THE DESIERTO. 



175 



distant parts of the plain, and the great chain to the east- 

 ward. 



Now the whole scene before us was bathed in a flood 

 of clear light, and the forms and colouring of the most 

 distant objects were distinctly visible through an atmo- 

 sphere of the greatest transparency and purity. 



Beyond the broken country at our feet, and the fertile 

 region, we saw the broad expanse of plain, stretching 

 from the mountains behind Guadaloupe, far towards the 

 south, with its groups of volcanic hills breaking the 

 monotony of the surface. Directly in advance — the 

 centre of the vast picture — lay the miniature domes and 

 towers of the capital, distinct, from their number and 

 colouring; beyond, the blue and broad surface of Lake 

 Tezcuco, from end to end, with the Penon de los Banos 

 upon the shore, and the great mole of San Cristobal at 

 the northern extremity. Exactly over the city, at the 

 base of the eastern chain, great as was the distance, we 

 could distinctly recognise the towns of Tezcuco and 

 Huejutla, and the Hacienda of Chapingo — the dark line 

 of the Contador, and even still farther removed, the 

 form of the great pyramids of San Juan Teotihuacan. 

 The latter could not be less than fortv miles distant in a 

 straight line. 



How many times in descending, at every fresh turn, 

 did w T e draw our bridles to gaze upon this noble and re- 

 markable landscape, which increased in beauty hour by 

 hour ! I shall never forget the view presented as we 

 gained the last step of the descent before entering Tacu- 

 baya, when that beautiful verdant region of gardens and 

 orchards in which it and the neighbouring villages lay 

 opened at our feet, and the Archiepiscopal Palace, the 

 noble church, and the hill and palace of Chapultepec, 

 formed the middle ground to the more distant prospect, 

 the main features of which, though diminished in extent, 

 remained the same : nor, as sunset approached, can I 

 forget the gorgeous and inimitable colouring of the great 

 vista to the southeast, where the receding mountains 

 rose one above the other, in purple, violet, and gold, till 



