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REAL DEL MONTE |
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Draped across pine-clad hills 14km north of Pachuca sits REAL DEL
MONTE (aka Mineral del Monte), a formerly very wealthy silver-mining
town high in the crisp clean air at over 2700m, which looks set to
become a weekend retreat from the capital in the near future. There's
not a lot to do here, but it is a quietly appealing place to wander
around the well-tended streets, and perhaps out into the hills all about
to carefully explore mining relics. The town's architecture is largely
Spanish colonial given an odd twist by the almost exclusive use of red
corrugated-iron roofing, and the existence of Cornish-style cottages
with their double-pitched rooflines. Some 350 Cornish miners moved here
after 1824 when an English company operated mines first opened by the
Spanish in the mid-sixteenth century. Most left after the mining company
pulled out in 1848, but the Cornish influence remained through
surprisingly authentic Cornish pasties (known here as pastes ) and the
introduction of fútbol (soccer) which, tradition has it, was played for
the first time on Mexican soil here in Real. There's no monument to
football, but the miners are commemorated with a large statue outside
the small covered market, and the remains of some of them lie in the
English cemetery on the edge of town.
To reach Real del Monte from Pachuca, walk 200m north of the zócalo
along Zaragoza to the corner of C de Julian Villagran and pick up one of
the very frequent colectivos . They drop you close to the centre of
Real. Most likely you'll visit on a day-trip from Pachuca but there is
tempting accommodation in the form of Hotel Monte del Real , on the
corner of Iturbide and García (tel & fax 7/971-1202, eparaiso@mexline.com
; US$40-80), a brand new hotel beautifully decorated and furnished with
wooden floors, antique-style furniture and heaters to ward off the
chilly nights. There are also imminent plans to install a restaurant/bar
with terrace seating, but in the meantime, try one of several other
small restaurants , mostly located along the main street and around the
central plaza: try La Central , right opposite Real de Plateros , which
does the town's best pastes .
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