THE OLD SMELTER AT CEDROS 



Photo by J. E. Kirkwood 



The slag piles in the foreground and the distance cover several acres. These piles are 

 said to be of considerable value because of the large amount of mineral which the original 

 process failed to extract (see page 577). 



The Mexican Central Railroad crosses 

 a corner of this estate at some distance 

 south of Torreon. The station of Ca- 

 macho, a sun-scorched and wind-swept 

 row of adobe structures, is upon the haci- 

 enda, and eastward, over a distant range 

 of mountains, lies the village of Cedros, 

 the capital of this principality. Some no 

 miles intervene, however, and to visit it 

 one must proceed thither by horseback 

 or wagon. 



Cedros lies on the high border of a 

 plain that reaches leagues long and wide 

 to the west, north, and south. Eastward 

 rises the range of the Potrero. On the 

 horizon to the northeast are the furrowed 

 slopes of the Zuloagas and to the west 

 and southwest the Sierras de Zapoca and 

 Guadalupe. 



Thirty miles to the west the Zapocas 

 rise as a mountain barrier along the 

 whole horizon. 



ENTRANCE TO CEDROS 



Entering the hacienda from the east, 

 this splendid panorama is gradually un- 

 folded to view. When the afternoon sun 



is low and shadows are mounting the 

 slopes, the slanting rays sweep the wide 

 expanse with a glow of changing color. 

 Rising out of the mountain chain, high 

 above its fellows, stands a lofty peak, 

 with its rugged crest outlined against the 

 glowing sky. Clouds that rest upon it 

 are tinged with gold and crimson and 

 all the brilliant colors of a sunset such as 

 no other land knows. This eminence, 

 known as Pico Teirra, commands the 

 whole of the surrounding country. Dark 

 and rugged to its summit, which lies 

 above 10,000 feet, its somber shadows 

 are deepened by the thin growth of oaks 

 and pines which clothe its higher slopes. 



As the morning light strikes across the 

 landscape, the watcher at Cedros may 

 catch the glimmer of white at the base 

 of Teirra, making faintly visible the ham- 

 let of San Rafael. Half way to the peak 

 across the intervening plain two small 

 mountains stand as detached members of 

 a lesser range at its southern extremity. 

 Here a few dwellings comprise the vil- 

 lage of Tecolotes, which, with a fortified 

 inclosure and a water reservoir, marks a 



565 



