LAKES IN MEXICO. 153 



in the highest toppes of the mountaines that yon shall LlB - IIT&amp;lt; 

 hardly finde any famous river that takes not his beginning 

 from one of them. Their water is very cleere, and breedes 

 little store of fish, and that little is very small, by reason of 

 the cold which is there continually. Notwithstanding, 

 some of these Lakes be very hotte, which is another wonder. 

 At the end of the vallie of Tarapaya, neere to Potozi, there 

 is a Lake in forme round, which seemes to have been made 

 by compasse, whose water is extreamely hote, and yet the 

 land is very colde. They are accustomed to bathe them 

 selves neere the banke, for else they cannot indure the 

 heate being farther in. In the midst of this Lake there is 

 a boiling of above twenty foote square, which is the very 

 spring, and yet (notwithstanding the greatnes of this spring) 

 it is never seene to increase in any sort ; it seemes that it 

 exhales of it selfe, or that it hath some hidden and vnknowne 

 issue, neither do they see it decrease, which is another 

 wonder, although they have drawne from it a great stream e, 

 to make certaine engines grinde for mettall, considering 

 the great quantity of water that issueth forth, by reason 

 whereof it should decrease. But leaving Peru, and passing 

 to New Spaine, the Lakes there are no less to be observed, 

 especially that most famous of Mexico, where we finde two 

 sortes of waters, one salt like to that of the sea, and the 

 other cleere and sweete, by reason of the rivers that enter 

 into it. In the midst of this Lake is a rocke verie delight- 

 full and pleasant, where there are baths of hote water that 

 issue forth, the which they greatly esteeme for their health. 

 There are gardins in the middest of this Lake, framed and 

 fleeting vpon the water, where you may see plottes full of a 

 thousand sortes of hearbes and flowers, and they are in such 

 sort as a man cannot well conceive them without sight. 

 The Citie of Mexico is seated in the same Lake, although 

 the Spaniards have filled vp the place of the situation with 

 earth, leaving oncly some currents of water, great and 



