1 he Borda Garden 
kept in good condition, but the jungle of 
tree-growth that occupies nearly all the 
area outside the water-surface make the 
effect entirely different from what it must 
have been when the place was in its glory. 
To shade the coffee, various sorts of fruit 
trees have been planted all over the garden. 
These trees are full grown and are hand¬ 
some in themselves. For the most part 
they are mangos, aguacates, mameys, and 
the Mexican persimmon, or zapote prieto, 
1 he effect of tree-growth occupying the 
entire garden is, of course, all too monoto¬ 
nous. But there is a great fascination in the 
melancholy charm produced by a blending 
of age, neglect, and decay. I he vistas along 
the paths, with their bosky reaches of lumin¬ 
ous shade, friendly with a softened gloom 
and frequentlv spangled with sunshine, retain 
many traces of the past impressiveness. 
In such a climate abundant shadow is a 
grateful element and it was probably taken 
into account in the original work with planta¬ 
tions of trees at effective points as well as in 
the various structural shelters disposed here 
and there. But the mantle of foliage that 
now covers almost every part leaves no room 
for the desirable effects of parterres, turf, and 
other open features that go with a garden of 
the kind and which were doubtless existent 
when the place was in its prime. 1 he 
arborescent growth, however, has by no 
means obliterated the effectiveness of the 
terraces, arcades, pergolas, arbors, basins and 
fountains, that still show very beautifully. 
The accompanying plan of the garden was 
made for “Spanish-Colonial Architecture in 
Mexico'' by Mr. Bertram G. Goodhue, the 
architect, on the basis of a sketch kindly fur- 
nished by Mrs. Richard Frost of Redlands, 
California. Mr. Goodhue had visited the 
garden and had carefully noted its character; 
hence the plan gives a fairly accurate present¬ 
ment of the place. To the southward of the 
broad transverse walk the upper section is 
devoted to what appears to have originally 
been the flower-garden. A portion of it is 
still occupied by various flowering plants. 
I here are five circular basins for fountains. 
Fountains and statuary were probably an 
important feature of the garden’s embellish¬ 
ment. If so, however, all such work has 
long since disappeared, with the exception of 
an exquisite temple-like structure that occu¬ 
pies the northeast circle, near the house. 
The remainder of the part to the south of 
the wide walk is devoted to a sunken section 
with a large oblong basin for its central fea¬ 
ture. I bis basin is overlooked from a terrace 
bordering the flower-garden, a short flight of 
curved steps descending in its centre. On 
the main axis of the basin is the arch of a 
bridge in the broad walk, spanning a path 
that traverses the section on the north. 
Somewhat curiously the incline is carried 
across the bridge to the steps just beyond. 
A great basin, of an irregular geometrical 
shape, runs the length of the northern half 
of the garden. I his irregularity, which is 
not so awkward in effect as it appears in the 
design, was probably determined by the con¬ 
tours of the ground. It seems to give the 
impression of a greater extent of the water- 
surface than a basin of regular lines would 
make. Even the turn in the line of the long 
steps of the terrace on the upper side of the 
basin is not without an effectiveness of its 
own. These steps may suggest seats for 
spectators at an aquatic fiesta —say of boating, 
swimming-contests, or illuminations and fire¬ 
works. An odd feature is the line of six 
little rectangular islets with plants and shrub¬ 
bery. At the south end of the basin, adjoin¬ 
ing the terrace, is a handsome arcaded boat¬ 
house. The views up and down the length 
of the basin are strikingly fine—particularly 
that from the pergola at the south end 
towards the arcaded shelter at the opposite 
extreme, beyond which rises the noble moun¬ 
tain landscape dominated by the peaks of 
Ajusco. 
Straight walks border the garden on three 
sides and at the two lower corners are pavil¬ 
ions, or miradores (lookouts) rising above the 
high enclosing walls and commanding exten¬ 
sive prospects over the spacious landscape to 
the northward, westward and southward. 
It has often been stated that Don Jose de 
la Borda expended a million dollars upon this 
garden. This may be an exaggeration. Labor 
was cheap in New Spain a century and a half 
ago. A million dollars would have done a 
tremendous amount of grading and built piles 
of masonry. Great sums, however, may have 
been laid out for works of embellishment that 
are no longer in evidence. 
62 
