174 THE DESIERTO. 



elegance ; strength having been evidently much more 

 valuable in the eyes of the builders. 



The distribution of the different parts was that usual 

 in monastic erections, and the whole style heavy in the 

 extreme. The cloisters and many of the cells still re- 

 tained their strong-arched roof, and the stucco on their 

 walls. 



Here, sheltered in the wooded hilts, far away from 

 the great roads ; perched a thousand feet above the broad 

 plain, and its glistening lakes and splendid city, with 

 many a league of rough hill and deep bnrranca between, 

 it might have been supposed that the barefooted brethren 

 would surely have been permitted to lead their life of 

 retirement and reflection in undisturbed quiet ; and that 

 their bells would continue to wake the echoes of the 

 hills, as long as their faith was the faith of the thousands 

 in the plain below : but no ! they were richly endowed ; 

 and throughout their former seat it was evident that the 

 hand of violence, more than that of time, had produced 

 the utter ruin visible on every side. The view from 

 the Desierto, owing to the peculiarity of the situation be- 

 tween two hills, is confined almost altogether to the sur- 

 rounding woods. 



A solitary family of Indian woodcutters occupied one 

 of the outbuildings ; and here upon the grass, under the 

 shade of a group of ancient trees, we luxuriated for several 

 hours in the delicious air of the mountains, till the heat 

 of the day being on the wane, we awoke our sleeping 

 mozos, and mounting our horses, began our descent to- 

 wards the city. 



The view which burst upon us, as, escaping from the 

 ravine of the Desierto, we gained a projecting woody 

 knoll on the side of the mountain, impending over the 

 great barranca before mentioned, was of matchless mag- 

 nificence. The day had been altogether cloudless ; but 

 during our ascent, the sun shone too brightly ; and a 

 rich purple haze had thrown a kind of veil over the more 



