MEXICAL MEXICO. 



.795 



where he lectured until he was appointed, in 1769, 

 professor of history in the university of Erfurt. From 

 1780, he lived in Erlangen, where he died Sept. 19, 

 1820, having continued active, in lecturing and pub- 

 lishing, almost to his death. He wrote statistical and 

 historical works, and compiled several collections 

 relating to the history of literature, literary men, and 

 the arts. His Gelehrtes Deiitschland (5th ed., 

 Lemgo, 1796, et seq. the 21st vol. was edited by 

 Ersch (q. v.), Lemgo, 1827) ; his Lt-xicon of all the 

 German Authors who died from 1750 to 1800 

 (Leipsic, 1802, et seq.); his new edition and rifac- 

 ciamento of Struvius's Bibliotheca Htstorica,2l vols., 

 not finished, are proofs of his accuracy and industry. 

 In the department of the fine arts, he prepared sev- 

 eral valuable works. In the department of statistics, 

 he wrote Anleitung zur Kenntniss der Europaischen 

 Staatenhistorie (5th ed., Leipsic, 1816) ; Literatur 

 der Statistik (Leipsic, 18067, 2 vols.); and Lehr 

 buch der Statistik (3d ed., Leipsic, 1805). He was 

 less happy as an historian, being oppressed by the 

 immense mass of his materials. 



MEXICAL, or MESCAL ; a spirituous drink, 

 extracted from the aloe (Maguey, Agave Mexicana}, 

 which is consumed in large quantities by the Mexi- 

 cans. It is also called aguardiente de Maguey. See 

 Pulque. 



MEXICO. The republic of the United States of 

 Mexico (Estados Unidos Mexicanos), which com- 

 prises the former viceroyalty of New Spain, is boun- 

 ded E. by the gulf of Mexico and Louisiana, W. by 

 the Pacific ocean, N. by the United States of North 

 America, and S. by Guatemala. It lies between 

 87 and 124 E. Ion., and 15 and 42 N. lat., 

 extending over 27 degrees of latitude, or 1876 miles 

 from north to south. Its greatest breadth is in lat. 

 30, according to Humboldt, 364 leagues (25 to a 

 degree). Our acquaintance with a great portion of the 

 country is very imperfect, and, even in those parts 

 which have been most attentively examined, few of 

 the positions are accurately determined. Almost 

 the whole of the immense region lying north of 28, 

 comprising 14 degrees of latitude, is uninhabited by 

 whites, and has never been explored. Humboldt 

 calculates the superficial area at 118,478 square 

 leagues of 25 to a degree ; but this estimate does 

 not include the space between the northern extrem- 

 ity of New Mexico and Sonora, and the boundary 

 line of the United States. About one third of this 

 territory lies within the torrid zone, but the peculiar 

 geological structure of the republic exerts the most 

 striking influence upon the climate. The Cordil- 

 lera of Mexico separates into two branches, which, 

 diverging to the north-east and north-west, form, as 

 it were, the declivities of an elevated platform, or 

 table-land, which, in the more central parts, is raised 

 to an elevation of 7000 feet above the level of the 

 sea, and extends to the north as far as the limits of 

 the torrid zone. This remarkable elevation modifies 

 the effect of the geographical position of the country 

 in such a manner that, while the towns on the cen- 

 tral plateau enjoy a mild temperature, those on the 

 eastern and western coasts are exposed to a torrid 

 sun, and the intervening space is filled with almost 

 every modification of heat. In ascending from the 

 low country, the climates succeed each other in 

 layers, and in two days the whole scale of vegetation 

 is presented to view. Again above this table-land 

 rise ridges, or single prominences, in which the same 

 appearances are exhibited. Durango is situated 

 6848 feet above the level of the sea ; Zacatecas, 

 8169; Catorce, 9254; to the south, Jala pa, 4335 ; 

 Pt-rote, 7724 ; La Puebla, 7200; Cuernavaca, 5428; 

 to the west, Valladolid, 6434; Guanaxuato, 6825 ; 

 Queretaro, G362 ; in the centre Mexico is situated 



in a large valley, or basin, 7000 feet above the sea. 

 Some of the haciendas, or residences, are about 

 10,000 feet high, and, in some instances, carriage 

 roads pass over still more elevated positions. The 

 principal summits are, Popocatepetl, 17,884 feet ; 

 Orizava, 17,373 ; Cerra de la Leona, near Catorce, 

 10,645; and Istaccihuatl, 15,704. There are five 

 volcanoes in activity,all near the nineteenth parallel of 

 latitude Orizava, Popocatepetl, Tustla, Colima, and 

 Jorullo ; earthquakes are frequent, but not destruc- 

 tive. The inhabitants designate these successive 

 climates by appropriate names : the low, hot coun- 

 try is called tierra caliente ; the higher regions, 

 tierra fria (cold country) ; and the intermediate 

 regions, tierra templada (temperate country). Our 

 division of the year into four periods, is there 

 unknown, the only distinction being into the rainy 

 season (estacion de las aguas), which commences 

 about the end of May, and lasts four months, and the 

 dry season (el estid) , which comprises the rest of the 

 year. Mexico suffers for want of water. The 

 rivers are few and insignificant, if we except the 

 Colorado, the del Norte, and the Grande. The 

 lakes, which abound, appear to diminish gradually ; 

 the principal are, Chapala, Xumpango, S. Christoval, 

 Tezcuco, &c., in the valley of Mexico ; Cayman and 

 Parras, in the Bolson de Mapimi ; and the Timpan- 

 ogos, further north. Among the various productions 

 are maize and other corn, the banana, manioc, tropi- 

 cal fruits, cotton, coffee, sugar, tobacco, indigo, van- 

 illa, cochineal, &c. Maize is produced in almost 

 every part of the country, and in great abundance ; 

 its flour forms the chief food of the bulk of the 

 inhabitants. Wheat succeeds very well on the table- 

 land, but in the tierra-caliente, the ear will not form, 

 and the difficulty of communication between the 

 coast and upper country is such, that the former may 

 be supplied at a cheaper rate from the United States 

 of North America. Sugar is raised in great quanti- 

 ties ; enough is raised on the plateau, for the supply 

 of its inhabitants, and the producers on the coast 

 depend upon a foreign market ; but, since 1822, 

 the amount produced has much diminished. Coffee 

 has been more recently introduced ; the use of it has 

 not been general in the interior till within a few 

 years; extensive plantations were laid out in 1818 

 and 1819, near Cordova and Orizaba, to which con- 

 stant additions have been since made. Cotton was 

 found among the indigenous productions of Mexico, 

 and was generally used by the inhabitants. Up to 

 the close of the last century, the annual amount of 

 the cotton manufactures was estimated at 5,000,000 

 dollars. They have, however, gradually disappeared, 

 but the raw material may be an important article of 

 export, if properly attended to. The domestic ani- 

 mals are the same as in other parts of North America. 

 The wool of the Mexican sheep is of an inferior 

 quality. It has recently been discovered that the 

 silk worm is indigenous in some parts of the country, 

 and the silk produced is of an excellent quality, 

 similar to that of the bombyx mori of China. 

 The cultivation of the mulberry, and the breed- 

 ing of silk worms, were introduced by Cortez, 

 but were afterwards prohibited by the mother 

 country. The total agricultural produce of Mex. 

 ico was estimated, by Humboldt, at 29,000,000 

 dollars. The amount of the mineral productions 

 has been differently estimated. Mr Ward calculates 

 the total annual produce, from 1796 till 1810, at 

 about 24,000,000 dollars, of which 22,000,000 were 

 exported. The registered coinage, in that period, 

 was 342,114,285 dollars. In a second period of 

 fifteen years (1811 to 1825 inclusive), the total 

 amount of coinage was only 153,276,972 dollars, the 

 capital invested in mining having been much diuiin 



