76 MUD VOLCANOES OF SAN JAZINTO. Book L 
CHAPTER VI. 
Excursions in the Neighbourhood of Leon, and return to Granada — The 
Mud Volcanoes of San Jazinto and Tisate — The Volcano of Telica — Vil- 
lage of Telica — A Drama represented by the Inhabitants — Musical 
Instrument of pretended Indian Origin — Ascent of the Mountain — The 
Crater — View from the Summit — Kemarks concerning the Orthography of 
Nicaragua — Nindiri — Old Stream of Lava — Masaya. 
From Leon I made an excursion to the hervideros l or mud 
volcanoes of San Jazinto and Tisate, situated at the foot 
of one of the volcanic cones to the north of Leon. 2 
The plain, which extends from the city towards the 
mountains, is partly cultivated in extensive fields of maize, 
and partly overgrown with shrubs and trees. These, as I 
rode through the country at an early hour of the morning, 
were literally covered with thousands of pigeons, of a 
species called the ala blanca, i. e. the white wing. 
After a ride of eight or nine miles I came to the first of 
the two interesting localities just mentioned. The hervidero 
of San Jazinto is a kind of solfatara — a smooth, horizontal 
plain of considerable extent, in the bottom of which, formed 
of red, brown, yellow, green, blue, black, and white clay, 
are numerous holes filled with a thick red water in a boiling 
state, from which steam and various gases, principally sul- 
phuretted hydrogen and sulphurous acid escape ; while 
sublimations and incrustations of sulphur and various salts 
1 Hervidero means a boiler, from 
liervir, to boil. 
2 From an omission in my notes I 
am unable to give a more exact de- 
scription of the locality. 
