248 
TOWNS, PEODTJCT1VE INDUSTRY, ETC. 
by way of the Cerro Guievixia, and through the Pass of Guichi- 
lona. In ascending to this part of the dividing ridge the road is 
steep and winding, and on reaching the summit the declivities 
increase. At this point, however, the scenery is of a shadow}- 
and sylvan character. To the north are the table-lands, with 
the glistening church spires of El Barrio and Petapa ; and to the 
south, beyond the great chain, the plains, dotted with cheerful 
towns and haciendas, shrouded in a misty haze, which skirts 
the lagoons and marks the bounds of the broad Pacific. De- 
scending by a slippery road, which at some points slopes at an 
angle of 15°, we reach the estate of Guichilona^ formerly a large 
and valuable hacienda, but now abandoned, and only used as a 
stopping-place for the mule-trains on their way to and from the 
Pacific. Here are extensive corrals and several indigo vats, but 
the buildings are almost roofless and in ruins — the pictures of 
desertion and neglect. A league beyond this is the vast ridge of 
the Cordillera, from which the plains are again clearly perceptible ; 
and not least conspicuous among the objects that arrest the eye, is 
the white dome of the little church at Chihuitan, shining in the 
sun-light above the masses of foliage which obscure the village. 
Near here is a branch road leading to San Geeonimo, a league 
from the mountain-bases, on the margin of the Rio Juchitan. 
This town, founded by the Spaniards soon after the Conquest, 
contains a population of 500 Zapotecos, whose chief occupation 
is the raising of indigo. With the exception of its admirable 
situation and healthy climate, the only attraction is the church, 
built by the Dominican friars in the sixteenth century. This is 
an oblong edifice, in the Moorish style of architecture, and in 
very good repair, considering the carelessness of the natives and 
the long period of years that have intervened since its erection. 
Above the altar there are some tolerable basso relievo carvings 
of the patron-saint of the puebla — of San Miguel, San Pablo, and 
San Elias. Altogether, the village is neat and picturesque. 
The railroad will probably pass through it or in its vicinity. 
Leading to San Geronimo is a road from Chivela Pass, a por- 
tion of which was built by the engineers of Don Jose de Garay. 
In some places this is quite steep, and presents many difficulties" 
for wheeled vehicles ; but by blasting at one or two points it may 
