It was the writer’s good luck to visit the Hill of 
Knives in 1898. The journey was made in company with Pro- 
fessor Gr. K. Gilbert and Major C. E. Dutton, and the trip 
over the mountain roads beyond Pachuna was an extremely rough 
one. While at the mines we were the guests of Senor Amador, 
owner of the hacienda on which the Hill of Knives is situated. 
The lower slopes of the mountain are covered with open pine 
forests, in places overgrown with tall grass, and on the steep- 
er parts, with underbrush. Everywhere are scattered fragments 
of obsidian, and groups of irregular mounds alternating with 
depressions and pits extend indefinitely up the forest-covered 
ridge. The pits and depressions are the ancient mines, while 
the hillocks are the heaps and ridges of debris thrown out 
from them. 
The enterprising peoples of the valleys below must 
have operated the mines vigorously for centuries to have 
thus worked over hundreds of acres of the mountain side 
and so fully and profoundly, moreover, that the deep 
pittings and heavy ridges of excavated debris are 
