World Cup 2026: How miners from Cornwall brought football to Mexico

The first mention of a soccer team in Pachuca was in 1892, when a local newspaper article reported the reorganization of the team due to “schism”.

“There was a difference between the people in Pachuca and the ‘mountain people’ in Real del Monte.

“When I read this I laughed and thought ‘How Cornish’, the Cornish like to divide.

“They were told to get their act together and strengthen their team.”

In the year In 1895, it was a rule meeting that decided to create a solid body of Pachuca Cricket Club, Pachuca Football Club and Velasco Cricket Club.

Thus, the Pachuca Athletic Club was founded.

Ruler donated a piece of land near his hacienda for the club to host games, with games not being played on Sundays due to Methodist beliefs.

In 1902, other clubs began to appear in Veracruz, such as Orizaba.

Orizaba to this day contests the view that Pachuca is the first club in Mexico and claims that title as their own.

These two clubs, along with three others, formed Mexico’s first recognized soccer league, the Liga Mexicana de Soccer Amateur Association.

Orizaba He won his first league title in 1902, Pachuca showed some success in his first seasons and became the champion in 1904-05.

Miners weren’t the only ones enjoying the football on the pitch – Cornish women were also an integral part of the matchday spectacle.

“He loved to play in matches and often wore club colours,” Dr Schwartz said.

“The first pastis eaten (in Mexico) was when the game stopped at a cricket match. I can imagine those were prepared by Cornish women.”

Pastries were essential to miners at the time, their thick crusts being a ‘grip’ for dirty hands and a tough cake to survive being thrown down the mine.