61 
rational than the Mijes ; and contrary to these they are naturally 
kind and oblioincf. 
They cultivate the scanty supply of maize required for their 
own consumption, a small quantity of tobacco, and two plants 
belonging to the family of the bromelias, from which they ex- 
tract the iztle and the^i^a, the fibres of which they can bleach, 
weave, and dye of different colours. Their spun materials, 
and the hammocks wliich they weave with them, constitute 
their chief industry and commerce. 
The inhabitants of Santa Maria extract also some annotto, 
and supply the whole of the southern part of the Isthmus with 
the delicious orange, which grows abundantly about their set- 
tlement. 
The Zamhos, are a half-cast between the Indian and the Ne- 
gro. They are robust and industrious^ working as labovn-ers in 
the fields, and applying themselves to the cultivation of wheat, 
indigo, and cochineal. Unfortunately neither the Zambos 
nor the other natives of these districts are remarkable for their 
sobriety. 
CLIMATE. 
The climate of that portion of the country, which in this 
part of the Isthmus extends from the shores of the Pacific to 
the foot of the Sierra, is in general warm and dry, a circum- 
stance to which no doubt it owes its salubrity. 
The heat is not equally intense in every part of the plain. 
Tehuantepec, situated in a sandy ground, open to the south 
and encircled on everyother side by hills which prevent the 
approach of breezes, the coolness of which mitigates the heat 
of a burning sun, is without doubt the hottest spot in the 
Isthmus. V/e have often seen the centigrade thermometer at 
seven o'clock in the morning rise to more than S^° (92" of 
Fahrenheit.) 
Zanatepec is also subject to excessive heat in consequence 
of the proximity of the mountains which shade it on the 
northern side. The other villages, especially those near the 
sea, being at a greater distance from the mountains, are freely 
exposed to the northern winds which blow almost incessantly 
