i44 STYLE OP THE TOWN. 



but little exceeds 3000 ; yet, including several 

 surrounding vHlages which are embraced in 

 Its corporate jurisdiction, it amounts to nearly 



6,000 souls.^ ^ 



The town is very irregularly laid out, and 

 most of the streets are httle better than com- 

 mon highways traversing scattered settle- 

 ments which are interspersed with corn-fields 

 nearly sufficient to supply the inhabitants 

 with grain. The only attempt at anything 

 like architectural compactness and 

 consists m four tiers of buildings, whose fronts 

 are shaded with a fringe of portales or corre- 

 ctor es of the rudest possible description. Thev 

 stand around the pubhc square, and comprise 

 the ralacm, or Governor's house, the Cus- 

 tom-house, the Barracks (with which is con- 

 nected the fearful Calabozo), the Casa Consis 



J 



the Alcaldes, the CapiUa de los Sol- 

 dados or Mihtary Chapel, besides several pri- 

 vate residences, as well as most of the shops 

 ot the American traders. 



The population of New Mexico is almost 

 exchisively confined to towns and villages, 

 the suburbs of which are generally farms. 

 Even most of the individual ranchos and haci- 

 endas have grown into villages,— a result al- 



5on7t'^-^v .1 ^^^*^.F^' ^' determined by various obsen-a- 



S'pr%nrfM ^ A^f" '} '^ P^^'^^^ '^'^ "'^^^ •"'^P* "^^^ly a degree 

 ^rther north); and tfie longi'tude about 106" west from Green- 



thp v;ilil .f r • ^^T ^" °*=^^" ^« n^^rly root) feet; that of 

 Zt Z.vLtL ' '' "''■ ^°^^^ ^^'^^ ^ ™"e ana a half. The high- 

 Smfw °* *^ >"o™tain (which is covered with perennial enow) 

 rS w"li' V^'^ northeast of the capital, is reckoned about 

 to'aS ^.^^e^;,. -^^^ ^- tLs northwarf rise stUl 



4 



