BOUNDARIES AGRICULTURE DIVISIONS POPULATION. 315 



ing knolls, and an occasional group of hills or small mountains. 

 The agricultural productions are of course suitable to such a geo- 

 logical structure ; but in the Haciendas de Ganado, or cattle farms, 

 immense herds are constantly raised by the thrifty vaqueros of this 

 region. As the country is unusually dry, water tanks, algibes, and 

 norias are established on all the estates, and are watched with the 

 greatest care. There is no river of any note whatever in Zacatecas. 

 The Arroyo de Zacatecas, the Rio Xeres, the Rio Perfido, del Ma- 

 guey, and Banuelos, are but slender streams. 



Zacatecas is divided into eleven partidos or districts. 1st. Za- 

 catecas, 2d Aguas Calientes, 3d Sombrerete, 4th Tlaltenango, 5th 

 Villa Nueva, 6th Fresnillo, 7th Xeres, 8th Mazapil, 9th Pinos, 

 10th Nieves, and 11th Juchipila ; possessing in all 3 cities, 5 market 

 towns, 34 villages and mining works, 139 agricultural and cattle 

 farms, 562 smaller similar establishments, 683 ranchos, 11 convents 

 for monks, 4 for nuns, and four hospitals. The population has been 

 calculated at about 350,000 ; and it is remarkable that, according to 

 reliable statistical data, 14,937 more individuals were born than died 

 in this State during the year 1830. 



Births i maleS ' 14 ' 709 Deaths \ males > 7 ' 012 Births > 28 > 795 

 ' ( females, 14,086 ( females, 6,846 Deaths, 13,858 



28,795 13,858 Increase, 14,937 



The most valuable agricultural district lies in the district of Aguas 

 Calientes. The best cultivation begins at the hacienda of San Ja- 

 cinto, 12 leagues from the town of Zacatecas, and in this region it 

 is reckoned that the farmers annually gather from their harvests, 

 140,952 fanegas of Corn (of 150 lbs.); 4,719 cargas (of 300 lbs.) 

 of wheat; 7,293 fanegas of frijoles or beans, and 4,291 arr6bas (of* 

 25 lbs. each,) of chile. _ - 



The mainspring of the wealth of Zacatecas is its minerakproduc- 

 tion. The vein of the Veta Negra of Sombrerete has been the most 

 productive in the new or old world. El PaveHon, La Veta Grande, 

 San Bernabe, and the isolated hill of Proano at Fresnillo constantly 

 yielded in former times the mosj: extraordinary results for the labor 

 bestowed in working them. Their present value may be estimated 

 from the chapter on Mines in the preceding book. 



The chief cities, towns and villages of this State are the capital, 

 Zacatecas, containing from 25,000 to 30,000 inhabitants. It lies 

 in 22° 47' 19" of north latitude and 164° 47' 41" west longitude, at 

 an elevation of 7,976 feet. 



