l88 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



the silver ore from its mines. His Majesty, in consultation with the 

 Supreme Council of the Indies, appoints a Corregidor for its good 

 administration and the dispensing of justice ; he is lieutenant for 

 the Captain General of the Viceroy of New Spain, and besides the 

 salary he gets as Corregidor, he receives 500 pesos for this other 

 office. One of the Royal Officials for the administration of His 

 Majesty's Patrimony, resides here. This city enjoys a climate tem- 

 perate to cold ; it lies in 22 "30' N. 



529. Near the city of Zacatecas there are many other silver mines, 

 such as those of San Martin Aviiio and others in the district of the 

 Diocese of Guadalajara and New Galicia ; and to give the full descrip- 

 tion of this, let me say that we must go back and start again at the 

 beginning in this direction. From San Luis de Potosi one goes 

 toward the Rio Verde 12 leagues to the Armadillo. From there one 

 continues on the same course to the so-called Rio de Las Calabasas, 

 and from there to the Rio de Las Navajas, and right afterward, to 

 the Rio Verde, which is the limit of the district of New Galicia. 

 Near this Rio Verde is a village of Chichimec Indians, and beside 

 it, on a pleasant and very attractive plain, stands a Franciscan convent. 

 This is hot country ; every year they bring in for summer pasture 

 over 2,000,000 sheep and ewes because of the wide pasturelands to 

 be found there. In this direction there are large heathen Indian tribes 

 yet to be converted to the Faith, and high mountain ranges, in which 

 dwell the tribes called the Negrillos ; beyond them are many others, 

 as far as Florida. 



530. Through the country of these Negrillos runs the Sierra de 

 Matehuala, which is very high and has rich mines of copper and other 

 metals ; from it gushes forth an abundant spring, with which over 

 10 leagues of fertile level land can be irrigated. From here one travels 

 10 leagues to Los Cedros, where there are two streams half a league 

 apart ; after that for a distance of 28 leagues there is no water. In all 

 this country belonging to the tribe known as the Negrillos, there are 

 great quantities of tall, thick cedars. After traversing these ranges 

 and provinces, one comes to the rich silver Pedregoso mines dis- 

 covered by Capt. Lucas Manjon ; since the silver is full of lead and 

 the country in a state of war, they have stopped working them ; 

 there are good springs and salt deposits there. Next come other 

 provinces and settlements in New Galicia, as will be narrated in due 

 course ; through them has been discovered a new route to New 

 Mexico. 



