67 
From E] Parque the descent is very rapid, and, leaving the 
pines behind at Alarcon, we soon reach the orchards and corn- 
fields of Ramon and then the picturesque town of Cuernavaca, 
situated at 5,000 feet elevation on a ridge between two barrancas, 
and commanding a superb view of the valley on all sides, with 
its encircling mountains, among which the snowy tops of Popo- 
catepetl and Ixtaccihuatl appear on the eastern horizon. 
e made our headquarters at Cuernavaca for five days, col- 
lecting in the barrancas and gardens from San Antonio on the 
west to Chapultepec on the east, and climbing the mountain side 
to the north. The town is of great interest historically, as well 
as botanically. The state capitol was once the palace of Cortez, 
and here the great conqueror spent some of the last years of his 
life. Hotel Morelos, built in 1569 by one of Cortez’ generals, 
has had an eventful history, having been used as a fortress both 
by friends and foes of the government on several occasions. Its 
roof and patio are now filled with flowers and tropical foliage 
plants, making it one of the most attractive buildings of its kind. 
Great climbing plants of Bougainvillaea, with crimson or purple 
flower-bracts, are abundant here and elsewhere in Cuernavaca. 
Many spineless specimens of Opuntza were also observed in cul- 
tivation in the gardens there. 
Borda Garden, once a magnificient example of the formal, 
Italian style, constructed at a cost of half a million dollars, is 
finely situated in a prominent part of the town, but is now sadly 
neglected as a garden, having become little more than an orchard 
of mango and sapote trees and coffee bushes, although still beau- 
tiful because of its basins, fountains, terraces and pergolas. 
On December 28, an excursion was made on horseback to the 
Tepeite Valley, fourteen miles distant, on the southern side of 
Ajusco, 2,000 feet above Cuernavaca. The name means “ Valley 
in the mountains,” and it is reached by a tortuous, rough trail, 
which is very tiresome both to horse and rider. Leaving Cuer- 
navaca at early dawn, we reached the edge of the valley as the 
sun rose over Popocatepetl and the ruins of Tepoxtepec, then fol- 
lowed the trail up the mountain until we came to a hut near the 
Tepeite River, where we left our horses and lunch, and proceeded 
