AGUASCALIENTES. 



107 



of soda, and some of these tarns are like deep natural wells with A^ertieal walls, in 

 which the water rises and falls according to the seasons, but never runs dry. Hot 

 springs bubble up in several j^laces, especially near the town of Ojo Calicutc, south- 

 east of Zacatecas. 



The capital of Aguascalientes ("Thermal Waters"), a small state almost entirely 

 enclosed in that of Zacatecas, has also its thermal mineral waters, which are sul- 

 phurous at a temperature of from 77° to 9:>° F. 



Fig. 42. — Zacatecas. 

 Scale 1 : UO.WO. 



3,300 Yards. 



Near Villanuevo, some 30 miles south-west of Zacatecas, stands a hill of tufa 

 naturally carved into circular cliffs, which give it the appearance of a fortified 

 plateau. This eminence is crowned with a group of structures, which must have 

 formerly presented an imposing effect, and amongst which archaeologists have 

 identified palaces and other dwellings, a citadel, a temple, and a pyramid bearing 

 the statue of a god. But the finest remains on this "' Cerro de los Edificios" are 

 a series of steps, on which the spectators assembled in thousands to contemplate 



