times it was the third
producer of bullion of the Mexican states for Spain, and it shows signs
of regaining its former prestige. The valleys provide numerous
agricultural products; the mountains contain, in certain places,
timber, and the sterile uplands _maguey_. To the east rises the Mesa
range of the Eastern Sierra Madre, and the state generally occupies the
most elevated part of the great plateau, giving rise to the coldest
climate in the country. The area is 25,400 square miles, and of its
population of about 580,000 souls more than 60,000 form the inhabitants
of the handsome capital--San Luis Potosi. This city is connected with
the Port of Tampico on the Gulf of Mexico, by the Mexican Central
Railway, which descends to the coast by an exceedingly picturesque and
interesting route. The Mexican National Railway also traverses the
state, connecting it with the City of Mexico. The important ore
smelting works of the Metalurgica Mexicana Company are situated here,
and have proved a stimulus to the works of the great mineral resources
of the state. The famous Catorce mining district is situated in this
state, and some well-equipped modern installations exist here. The rich
Huasteca district, and other regions, form an alluring field for
capitalists.

Guanajuato, Queretaro, and Hidalgo form a group of smaller states which
have held a prominent place in the earlier history of Mexico, due
principally to the extraordinary production of silver and gold from
their mines, which has made the names of these famous the world over.
These have been touched upon in the chapters devoted to mining, and the
capital cities spoken of elsewhere. Most of the important mines are
again producing mainly under modern methods, and the value of the
output for the State of Guanajuato last year is calculated as fourteen
million dollars.

The diversified character of the topography and consequently of the
climate of this region, forming the southern part of the great plateau,
gives rise to much variety of nature's resources and agricultural
products, from sugar-cane to cereals, and indeed agriculture in some
cases is the staple industry. Numerous streams permit the irrigation of
the fertile valleys which abound in this part of Mexico. In some cases
we may journey in a few hours from the tropical lowlands to the regions
of pine and oak, and the cold and cloudy climate of the high mining
districts. Great plains and plantations of _maguey_ exist upo