Maybe it’s because they’re inherently creepy or maybe it’s because I’m from one, but my recent trip made me realize that I love mining towns. Pachuca is the capital of the mining state of Hidalgo, about two hours north-east of Mexico City depending on traffic. We visited Mineral del Monte, a small town just outside the capital. The history of mining in Mineral del Monte started with the Spanish conquistadors and had a good run until the early 1700s when flooding stalled production. In the early 1800s, the Cornish arrived in force with shiny new mining technology courtesy of the Industrial Revolution that allowed the flooded mines to be restored and continue operating.
Unlike most of Mexico, the English had a significant cultural impact on the area. TThe Cornish immigrants that arrived in Pachuca are the ones that first introduced soccer to Mexico, and the first official team in the county is from here. They also introduced Cornish pasties that the Mexicans took, changed the name to paste, and made better by using spicy filling instead of whatever bland pea based English filling the Cornish were used to.
Of equal importance, along with the miners came Richard Bell, allegedly the first ever clown in Mexico. He apparently so hated his country and fellow countrymen that he ordered himself to be buried facing away from England and in the opposite direction of the rest of the (deceased) Cornish population.
A short drive from Mineral del Monte is the Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla. The area was formed from the slow cooling of volcanic lava, leaving waterfalls flowing over impressively tall polygonal columns so geometrically aligned they look sculpted.
We spent a disproportionate amount of time at the hacienda of the same name just down the street from the park. It functions as a hotel and restaurant but the true appeal is something that you can’t find in America: the freedom to wander around dangerous sprawling grounds and ruins with no guide, supervision or warning for the various hidden traps that come with an old building that features unlit mining tunnels for smuggling gold and silver.
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