84 A NATURALIST IN MEXICO. 



miles in length and over one hundred feet in width; it has 

 double avenues of Eucalyptus shade trees on either side, 

 with stone sidewalks and seats, placed at short intervals, 

 made of the same material. At certain places the paseo 

 widens into a glo?'ieta, or circle, four hundred feet in di- 

 ameter, in which are placed handsome statues. The first 

 contains the statue of Columbus, by Cordier, a very hand- 

 some and artistic piece of work. Another circle contains 

 the equestrian statue of Charles IV, of colossal size, thirty 

 tons of metal being used in the casting. It is said to be 

 the largest casting ever made. Another glorieta contains 

 the statue of the native martyr Guatemozin, the last of the 

 Aztec emperors. There are in all six of these circles, all 

 of which are destined to contain a fine monument. Maxi- 

 milian named this drive the Boulevarde Emperiale; but on 

 the restoration of the Rebuplic the name was changed to 

 the one by which it is now called. In the afternoon the 

 paseo is thronged with a motley crowd of people driving, 

 riding on horseback, or promenading; dashing equestrians 

 in gay attire; tally-ho coaches conveying merry, parties of 

 tourists; and here and there a mounted policeman in fancy 

 uniform. Among the pedestrians are well-dressed gentle- 

 men in broadcloth suits, mingled with whom are the com- 

 mon class of people in their picturesque costumes. The 

 women lend color to the scene by their red and blue 

 rebosas, drawn tightly over the shoulders, or tied across 

 the chest, securing an infant to the back. Nothing more 

 picturesque can be imagined than this ever changing crowd. 

 Carriages go out towards Chapultepec on one side of the 

 paseo and return on the other, leaving the central portion 

 of the roadway exclusively for equestrians. Another boule- 

 vard, known as the Paseo de la Viga, runs along the banks 

 of the Xochimilco canal, but since the completion of the 

 new paseo, this has ceased to be the favorite resort for 

 driving. 



