Pachuca (; ), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the east-central Mexican state of Hidalgo, located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality for which the city serves as municipal seat. Pachuca is located about north of Mexico City via Mexican Federal Highway 85.

There is no agreed upon consensus regarding the origins of the word pachuca. It has been loosely traced to pachoa ('strait', 'opening'), pachoacan ('place of government', 'place of silver and gold') and patlachuican ('place of factories', 'place of tears').

The official name of Pachuca is Pachuca de Soto in honor of congressman Manuel Fernando Soto, who is credited with the founding of Hidalgo state. Its nickname of La Bella Airosa ("the airy, beautiful") comes from the strong winds that blow through the canyons to the north of the city. The area had been long-inhabited; and is famous for mining, both for green obsidian which was highly prized by Pre-Columbian civilizations and was traded as far as Spiro Mounds in the United States; and for later mining activity overseen by the Spanish in the mid-16th century.

Pachuca remained a major mining center until the mid-20th century, with the city's fortunes fluctuating with the health of the mining sector. In the mid-20th century, a major downturn in mining pushed the city to shift focus from mining to industry, resulting in the revamping of the Universidad Autónoma de Hidalgo. Today, mining forms only a fraction of the municipality's economy. One cultural aspect that makes Pachuca unique is the influence of the Cornish miners who immigrated in the 19th century from Great Britain, as many of their descendants remain in Pachuca, and nearby Real del Monte. Furthermore, the Cornish populace helped to shape two local traditions that define the city—fútbol and a dish called "pastes."

History

thumb|upright=0.45|left|Scraper found at Spiro Mounds, Oklahoma, made with green obsidian sourced from Pachuca, Mexico

Evidence of early human habitation in this area is found in Cerro de las Navajas and Zacualtipán, in the Sierra de Pachuca. Here primitive mines to extract green obsidian, arrow heads, scraping tools, and mammoth remains can be traced back as far as 12,000 BCE. An ancient pre-Hispanic obsidian tool-making center has also been found in the small town of San Bartolo near the city. Around 2,000 BCE nomadic groups here began to be replaced by sedentary peoples who formed farming villages in an area then known as Itzcuincuitlapilco, of which the municipality of Pachuca is a part. Later artifacts from between 200 CE and 850 CE show Teotihuacan influence with platforms and figurines found in San Bartolo and in Tlapacoya, and it has been argued Teotihuacan monopolized the Pachuca deposit to control and influence Obsidian trade in Central Mexico during the Classic Period. Development of this area as a city, however, would lag behind other places in the region such as Tulancingo, Tula and Atotonilco El Grande, and there are several versions of this story. The most probable comes from a work called "Descripción Anónima de la Minas de Pachuca" (Anonymous Description of the Mines of Pachuca) written between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th. This work claims that the first mineral deposits were found by Alonso Rodríguez de Salgado on his ranch on the outskirts of Pachuca in two large hills called Magdalena and Cristóbal.

Mining output had waned by the 18th century due to flooding, but was revived in 1741 by the first Count of Regla, Pedro Romero de Terreros, and his business partner Jose Alejandro Bustamante, who invested in new drainage works. Cornish companies eventually dominated mining here until 1848, when the Mexican–American War forced them to sell out to a Mexican company by the name of Mackintosh, Escondón, Beistegui and John Rule. Mining operations resumed in 1850, especially in the Rosario mine.

thumb|Stock certificates in mining companies of Pachuca in the Museo de Minería

Mining operations were disrupted again by the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. The city was first taken by forces loyal to Francisco I. Madero in 1911. Roberto Martinez y Martinez, a general under Pancho Villa, entered the city in 1915. Both incursions were due to the economic importance of the mines here.

|source 2 = Colegio de Postgraduados (sun and humidity)

|date=July 2012

The city

The city occupies a small valley and is almost completely surrounded by large hills, which are also covered in colorful housing. The city proper has a population (2005) of 267,751 which is 97% of the population of the municipality. The Pachuca zona metropolitana (ZM) is one of the 56 officially defined areas for the 2005 Census (2010 not released) consisting of the municipalities of Pachuca de Soto, Real del Monte, and Mineral de la Reforma making a total of 7 municipios, with a combined population of 438,692 inhabitants , up from 375,022 in 2000, covering 1202&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. Many of these are located near Hidalgo Street, which is one of the oldest in Pachuca and runs alongside the arcade of the main plaza (Plaza de la Constitución) to Hidalgo Park. The oldest markets and houses are also located on this street, many of which are well-preserved.

;Reloj Monumental

The Monumental Clock of Pachuca is the icon of the city. Donated by Cornishman, Francis Rule,

The adjoining cloister was completed in 1604. It has not been a monastery for many years, and had a number of subsequent uses. It had greatly deteriorated, until recently restored to house the Centro Cultural Hidalgo.

A more recently established school opened in 2003 is the Universidad Politécnica de Pachuca (Polytechnic University of Pachuca), which is mostly an engineering school. It was temporarily housed in the old Universidad Pedagógica Nacional buildings, but in 2004 the state of Hidalgo ceded the university the old Santa Barbara Hacienda, with 231 students studying classes in Mechatronics, Information technology and Biotechnology at the new facility. New programs of study in Physical Therapy, Software engineering, Optomechatronics, Information security, Information technologies and communications.

The English/Cornish influence

History

thumb|Old English-style house, in historic central Pachuca

thumb|Historic center of Pachuca at dusk, with Monumental Clock

Beginning in 1824, Cornish miners and English investors came to Pachuca and the neighboring town of Real del Monte to invest and work in the mines here. Some founded the Compañía Real de Monte y Pachuca. Mexico's remaining Cornish community represents a largely forgotten immigrant story. In the early 19th century, miners in Cornwall were enduring economic hardships. Ships carrying 125 passengers and some 1,500 tons of equipment sailed out of Falmouth, Cornwall, landing in Veracruz three months later. The treacherous 500-kilometre (300&nbsp;mi) trek inland killed about half of the miners and their family members, many succumbing to malaria and yellow fever. Those who made it settled in Pachuca and Real del Monte.

The immigrants brought technology, notably the famous high-pressure steam pumping engines designed by Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick, which turned many of the area's water-logged mines into huge silver producers. Cornish/English workers and their technology revitalized the silver industry here and miners' remittances sent back home helped to build the Wesleyan Chapel in Redruth in the 1820s.

;Architecture

Today the Pachuca – Real del Monte District retains much from its period of association with Cornwall and home of one of Mexico's most enduring cross cultural pollinations.

Cornish and English miners introduced to Mexico such things as tennis, golf, rugby, cricket, and chess. However the two introductions which have had the greatest influence on Pachuca's identity are football and pastes. Pachuca calls itself the "Cradle of Mexican Football."

Pastes

thumb|upright|[[Paste (pasty)|Pastes for sale]]

The Mexican Spanish word "paste" (pronounced PAH-steh) come from the Cornish word pasties, which is basically a semi-circular turnover made with a pastry crust with sweet or savory fillings. Cornish miners brought the recipe with them as they made a good way to bring their midday meal with them to the mines. One feature of both pasties and pastes is that they have a thick braided edge. Originally, this was done to provide the miners a way to hold the turnover without getting the filled portion dirty, as there was no way to wash their hands before eating. The shape and pastry portion of the turnover have remained the same but today, the fillings are decidedly Mexican: mole verde, beans, mole rojo, chicken "tinga," pineapple, rice pudding and one seasonal specialty is a lamb paste with poblano chili peppers. Pastes are a local delicacy strongly identified with both Pachuca and Real del Monte.

Festivals

The Feria de Pachuca is known colloquially by several names such as the Feria Tradicional/Internacional de San Francisco, the Feria de Hidalgo and the Feria de Caballo. It is the most important annual event in the state of Hidalgo, taking place every October in facilities located in the south of Pachuca. The festival began as a liturgical event sponsored by monks at the monastery of San Francisco in the 16th century, which eventually drew dignitaries from surrounding communities. The festival sponsors a number of events such as bullfights, cockfights, charreadas, horse shows, rodeos, crafts and folk dance shows, livestock exhibitions and features regional cuisine. It also host concerts by well-known Mexican musical artists.

Other notable events in the city include the Ramón Noble Guitar Festival and the Feria Hidaltur. The first presents concerts by guitarists of various genres from countries such as Brazil, Spain, the U.S., Israel, England and Mexico. There are classes and workshops by renowned artists as well as a national level competition for classical guitar. The Feria Hidaltur is held in March and April with the purpose of promoting the arts and crafts of Hidalgo state. The festival also has equestrian events, hot-air balloons and other attractions.

Mines

thumb|upright|Map of the hills of the Royal Mines of Pachuca, 1750

All of Pachuca’s mines worked silver ore which was dressed using the patio process, similar to at Real Del Monte. The last mine to close was El Álamo in 1993, whilst several owned by the Real del Monte Company are still active.

  • Rosario Mine ()
  • El Álamo Mine ()
  • San Juan Mine ()
  • Corteza Mine ()
  • San Pedro la Rabia ()

Two engine houses, built in the 1880s, survive at Mina Corteza and Mina San Pedro la Rabia.

  • Camborne, Cornwall, UK
  • Eagle Pass, Texas, United States

Notable residents

  • Antonio Carrera (born 2004), footballer who represented the United States at a youth level
  • Nico Carrera (born 2002), footballer who represented the United States and Mexico at a youth level
  • María Fassi (born 1999), professional golfer
  • Mara Reyes (born 1977), racing driver
  • Berta Zerón (1924–2000), aviator

See also

  • Cornish pasty
  • Paste

Notes

References

  • Ayuntamiento de Pachuca de Soto Official website
  • Club de Futbol de Pachuca Pachuca Football Club
  • Pachuca and Real del Monte (Mineral del Monte) links with Cornwall
  • The Cornish in Latin America