8 Bogota'. 



saints. Under the dome, in the centre of the 

 building, the principal altar is raised in great 

 splendour, opposite to which is a richly co- 

 vered choir, profusely gilded. There is, be- 

 longing to this building, a statue of the Vir- 

 gin Mary, adorned with 1358 diamonds, 

 1295 emeralds, 372 pearls, 59 amethysts, a 

 topaz, and a hyacinth ; the pedestal alone is 

 enriched with 609 amethysts ; and the artist 

 is said to have received 4000 piastres for his 

 labour. 



Of churches, monasteries, and convents, 

 there are thirty-three in number; some of the 

 churches attached to the convents are par- 

 ticularly rich : the best endowed are those of 

 San Juan de Dios, and the Dominican Or- 

 der. These buildings are generally square . 

 in the centre is a fountain, and around the 

 building are two galleries, one beneath the 

 other, about fourteen feet in breadth, in 

 which are the doors leading to the various 



