The New Mexico 



earnest about 1880, the only road of 

 any length at that time being the one 

 just mentioned, from Vera Cruz to the 

 City of Mexico. There are now com- 

 pleted and in operation 15,454 kilome- 

 ters, approximately 10,000 miles, and 

 by means of these lines the capital is 

 connected with all the important cities 

 of the country. Four lines enter the 

 Republic from the United States. One 

 branches off from the Southern Pacific 

 in Arizona and traverses the State of 

 Sonora to the port of Guaymas. The 

 second, the Mexican Central, crosses 

 the boundary line at El Paso, extends 

 to the City of Mexico, with a branch 

 line to Tampico, an important seaport 

 on the Gulf of Mexico, and another 

 branch to Guadalajara. The third, 

 built under the auspices of the Southern 

 Pacific system, from San Antonio, Texas, 

 crossing the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass, 

 intersects the Mexican Central at Tor- 

 reon and extends some distance beyond 

 the city of Durango, its ultimate goal 

 being the Pacific coast ; and the fourth 

 international line, the Mexican Na- 

 tional, crosses the boundary at Earedo 

 and extends to the City of Mexico, 

 being a narrow-gauge road. From the 

 City of Mexico various other roads lead 

 to important districts, and most of the 

 main lines have a number of branches 

 constructed to reach rich mineral and 

 agricultural districts. 



MOUNTAINS AND TABLE LAND 



The configuration of the Republic 

 lends itself to easy railroad connection 

 with the United States. The great 

 Andean Range, coming up from South 

 America, is crowded in by the two oceans 

 and depressed as it passes through the 

 isthmus connecting the two continents, 

 but as it emerges from the narrow neck 

 of Tehuantepec into the wide expanse of 

 North America, apparently glad of its 

 escape from the ocean barriers, it again 

 shoots up its peaks toward the sky, and 



branches off into two grand mountain 

 chains, the one following the Pacific and 

 the other the Gulf coast, and, like the 

 brawny arms of a giant, lift Mexico up 

 onto the vast tablelands which stretch 

 far away into the United States. 



The work of connecting the capital 

 through this vast tableland with the 

 United States was comparatively easy. 

 But when it came to constructing the 

 lines from the high elevation of the City 

 of Mexico, as has been done in various 

 directions, toward the coasts, it became 

 a herculean task, calling for engineering 

 skill and a large expenditure of capital. 

 Notwithstanding the obstacles, the 

 mountain range confronting the Gulf 

 has already been pierced by at least four 

 lines of railway, and they are now in 

 operation to Tampico and Vera Cruz, the 

 two most important ports on the Gulf. 

 But thus far the Sierra Madre Range 

 traversing the Pacific coast line has not 

 been completely crossed. The Guada- 

 lajara branch of the Mexican Central 

 Road has been extended some distance 

 toward Manzanillo, and work on that 

 extension is being pushed to completion. 



The Mexico, Cuernavaca and Pacific 

 Railway, a road under enterprising 

 American management, leaving the City 

 of Mexico, climbs to a height of 10,000 

 feet above the sea-level, then descends 

 into the charming valley of Cuernavaca, 

 cuts its way through the mountain 

 gorges amidst most beautiful scenery, 

 has already reached the Balsas River 

 leading into the Pacific, and has a com- 

 parative!}' easy course along its valley 

 to the Pacific port of Acapulco. 



The Tehuantepec route across the 

 Isthmus has for many years been a com- 

 petitor in expectancy with that of Nica- 

 ragua and Panama for the world's com- 

 merce. The canal project gave way to 

 the Eades ship-railway scheme, but an 

 ordinary railroad was finally completed 

 some years ago. It was, however, 

 cheaply and imperfectly constructed, 

 and was without suitable ports at its 



