110 A NATURALIST IN MEXICO, 



river Lerma was seen winding in and out; beyond was the 

 green and fertile valley, dotted here and there with a 

 hacienda; in the far distance was seen the great, black peak 

 of the Nevado de Toluca, and at the foot of the mountain, 

 the white walls of Toluca. Below us, and at our very feet, 

 lay the little village of Ocoyoacac, a thousand feet below. 

 Here the grade was terrific, and the line ran along in 

 several horse-shoe shaped curves. Finally, the last curve 

 was made, and the train steamed across the broad and fer- 

 tile valley of Toluca. Very soon we passed a little village 

 called La Gran Ciudad de Lcnna, "The Great City of 

 Lerma," which received its name in this way. During the 

 16th century, a band of robbers made their headquarters 

 here and for a time were the terror of travellers and mer- 

 chants, but one Marten Roelin de Varejon finally broke 

 them up, in 1613, and in return for this good work the king 

 granted him any favor that he should ask; and he asked 

 that the town might be called ^^ La Gran Ciudad de Lerma,'' 

 Soon the Lerma was crossed on a long bridge, the river 

 here widening into a lake, and the line passed through 

 large fields of corn and barley, and finally drew up in the 

 d^pot at Toluca. From the depot a tram-car was taken, 

 and we were soon landed in front of the best hotel in the 

 City of Toluca, El Leon de Oro, the ''Lion of Gold," so 

 named from a gilt Lion on the corner of the hotel. Here 

 we engaged rooms, a good wash was taken, supper eaten, 

 and we were ready to inspect the city. 



Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico, is a well- 

 built and thriving city, containing about twenty-five 

 thousand inhabitants, and situated at an elevation of 8,600 

 feet above the sea. The municipal buildings and state 

 capital are said to be the finest in the Republic. They face 

 upon a delightful little plaza, which is adorned with several 

 fine trees. The town is one of the oldest in the country, 



