469 



stretch to the N.N.E. towards Lake Superior, 

 may probably be a continuation of the mountains 

 of Ozark. They seem to be characterized by their 

 metallic wealth as a prolongation of the eastern 

 Cordillera of Mexico. The western branch, 

 or Cordillera, occupies a part of the province 

 of Guadalaxara, and stretches by Culiacan, 

 Aripe, and the auriferous lands of the Pimeria 

 Alt a and la Sonora,as far as the banks of the Rio 

 Gila (lat. 33°— 34°), one of the most ancient 

 dwellings of the Azteque nations. We shall 

 soon see that this western chain appears to be 

 linked by the counter-forts that advance to- 

 wards the west, with the maritime Alps of Cali- 

 fornia. Finally, the central Cordillera of Ana- 

 huac, which is the most elevated, runs first from 

 south-east to north-west, by Zacatecas towards 

 Darango, and afterwards from south to north 

 by Chihuahua, towards New Mexico. It takes 

 successively the names of Sierra de Acha, Sierra 

 de Los Mimbres, Sierra Verde, and Sierra de 

 las Grullas, and joins towards the 29° and 30° 

 of latitude, by counter forts, two lateral chains, 

 those of the Texas and la Sonora, which ren- 

 ders the separation of the chains more im- 

 perfect than the trifurcations of the Andes in 

 South America. 



That part of the Cordilleras of Mexico which 

 is richest in silver beds and veins, is compre- 

 hended between the parallels of Oaxaca and 



