314 MINES SILVER, COPPER, LEAD, ETC. ZACATECAS. 



residence of the priest Hidalgo, under whose auspices the revolu- 

 tionary movement against Spain originated. 



The mineral products of this State have been and still continue 

 very valuable. The chief silver mines are those of Guanajuato, 

 Villalpando, Monte de San Nicolas, Santa Rosa, Santa Anna, S. 

 Antonio de las Minas, Comanja, El Capulin, Comangilla, San Luis 

 de la Paz, San Rafael de los Lobos, El Duranzo, San Juan de la 

 Chica, Rincon de Zenteno, San Pedro de los Pozos, El Palmar de 

 la Viga, San Miguel y San Felipe. All these mines and mineral 

 districts recognize the jurisdiction of the Deputacion de Mineria 

 de Guanajuato, although some of them lie out of the immediate 

 boundaries of the State. 



Besides the silver yielded at these places, copper and iron are 

 produced by some of them; and at El Gigante cinnabar has been 

 discovered disseminated among other substances. Lead is taken 

 abundantly from the mine of La Targea; but the mining operations 

 of the State are chiefly confined to silver. 



In the southern part of the State large quantities of soda are found 

 near Celaya, Salamanca and Valle de Santiago ; and in the north, 

 in the vicinity of San Felipe, the earth is impregnated, in many 

 places, with nitrate of potash or nitre. Mineral waters and ther- 

 mal springs exist on the southern slope of the Cerro del Cubilete, 

 near Silao, and are used by invalids ; while in the jurisdictions of 

 Leon, near Irapuato or San Miguel Allende and Celaya, other warm 

 and sulphur springs are found which are beneficially frequented by 

 persons who suffer from rheumatism and cutaneous diseases. 



THE STATE OF ZACATECAS. 



This rich metallic region and State lies between the 21st and 25th 

 degrees of north latitude and 102£ and 105^ west longitude from 

 Paris. It is bounded on the north by Durango and Nuevo Leon 

 on the east by San Luis Potosi ; on the south-east by Guanajuato ; 

 and on the west and south-west by Jalisco. Its greatest breadth, 

 from Sombrerete to Real del Ramos, in the State of San Luis, is 

 fifty-seven leagues, and its extreme length is 90. The superficial 

 area of the State is reckoned at 2,355 square leagues. 



Zacatecas is a mountain country of the high pleateau of Mexico, 

 cut up by spurs of the Cordillera and inhospitably arid. The re- 

 gion between Catorce in San Luis Potosi, and Sombrerete and 

 Mazapil in Zacatecas is a broad plain, interspersed by a few swell- 



