Pachuca

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Reloj Monumental

For the female Zoot-Suiter, see Pachuco.

For the football (soccer) club, see CF Pachuca.

Pachuca (officially Pachuca de Soto) (elevation: 7,960 feet (2,426 meters) is the capital of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of which the city serves as municipal seat. The municipal president is Omar Fayad of the Institutional Revolutionary Party.

The name Pachuca comes from the Nahuatl word Pachoaca or Pachoacan, meaning "place of the rulers" or "narrow place"; it may also come from the word Patlachiuhacan, which means "place of silver and gold." The official name of the city is Pachuca de Soto in honor of Deputy Manuel Fernando Soto, who was one of founders of the state.

1 History
2 Demographics
3 Tourism
4 Twinning
5 Attractions
6 Interesting facts
7 See also
8 References
9 External Links

[edit] History

The area has been inhabited by various indigenous groups, most notably the Aztecs, who ruled the region from 1438. In 1528 Spanish conquistadors invaded the area. The first Spaniards to settle in the region were Francisco Téllez and Gonzalo Rodríguez, who built the first modern houses in the area. They named the place "Real de Minas de Pachuca".

During the Mexican Revolution, the city was captured by followers of Francisco Madero on 16 May 1911. Until 1923, Pachuca was one of the few cities in the state with air mail service to the capital.

Pachuca is reputed to be the cradle of Mexican soccer. Workers from Cornwall, United Kingdom, who came to work Pachuca's silver mines brought the game with them. Many examples of Cornish architecture, vestiges of the Cornish influence, still exist. Pachuca is famous for its pastes, which are pastries filled with meat, potatoes, or fruits, which are vestiges of the Cornish pasty culinary influence.

[edit] Demographics

Pachuca had a 2005 census population of 267,751 people. The municipality had an official population of 275,578. Its area is 195.3 km² (75.4 sq mi). The city is located 58 miles (94 kilometers) from Mexico City, to which it is connected by a modern freeway. The city has a moderate climate with average temperature of 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). Pachuca has been given the name "la bella airosa" or "the windy beauty" because during most of the year there are strong northeasterly winds that can reach 46 mph (75 km./hr). Pachuca is an important mining center and has an active commercial and cultural life. Numerous industries are based in Pachuca and the surrounding areas, including automobile parts, ovenware, tools and mining equipment.

[edit] Tourism

Pachuca is not much of a tourist city, but there are a few things to see. The Reloj Monumental (Monumental Clock) is the central clock tower, built in 1904 in the city center. The bell which chimes in this clock was made by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, the same company that made the original Liberty Bell, and London's famous Big Ben. There is also the Centro Cultural Hidalgo, ("Hidalgo Cultural Center") which is housed in an old monastery and contains museums, a theater, a library, and a gallery. Pachuca is also home to the Museo Nacional de la Fotografía, the National Museum of Mexican Photography.

The twin silver mining settlements of Pachuca and Real del Monte (Mineral del Monte) in the State of Hidalgo are being marketed as 'Mexico's Little Cornwall' by the Mexican Embassy in London in 2007 and represent the first attempt by the Spanish speaking part of the Cornish diaspora to establish formal links with Cornwall. Camborne and Redruth town councils in Cornwall have recently said no to twinning agreements with Real del Monte, due to 'present conditions and financial constraints', despite numerous approaches by the Mexican Embassy and a declaration of intent that was signed at Penventon Hotel, Redruth, in 2001 by members of both Redruth and Camborne Town Councils.

[edit] Twinning

Pachuca has one official sister city as designated by Sister Cities International:

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States.

[edit] Attractions

Ex-Convento de San Francisco
Museo de Fotografia
Museo de Mineria
Reloj Monumental

[edit] Interesting facts

In Mexico, a poker hand worth nothing is often called a 'Pachuca.'
The album Menos el Oso by the American band Minus The Bear featured a song entitled 'Pachuca Sunrise'