352 



The National Geographic Magazine 



Photo by Goldman 



Round Hut of Negros, South of Acapulca, Guerrero 



The Negros in this region have crowded out the Indians. This is the same kind of house 



that their ancestors built in Africa 



elevation, and is overtopped by some of 

 the neighboring low mountains. 



From Jorullo we again turned south- 

 ward into the valley of the Balsas River. 

 The Balsas is the largest river system of 

 Mexico, its tributaries rising far in the 

 interior of several states. The main 

 river flows from the border of Puebla 

 through the state of Guerrero to the 

 Pacific. Throughout most of their 

 courses the main stream and many of its 

 tributaries flow through an arid moun- 

 tainous region, sparsely populated, and 

 with but little to attract exploitation 

 except perhaps the possibility of mines. 

 The immediate valley of the Balsas has 

 an abundant growth of various kinds of 

 large cactuses, with thorny shrubs and 

 low trees. 



A few days' travel beyond the Balsas, 

 on a trail that seemed to wind endlessly 

 over and about brush - covered hills, 

 brought us to the coast of the Pacific. 

 As we reached the crest of the last high 

 ridge a fine view of the blue ocean re- 

 freshed our sun- dazzled eyes, and some 

 whitened rocky islets a few miles off- 

 shore gave promise of our finding sea 

 fowl there. We reached the shore at 

 the small village of Sihuatanejo, situ- 

 ated on a bay of the same name. The 

 bay of Sihuatanejo forms a good har- 

 bor, and has been considered as the pos- 

 sible terminus of a transcontinental rail- 

 road from the City of Mexico. The 

 road has been completed for some years 

 as far as the Balsas River, in central 

 Guerrero, but whether it will be ex- 



