was obtained of this interesting pastime, as we halted for dinner at the station. They plunged and leaped wildly in the rushing waters—men pulling women headlong—their hair white with soap, recalling a pet poodle—and vice versa—children screaming, dogs barking—the sides of the ditches closely lined by people of the same class, in full enjoyment of the scene.
Aguas Calientes is distant about seventy-five miles from Zacatecas,
THE NATIONAL PALACE AT AGUAS CALIENTES.
and was founded in 1575 on a grant made by Philip II. of Spain, with a view to rendering the country safe for travelers to and from the mining regions. The grant extended five leagues on all sides from the first chapel erected. This was a small adobe building on the site of the church of San Diego, an ancient edifice with a convent adjoining, which is now converted into a scientific and literary institute.
