TOWNS IN THE STATE HACIENDA OF JARAL. 



313 



dral, however, aspires to the former title." Such is the aspect of a 

 city which is the focus of a mineral region surrounded by more than 

 one hundred mines, which are wrought by seventy-five thousand 

 laborers. 



In spite of all the natural difficulties and impediments for fine 

 architecture, Guanajuato contains some fine edifices, especially 

 among the private residences of the wealthy miners, such as the 

 families of Otero, Valenciana, Rhul and Perez Galvez. The church 

 of the Jesuits was built by the Marquis Rayas. Besides the cathe- 

 dral, the town contains two chapels, three monasteries, five con- 

 vents, a college, a Bethlehemite hospital, a theatre, a barrack, a 

 mint, an university, and a gymnasium. 



The Villa de Leon, is a market town west north-west from 

 Guanajuato, in 21° 6' 38" north latitude, and 103° 39' west longi- 

 tude, 6,004 feet above the sea, in the productive plain of Leon. 



San Felipe is another market town,. 32 leagues north of Guana- 

 juato, on the road to San Luis Potosi, 6,906 feet above the sea. 

 Ten leagues north-east from San Felipe is the valuable estate of 

 Jaral, the property of the Marquis del Jaral, the wealthiest and 

 largest land owner in Mexico. His stock of cattle, comprising 

 horses, mules, horned-cattle, sheep and goats amounts to nearly three 

 million head ! l Thirty thousand sheep alone, and as many goats, 

 are annually slaughtered on this estate for the markets of Guana- 

 juato and Mexico, where the sheep sell for from two and a half to 

 three dollars a piece, and the goats from seventy-five cents to one 

 dollar each ! 



Celaya is a city, and next in importance to Guanajuato in the 

 State. It lies in 20° 38' north latitude, and 102° 52' west longi- 

 tude, near the boundary of Queretaro, 6,020 feet above the sea. and 

 contains about 15,000 inhabitants. 



Salamanca is a market town in the Bajio, nine leagues west from 

 Celaya, and is the chief place of a region possessing twenty-nine 

 haciendas, or plantation estates, and sixty-nine valuable farms. Its 

 population is estimated at 15,000. Irapuato, lies about six leagues 

 north-west from Salamanca, and contains perhaps an equal number 

 of inhabitants. 



San Miguel Allende, formerly San Miguel el Grande, is the 

 capital of the department of that name, lies directly north of Celaya, on 

 the river de la Laja, where it cuts the division between the two de- 

 partments. Dolores Hidalgo is on the same stream, north-west of 

 the last town, and is remarkable in the annals of the country as the 



1 Muhlenpfordt. 



