necessary, to place the equestrian statue, which 
the Indians call the great horse, in a particular 
enclosure, paved with large slabs of porphyry, 
and raised more than fifteen decimetres above the 
level of the adjacent streets. The oval, the great 
axis of which is.a hundred metres, is encircled by 
four fountains, and closed, to the great discontent 
of the natives, by four gates, the bars of which 
are ornamented in bronze. The engraving is a 
faithful copy of a drawing on a larger scale by 
Mr. Ximeno, a distinguished artist, and director 
of the class of painting in the academy of Mexico. 
The figures in the drawing placed beyond the 
enclosure, are in the dress of the Guachinangoes, 
or lower class of the Mexican people 
^ See my Politica] Essay on the Kingdom of Nevv-SpaiRj, 
French edition^ pages 119, 168, 177, and 186. 
