Chihuahua

Chihuahua, the largest state of Mexico, bounded on the N. and NE. by New Mexico and Texas, has an area of 87,802 sq. m., and a population of 298,073. In the east is the Bolson de Mapimi, a vast desert of sand and alkali plains; in the south and west the surface is mountainous, and there are numerous rivers. The state is better adapted for stock-raising than for agriculture; the fertile districts are mainly confined to the valleys and river-courses. Cotton is grown in the south. The silver-mines were for centuries among the richest in Mexico, and though many are now abandoned, mining is still the chief industry. The state is traversed by the Mexican Central Railway. —The capital, Chihuahua, 225 miles S. of El Paso by rail, rises like an oasis in the desert, among roses and orange-groves. It is well built, with broad, clean streets, an imposing cathedral (1717-89), a mint, and an aqueduct 3 miles long, and is the centre of considerable trade with Texas. Founded in 1691, it had in the 18th century 80,000 inhabitants. Pop. 25,000.