LA ASCENSION TO CORRALITOS. 49 
Twenty-five or thirty miles to the 
south of Corralitos we came to the town 
of Casas Grandes, said to consist of 
three thousand inhabitants, but we did 
not see three people as we drove through 
its seemingly deserted streets. It is the 
most important town in the valley, both 
historically and in point of numbers. It 
takes its name, meaning “big houses,” 
from the ancient ruins situated in its 
suburbs, and comprising the largest 
found in this part of Mexico when it was 
first visited by Europeans many years 
ago. The name of the town has also 
been applied to the river which flows 
just in front of it, and which is formed 
by the junction of two others, the San 
Miguel and Piedras Verdes. The San 
Miguel is the straight line prolongation 
of the Casas Grandes, and is apparently 
