Celebrating 200 years of mining heritage: Cornwall and Mexico 1824-2024
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the first party of nine Cornish mineworkers to Real del Monte and Pachuca in Mexico. Mining silver was their goal and the following decades would see the former Spanish colonial mines of this famous mining district rise phoenix-like from the ashes of war.
The mining sector had suffered greatly during the Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821). Most were abandoned and flooded, the mining towns and villages were depopulated, and Spanish capitalists had fled taking their money with them. The new Mexican government believed the mining industry to be the cornerstone of future economic prosperity. They looked to Great Britain, then the only capital rich nation in the world, to finance a revival in the mining sector, and a number of companies were floated on the London Stock Market to work mines across Mexico. The Mexican government was also highly receptive to modernising its mining industry using the new technologies of the Industrial Revolution that had been pioneered in Britain, the Workshop of the World. Britain permitted the export of its steam engine technology to Mexico, which opened the door to a new chapter in Anglo-Mexican relations.
Spurred on by the promise of significant Latin American riches, John Taylor, renowned British mining engineer and entrepreneur, formed two companies in 1824, to work Mexican mines: The Real del Monte Mining Company and the Bolaños Mining Company. Taylor looked to the mines of Cornwall to provide the skilled workforce for these pioneering mining ventures, beginning a process of labour migration from Cornwall that would persist well into the following century. Taylor also made extensive use of steam engine technology, fostering a world-class export market from the great Cornish foundries. The first significant Cornish community in the Latin Americas grew up around the rich silver mines of Real del Monte and Pachuca. With its engine houses and stacks, vernacular architecture reminiscent of Cornwall, Methodist chapels, proliferation of pasties, and love of football, the area is today known as ‘Mexico’s Little Cornwall.’
Dr Sharron P. Schwartz, of Redruth, is the foremost authority in the field of Cornish mining migration. She has researched and written extensively on the topic and specialised in the migration of Cornish labour and technology across Latin America, gaining her Doctorate in the subject with the University of Exeter. Sharron was an original member of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site bid team and undertook much of the historical research used to inform the nomination process. Sharron was also a founding member of the Cornish Mexican Cultural Society, created in the mid-2000s to highlight cultural links between Cornwall and Mexico arising primarily from the migration of mineworkers to Real del Monte and Pachuca in 1824.
To celebrate the bicentenary, Dr Schwartz has worked with the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site Office to produce three celebratory information banners, which are on display across the World Heritage Site.
The banners at Geevor Tin Mine, King Edward Mine, and the Tavistock Guildhall, can also be seen here - please follow the links below to view.
Celebrating 200 Years of Mining Heritage - Penwith area banner
Celebrating 200 Years of Mining Heritage - Camborne area banner
Celebrating 200 Years of Mining Heritage - Tavistock area banner
Dr Schwartz has also produced three excellent short films which chart the journey of the 1824 party from Britain to Mexico. To view the films and learn more about this fascinating story, please use the following links.
The Bicentennial (1824-2024): Cornish Mineworkers in Real del Monte-Pachuca, Mexico, Part One
The Bicentennial (1824-2024): Cornish Mineworkers in Real del Monte-Pachuca, Mexico, Part Two
The Bicentennial (1824-2024): Cornish Mineworkers in Real del Monte-Pachuca, Mexico, Part Three
Dr Schwartz maintains a website dedicated to Cornish mining migration - ‘Cousin Jacks World’ - and also a Facebook page, which build on her doctoral studies and provide a wealth of information about sites with Cornish mining connections - please visit
Website: https://www.cousinjacksworld.com/
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