48 JINOTEPET. Book I. 
CHAPTEK IV. 
Indian village of Jinotepet — Columnar Cactus and Yucca-trees — Dividing 
Kidge between the Pacific and the Atlantic — Climate of this Kegion — Cul- 
tivation of Sugar and Coffee — Boundary-line between different Indian Baces 
— Indian Languages of Nicaragua — Aztec Words in the Spanish Idiom of 
the Country — Geographical Names of Aztec Origin — Pretended Gold 
Mines — Indian Hospitality, 
Towards the end of December I made an excursion to a 
large Indian village called Jinotepet, situated about twenty 
miles from Granada, in a west-southwesterly direction. 
I wished to examine a vein of silver-ore, which was said to 
exist in the neighbourhood. The samples which I had 
seen presented a considerable proportion of the red silver- 
ore, accompanying a mass of sulphuret of antimony. 
The road to Jinotepet crosses a range of hills extending 
from Mount Mombacho, in the direction towards the vol- 
cano of Masaya. There is a spring on the road-side at the 
eastern foot of the pass, which, from that circumstance, is 
called La F'uente, the fountain. Springs are of rare occur- 
rence in this country. 
On the other side of the ridge a hilly country extends, 
in which the scenery is agreeably varied. Here and there 
a hut with a small plantation of bananas is seen in the 
woods. I passed the village of Dirid, where I saw for the 
first time the columnar cactus, and a species of Yucca, of 
high tree-like growth, which the inhabitants call espaditto, 
while to the columnar cactus they give the name of organo. 
Both plants belong to the drier and more western region of 
Nicaragua, to which they communicate something of the 
