n of the narrow valleys
of the sierras on the west into irrigation reservoirs promises to
reclaim a considerable part of its area. The only river of consequence
is the Conchos, which flows north and north-east into the Rio Grande
across the whole length of the state. In the north there are several
small streams flowing northward into lakes. Agriculture has made little
progress in Chihuahua, and the scarcity of water will always be a
serious obstacle to its development outside the districts where
irrigation is practicable. The climate and soil are favourable to the
production of wheat, Indian corn, beans, indigo, cotton and grapes, from
which wine and brandy are made. The principal grape-producing district
is in the vicinity of Ciudad Juarez. Stock-raising is an important
industry in the mountainous districts of the west, where there is
excellent pasturage for the greater part of the year. The principal
industry of the state, however, is mining--its mineral resources
including gold, silver, copper, mercury, lead and coal. The silver mines
of Chihuahua are among the richest in Mexico, and include the famous
mining districts of Batopilas, Chihuahuilla, Cosihuiriachic, Jesus
Maria, Parral, and Santa Eulalia or Chihuahua el Viejo. There are more
than one hundred of these mines, and the total annual yield at the end
of the 19th century was estimated at $4,500,000. The state is traversed
from north to south by the Mexican Central railway, and there are short
branches to some of the mining districts.

Chihuahua originally formed part of the province of Nueva Viscaya, with
Durango as the capital. In 1777 the northern provinces, known as the
Provincias Internas, were separated from the viceroyalty, and in 1786
the provinces were reorganized as intendencias, but Chihuahua was not
separated from Durango until 1823. An effort was made to overthrow
Spanish authority in 1810, but its leader Hidalgo and two of his
lieutenants were captured and executed, after which the province
remained passive until the end of the struggle. The people of the state
have been active partizans in most of the revolutionary outbreaks in
Mexico, and in the war of 1862-66 Chihuahua was loyal to Juarez. The
principal towns are the capital Chihuahua, El Parral, 120 m. S.S.E. of
the state capital, in a rich mining district (pop. 14,748 in 1900),
Ciudad Juarez and Jimenez, 120 m. S.E. of Chihuahua (pop. 5881 in 1900).

CHIHUAHUA, a city of Mexico, capital