houses are of one story. The patios are usually ornamented with statuary or with shrubs and flowers.
The city has several squares. The largest, a rectangle, 625 feet long by 535 feet wide, has on the east side the cathedral and the archiepiscopal palace, on the west the Governor's palace, ministerial offices, etc., with the mint in the rear; on the north the City Hall; and on the south a line of shops. In the center is a fountain and basin formerly surmounted by an equestrian statue of Charles IV, the horse of which alone remains. A large part of this plaza is occupied by rows of miserable little huts, in which pottery, iron utensils, agave-thread, and other small wares are sold. The rent of these forms a part of the municipal revenue.
In the center of another square is the theatre, equal in size and elegance to any in Spanish America. Rows of
orange, oleander, and other trees of brilliant flowers and grateful fragrance surround the building, while a profusion of statues, fountains, etc., placed at intervals throughout the square, enhances the beauty of this fashionable evening promenade.
