leads tb a Line of voica- 

 very curious geological observation. It has already been noes in Mexico 

 observed in the 3d chapter, that there is in New Spain aXtaolhUU. 

 line of great heights, or a narrow zone included betw^a 

 the latitudes of 18° 59' and 19° 12', in which are ail the 

 summits of Auahuac that rise above the region of perpetual 

 snow. These summits are either volcauoes still actually 

 burning; or mountains, the form of which, as well as the 

 nature of their rocks, renders it extremely probable, that 

 they formerly contained subterranean fire. Setting out 

 from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and proceeding west- 

 ward, we find the peak of Oribaza, the two volcanoes of 

 la Puebla, the Nevado de Toluca, the peak of Tancitaro, 

 and the volcano of Colima. These great heights, instead 



of 



