January 2012 - Real del Monte, yet another "Magic Town"

Alejandro and I took an excursion to a third "Pueblo Mágico".  We went to Real del Monte, an old silver mining town in the Mexican state of Hidalgo to the north of Mexico City.

(image from the web)

Real del Monte was an important silver mining town during the colonial era.  Eventually the mines were abandoned, but in the 1800's they were bought by a British company and production was resumed using the latest innovations of the Industrial Revolution.  350 miners were brought from Cornwall, England. 

Today Real del Monte is a sleepy town except on weekends when it is a popular destination for residents of Mexico City.  There are no major tourist attractions, but the narrow, picturesque streets, and the colonial architecture make it a very pleasant place to visit.  Here are some pictures from our wanderings around Real del Monte.

 

 

 

 

 

(photo taken by Alejandro)

 

The Cornish miners left their mark on the state of Hidalgo, and on the entire country.  It was they who first brought soccer to Mexico.  Of course, today, soccer, or "fútbol", is Mexico's national sport.  They also brought their favorite food, pasties, the little meat pies that they would eat for lunch in the mines.  Today, "pastes" (as they are called in Spanish) are popular throughout the state of Hidalgo.  There are numerous restaurants in Real del Monte that specialize in "pastes", and of course that it what we had for lunch while we were there.