Chap. IV. GUADALUPE PASS. 487 
ill this country, stand the ruins of extensive buildings. 
These, together with a large tract of land, which is amongst 
the most valuable in Northern Sonora, form the deserted 
Hacienda of San Bernardino. 
These springs, with others in the neighbourhood, are the 
sources of the Rio Yaqui, the principal river in Sonora, 
and the largest that empties into the Californian Gulf. In 
crossing the Guadalupe Pass we had left the table-lands 
that descend toward the Rio Grande, and had reached that 
declivity of the continent which inclines towards the Pacific. 
Perhaps the reader may remember that my excursion 
from Chihuahua to the Sierra Madre brought me to the 
sources of the Rio de Papigochic, which also empties into 
the Yaqui. Thus I had visited the two chief branches of 
the river. 
After travelling two days further, we came to the sources 
of the Rio de San Pedro, a tributary of the Gila. Leaving 
the plain of San Bernardino, we drove up an acclivity, the 
first hills of which consisted of basalt. Higher up we 
found limestone, and further on porphyry, spreading out 
in a large mass of mountains. Here we spent the night 
without water. The next day we came to a plain, where 
we searched in vain for water ; nor could we possibly find 
the watering-places stated to be further westward. A 
thunderstorm, however, accompanied by torrents of rain, 
deluged the country, and gave us an abundant supply. 
Continuing our route to the Rio San Pedro, we had to 
journey round the broad base of a lofty mountain, with a 
pyramidal peak. We left it on our right. All around 
rose other high mountains, separated from one another by 
large plateaus. In this neighbourhood I saw close to our 
road a stone covered with Indian hieroglyphics : this was 
undoubtedly brought hither intentionally and for a .special 
