Mineral del Monte, better known as Real del Monte, is an interesting tourist destination that people visit to learn about its mining history and present, enjoy its delicious pastries and many other things. We invite you to know the 12 best things to see and do in this charming corner of the Mexican state of Hidalgo.
1. Chapel of Veracruz
The first chapel was built in the 16th century by the Franciscan friars who began the evangelization of the viceroyalty of New Spain, the name of Mexico during colonial times. This temple disappeared at the end of the 17th century to make way for the current one.
The chapel has a sober Baroque façade whose door is escorted by a pair of columns. On the left side there is a tower with 2 bell tower bodies topped by a dome with a lantern and on the south side there is a small tower. Inside you can see two altarpieces from the 18th century and the images of San Joaquín and Santa Ana.
2. Church of Our Lady of La Asunción
This temple was designed at the beginning of the 18th century by the Mexican New Spain architect Miguel Custodio Durán and is in a moderate Baroque style. It has two towers, one in the Spanish style and the other in English. The south tower has a clock and was built in the mid-19th century with contributions from miners.
The floor plan is in the traditional Latin cross arrangement, with vaults and cupola. Inside there were 8 altarpieces of which only some paintings are preserved. Its altars are neoclassical.
3. Chapel of the Lord of Zelontla
This small temple is made up of a simple masonry nave and worships the Christ of the Miners, the Lord of Zelontla. The figure of Jesus as the Good Shepherd carries a carbide lamp similar to that used by ancient miners to light themselves in the depths.
Above the image there is a curious religious legend. It is said that it was commissioned for a church in Mexico City and that the people who carried it had to spend the night in Real del Monte, on the way to the capital. When continuing, the sculpture would have gained an unusual weight that made it impossible to lift. This was understood as a divine mandate and the image remained in the town, with a chapel being built on the site.
4. Acosta Mine Site Museum
In what were the cellars of this mine, a museum has been installed that commemorates the different historical stages of the exploitation. This was started by the Spanish during the colony and continued with the English after the invention of the steam engine and with the Americans after the arrival of electricity.
Also part of the museum is a sinkhole of about 400 meters that visitors can walk wearing the required safety clothing. It is not recommended for claustrophobic people.
5. La Difficulty Mine Site Museum
This mine constitutes the most important mining heritage of Real del Monte, with its production of gold, silver and other metallic minerals, and its museum. It was denounced in 1865 by Messrs. Martiarena and Chester, who later contracted their accoutrement with the Compania de las Minas de Pachuca and Real del Monte.
The museum of the mine recreates the technological change of the equipment used in its exploitation throughout history.
6. Museum of Occupational Medicine
Mining activity generates accidents, as well as occupational diseases due to excessive exposure to dust and other components present in the environment. In 1907, the Pachuca and Real del Monte Mining Company opened a hospital with the necessary equipment to treat accidental events and conditions caused by mining.
This interesting museum was installed in the old hospital building, which traces its history as a medical center. It also has spaces for temporary exhibitions and an auditorium for cultural events.
7. Monument to the Anonymous Miner
The world is full of monuments to the anonymous soldier. The great fighters and forgers of Real del Monte have been its miners, who are honored with a monument, which is the symbol of the town.
The monument, inaugurated in 1951, shows a statue of a mining worker holding a real drilling tool, with an obelisk at the rear. At the foot of the statue is a coffin containing the remains of an unknown miner who lost his life in the Santa Brígida vein.
8. Monument to the first strike in America
The Pachuca and Real del Monte mines were the scene of the first labor strike that took place in the American continent. It began on July 28, 1776, when the wealthy employer Pedro Romero de Terreros cut wages, abolished incentives, and doubled workloads.
The important historical event is remembered in a museum located on the esplanade of the La Dificultad mine, inaugurated in 1976. There is an allusive mural, the work of the Sinaloan painter Arturo Moyers Villena.
9. Monument to Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
The monument in honor of the New Hispanic priest who started the emancipatory movement of Mexico with the Grito de Dolores, has been located in the Main Square of Real del Monte since 1935. When it was inaugurated in 1870, it was in another place, on the same Avenida Hidalgo, where it was the subject of a reconstruction in 1922.
10. Festivities of the Lord of Zelontla
After the image of Jesus "refused" to continue its journey to the capital of the viceroyalty after spending the night in Real del Monte, the miners adopted her as their protector. The figure was dressed with a cape, felt hat, a staff, a lamb on his shoulders, and a miner's lamp, becoming the Lord of Zelontla.
The festivities of the now patron of the miners are celebrated in the second week of January, when Real del Monte is decked out with music, dances, serenades, fireworks and sporting events. The heavy images of the Lord of Zelontla and the Virgin of the Rosary are taken in procession on the shoulders of the miners.
11. Fiesta of El Hiloche
Sixty days after Easter Sunday, the day of Corpus Christi or Thursday of Corpus is celebrated, the date on which the El Hiloche festival takes place in Real del Monte. For the occasion, the inhabitants of Real del Monte display the soul and charro skills that all Mexicans carry inside. With the riders wearing traditional clothing, cattle jockeying, horse racing and other charrería sets are performed. Folkloric shows are also presented and the event ends with a popular dance.
12. To eat pastry and visit its museum!
Nothing identifies Real del Monte better than the paste and the most curious thing is that it is a contribution from English to Mexican culture. This culinary delight was introduced to the mining areas of Hidalgo by the English who arrived in the 19th century to work in the exploitation of gold and silver mines.
The paste is similar to an empanada, with the difference that the filling is raw inside the wheat flour dough wrapper, before being fried. The original filling was a meat and potato hash. Now there are all kinds of them, including those of mole, fish, cheese, vegetables and fruits.
The exquisite gastronomic tradition has its museum, inaugurated in 2012, in which its elaboration is explained interactively and the kitchen utensils used over time in its preparation are displayed.
We hope you have enjoyed this fantastic walk through Real del Monte and that we can meet soon to get to know another fascinating Mexican town.
