88 



ROUTE TO SAN AUGUSTUS 



the different quarters, was carried on by light canoes 

 These canals are now almost all filled up ; and except 

 that of Chalco, there is no considerable canal in the city. 

 On the other hand, the causeways are now above double 

 their original number. The three ancient calzadas are 

 still maintained ; the first being still that of Tacuba, the 

 second of Guadaloupe, and the third of San Augustin. 

 There are then in addition, the great calzada running to 

 the southeast over the flats, to the southern extremity of 

 Lake Tezeuco, and thence to the new Vera Cruz road ; 

 that to Chapultepec, southwest : and lastly, one in the 

 direction of the northwest, towards Guautitlan. Several 

 of these causeways are planted with avenues of poplars 

 and other trees, and along two of them, those of Chapul- 

 tepec and Tacuba, the supply of fresh water is brought 

 from the mountains to the capital by the aqueducts of 

 Chapultepec and Santa Fe. # 



Let us turn together for our first excursion to the 

 southward, upon the great calzada, leading to Chalco and 

 San Augustin, by a continuation of which, the traveller 

 attains the eastern declivity of the Sierra Madre, and 

 the Pacific at Acapulco. It was in this direction that 

 two of our number made our first sortie, a few days 

 after our arrival, early on a glorious morning, in whose 

 brilliant sunshine the facades of the palaces shone like 

 silver and enamel. 



A light caleche with a couple of well-bitted horses 

 soon bore us over the pavement of the long street : and 

 passing the Garita, we entered upon the raised causeway, 

 with the sterile tracts of the marshy flat surrounding the 

 city on either hand— a vast tract of country with groups 

 of volcanic hills in the middle ground — and in the dis- 

 tance a splendid semicircular range of mountains, com- 

 prising the highest summits of the great porphyritic 

 chain. The Monte Ajusco, towards whose base we 

 were bending our course, was comparatively at no great 



* The aqueduct of Chapultepec counts 904 arches, and is 10^826 

 feet in length ; that of Santa Fe, 33,464 feet, 



