CITY OF DURANGO. 87 
the root is almost perennial. About twenty- 
five miles further, we stopped at the mining 
village of La Noria, where we were obliged to 
purchase water for our mules—a novel ex- 
pense to the American traveller, but scarcely 
to be complained of, inasmuch as the water 
had to be drawn from wells with a great deal 
of labor. It is not unusual, also, for the pro- 
prietors of haciendas to demand remuneration 
for the pasturage on the open plains, consum- 
ed by the animals of travellers—a species of 
exaction which one never hears of in the 
North of Mexico. 
Our next stopping-place was Cuencamé, 
which may well be called the Village of 
Churches: for, although possessing a very 
small population, there are five or six edi- 
fices of this description. As I had business 
to transact at Durango, which is situated 
forty or fifty miles westward of the main 
Southern road, I now pursued a direct 
route for that city, where I arrived on the 
16th of March. 
Durango is one of the handsomest cities 
in the North, with a population of about 
20,000. It is situated in a level plain, sur- 
tains. It presents two or three handsome 
squares, with many fine edifices and some 
really splendid churches. The town is sup- 
plied with water for irrigating the gardens, 
and for many other ordinary purposes, by 
several open agueducts, which lead through 
the streets, from a large spring, a mile or 
