GUAYMAS. 
459 
The road from Ures is excellent for several miles, 
extending along the bottom land of the Sonora River, 
which is one continuous cornfield, to the village of 
Guadalupe, six miles distant ; after that, still keeping 
in or near the valley, and often crossing the stream, 
the road becomes more hilly, and in many places there 
are bad gulleys. It is then hard and smooth to Tapa- 
hui, twenty-seven miles from Ures. 
I reached this place, the residence of Don Manuel 
Gandera, the former governor of Sonora, at 4 p. m. 
Having a letter of introduction from Governor Cu- 
billas, I drove at once to his hacienda. I was kindly 
received by Mr. Rohnstadt, a German, the head mana- 
ger of the extensive estate of Don Manuel, who 
was absent, having a few days before gone to Guay- 
mas. 
The whole village of Tapahui belongs to Senor 
Gandera, who is reputed to be the richest man in the 
State. He cultivates with great success many miles of 
the luxuriant bottom lands of the Sonora River, which 
runs directly through his estates, and from which they 
are irrigated. The houses are of adobe, well built and 
spacious. They stand chiefly around or immediately 
adjacent to a large plaza, and are exclusively occupied 
by the overseers and employees of the owner. 
Mr. Rohnstadt accompanied me over the place, 
and cheerfully answered all my inquiries. And on 
my expressing a desire to know the statistics of the 
estate, which showed the most successful farming I had 
yet seen in Mexico, he invited me into his office. 
Requesting me to be seated, he took down the farm 
book, and turned to the result or balance of the pre- 
