Travel Days: Aug 24 – 27

On the morning of August 24th, we drove an easy hour to the San Jose airport from San Isidro de Grecia and dropped off the rental car sin problema. We had budgeted for more time on the road, so in the end we had a good three extra hours at the airport before our flight to Mexico. The Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) is an excellent airport to wander around and kill time.

If you’re into souvenir shopping, I’ve never seen a better selection of shops and goods compared to other airports. Beautiful hand carved wooden knick knacks, hand painted pottery pieces, delicate jewelry made with butterfly wings, small batch hot sauces, a vast selection of coffee and chocolate- now this is this sort of thing airports should be selling, not generic t-shirts and shot glasses made in China. And samples everywhere! You were encouraged to try lots of different coffees, chocolates, spicy salsas, and other snacks.

I felt a little sad to say goodbye to Costa Rica, she had been so good to us these last 3 weeks, but, overall, I was excited to dive into a new culture and land. We flew with Aeromexico to Mexico City. Like Costa Rica, upon boarding we had to show proof of an exit flight so we quickly bought a random flight out of Mexico. Our Aeromexico flight was comfortable and even included two carry-ons per person, something we are not used to on budget European flights. We flew over bright greenery and cool blue waters of Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala before entering Mexico.

Flying over the ciudad, I was reminded of how large Mexico City truly is. Below us sprawled a massive metropolis of concrete and towers as far as the eye can see. Mexico City (also known as Ciudad de Mexico, and less commonly, Distrito Federal) is the fifth largest city in the world by population, home to approximately 22 million people in the urban center alone.

Though impressive, the vast mass of industrial grey, and promising hoards of people, was a dizzying shock after spending three weeks in untouched coastline and lush cloud forests. We had to ease our way back into civilization. After quickly looking up towns near Mexico City easily reachable by bus, we decided to head to Pachuca.

Pachuca is a small city located northeast of Mexico City, just over an hour by car. Although it is not very well-known internationally and doesn’t see many tourists, Pachuca is the capital city of the state of Hidalgo and has a lot to offer. Despite its being the largest city in Hidalgo, the city center is quite concentrated and walkable, with the feel of a bustling, small town.

Situated high up, surrounded by mountains, Pachuca is nicknamed Bella Airosa, or Windy Beauty. At about 8000 feet (2432 meters) it is slightly higher than Mexico City. In the past, it was an important mining area not only for the local Aztecs and Spanish conquistadors, but eventually attracted the English- specifically miners from Cornwall.

The Cornish miners not only brought industrial mining technology and practices, they brought football to Mexico! The very first game (on records) was played in Pachuca in 1900. Other Cornish influences that you can see today include pastes (Cornish pasties) and the Reloj Monumental de Pachuca.

The Neoclassical clocktower was donated by Cornishman Francis Rule and constructed in 1906 to commemorate Mexico’s 100 years of independence. The inner workings were built by the same company of engineers responsible for Big Ben in London and the outer parts were made by Mexican engineers. Every 15 minutes, it chimes to the exact tune as Big Ben.

Dominating the plaza de Independencia, it stands as a symbol of city and national pride while embodying its British cultural heritage. Everyday at 6pm, the Mexican national anthem plays.

Keeping true to our usual fashion of arriving to strange towns in the pitch-black of nightfall, we got to Pachuca around 8:30 at night. Our traffic filled, two-hour bus ride from Mexico City was with ADO and though a bit longer than expected, it was fairly comfortable and clean with Jurassic World (dubbed in Spanish) playing on little screens.

Upon arriving at the busy bus terminal, we were unsuccessful in calling an Uber. So, taxi it was! If you have looked up anything about visiting Mexico City, you will see that the internet is absolutely against taking taxis due to rare but not unheard of stories of robbery and even kidnapping. We weren’t thrilled with having to take a taxi, but hey, we were in Pachuca, not Mexico City. Our taxi driver was waiting with other drivers just in front of the entrance to the bus station, taking no notice of police officers standing nearby, so he seemed official and safe enough.

We chucked our things in the trunk and clambered into the backseat. The car was old and without any working seatbelts, but our driver was friendly and chatted with us for the whole 15 minutes to our Airbnb. He was very curious as to why we came to Pachuca (for the barbacoa, of course!) and eager to tell us what to do, eat, and see while we were here.

Years ago, he lived illegally in the US. He spent over 10 years in and around Las Vegas. One day, he got pulled over for a minor traffic violation, resulting in his prompt deportation back to Mexico. Light-heartedly and jokingly, he told us about how he loved his time in Vegas and had since then written letters of apology to Immigration Services. He said that he deeply regretted his stupid actions, and pleaded for his lifetime ban to be removed. But to this day, he still cannot re-enter the US.

We got to our Airbnb, checked in and said goodbye to our taxi driver. Once we had unpacked a bit, we decided to go out for some late night tacos. We tried a few places near us and again, the locals were intrigued and confused as to how we had stumbled upon Pachuca. We received lots of recommendations, especially concerning food- what to try and where to try it. With full and happy bellies, we wandered back to our Airbnb, feeling validated in our spontaneous decision to spend a few days in Pachuca.

Over the course of the next few days, we ate very well (and for so cheap!) and did a good amount of walking and hiking. Pachuca is a great town to walk around. It is full of charm, with colorful buildings and countless murals.

You can even see the colorful neighborhood of Las Palmitas which boasts a graffiti macro-mural painted over about 200 houses.

We felt very safe everywhere we went. The town is fairly lively with a several crowded outdoor markets and a couple busy roads, but most streets are very pleasant to walk through.

There is no shortage of cafes and restaurants.

We tried several pastes. There are classic versions made with beef and potatoes, identical to the Cornish pasties from which they originate, as well as pastes with Mexican fillings such as moles, tinga, frijoles, and chorizo to name a few.

Pachuca is home to the Santa Clara Dairy Company, a beloved brand for ice cream lovers all over Mexico. So, naturally, we had to try some while on our street food tour sightseeing walk. We also enjoyed a few quesadillas, some filled with carne and nopales, others sencilla with Oaxacan cheese.

If you’ve never tried Oaxaca cheese before, you are missing out. I suppose it can be described as a Mexican string cheese, but that is truly offensive to queso de Oaxaca, also known as quesillo. Texturely it is similar to string cheese, but it is lower moisture, and a little squeaky, almost reminiscent of Wisconsin cheese curds. The taste is similar to provolone cheese, but a bit stronger. It’s delicious cold or hot.

If you look up Pachuca, you will surely read about barbacoa. Throughout the Americas, barbacoa refers to a slow roasted meat and an outdoor, social gathering- like a barbecue! Although you can find barbacoa everywhere in Mexico, the best is arguably from Hidalgo where it is usually made from lamb. We were told by locals that the best barbacoa is always on Saturdays, set up in the streets with folding tables and plastic stools, not in restaurants where it is a permanent feature on their menu. Barbacoa is often eaten with tortillas (yes, as a taco!) and accompanied by a bowl of borrego (mutton) consommé.

While on the hunt for barbacoa, we were hit by an incredible aroma of griddled masa. A little lady was cooking mini, thick, masa pancakes and layering bean puree, salsa verde, pulled chicken, lettuce, radishes and a handful of crumbly cotija. I asked her what she was making and she responded, “No ha probado unas chalupas?” before insisting on giving us a few for free. They were delightful, tasty, fresh and bright! She wouldn’t accept any money from us, so we hid a 20 peso bill under our plates.

On Saturday night, we walked around town, curious about the weekend nightlife. We came across a free outdoor concert. A large crowd gathered in Plaza Juarez. Some people sat in rows of folding chairs, some danced, and some even played along to the songs with little handheld instruments they had brought from home.

There were vendors all around selling tamales, tacos and more. To our surprise, we quickly learned that it was a Christian rock concert. The main group came all the way from Argentina. I was surprised to see that this event seemed to be the hot spot on a Saturday night, I think this speaks to how strongly Catholic Mexico is.

After a few songs, a warm tamale made by someone’s abuela, and just generally enjoying the strong sense of community, we went for dinner at La Tostaderia de Barrio, a restaurant that specializes in tostadas.

Tostadas translates to toasts. In Spain, a tostada refers to a piece of toasted bread, probably topped with a little olive oil, maybe tomato, maybe some jamón. In Mexico, a tostada is a crispy, baked or fried tortilla base topped with anything from seafood to beans to shredded meat. The tortilla is so crisp and firm, it easily holds it shape while supporting the weight of toppings.

We ordered four tostadas:

1. Raw, sliced, soy-marinated tuna, fried leeks, slaw, avocado, and spicy crema.
2. Arrachera (marinated skirt steak), crispy potato straws, avocado, pickled onion, and gooey, melted Oaxaca cheese.
3. Cochinita pibil (marinated, pulled pork), pickled onion, avocado, and a very spicy roasted salsa.
4. Juicy, plump grilled shrimp, sautéed onions, pickled onions, mango spicy crema, and avocado

We did two hikes during our time in Pachuca. Our first hike was up to one of the old mining areas. We first explored the ruins of an old hacienda.

The ex-hacienda de San Buenaventura was constructed in 1787. It operated as busy mine, focusing on extracting silver and gold, before closing in the 1900s.

We concluded our hike at the memorial of the El Bordo mining tragedy. In 1920, a fire broke out in the Bordo mine. The company in charge, quickly closed the mine, sealing off the fire but also trapping those left inside. They had initially claimed that only 10 people had died, but after opening up the mine six days later, 87 burnt bodies were found as well as 7 miraculous survivors. If you want to learn more about the scandal and tragedy, check out “The Silent Fury: The El Bordo Mine Fire” by Yuri Herrera.

On our last day we hiked to Cristo Rey, a towering statue of Christ the King that commands impressive views over the entire city of Pachuca. Standing 33 meters tall on the Santa Apalonia mountain, it is one of the tallest Christ statues in Mexico. In 1940, a cohort of miners found themselves trapped underground when a winch in a mining elevator got stuck, making it impossible to lift themselves to safety. They collectively prayed to Jesus Christ and vowed that if they were rescued, they would construct a monument in His honor. Miraculously, the winch suddenly broke free, the miners were saved. It took a few decades to raise the necessary funds, but the miners kept true to their promise. The statue was completed in 1996.

The hike up to the statue is peaceful and natural with many different types of cactus. It was a much needed nature escape, high above the city with only the sounds of birds and buzzing bees. Part of the way, we hiked alongside a local man and his dog. He was born and raised in Pachuca and loves living there. His dog is a rescue who was hit by a car years ago.

There are many street dogs in Pachuca, and even if you are a dog-person, they can be intimidating at times. In Costa Rica, we awoke to the hooting of howler monkeys and melodies of different birds. In Pachuca, our alarm clock was the chorus of what sounded like 20 to 30 dogs, howling and barking. In town we would often come across a dog scavenging for food. On the outskirts we saw packs of dogs with clear alpha leaders. We never had an issue with them, but the constant presence took some getting used to.

One of our favorite bites in Pachuca was the torta. In Mexico, torta refers to a sandwich, usually chock full of many ingredients and commonly found as cheap street food. After passing by a few times and noticing it was always crowded, we had to give it a try. We ordered una Texana which came with milanesa (breaded beef, similar to a schnitzel or fried cutlet), chuleta (pork chop), quesillo (Oaxacan cheese), tomato, and avocado.

Final Thoughts on Pachuca:

Pachuca is a wonderful town to explore with an interesting mining history that is worth reading up on before visiting. We felt completely safe walking around the colorful town, day or night. The food is cheap and delicious. The locals are friendly and welcoming. The town is studded with little plazas, parks, monuments, and statues. It’s easy to get out of town to explore the surrounding mountainous landscape and old mining ruins. Its close proximity to Mexico City makes it an easy day trip or side trip. If we had more time, we would definitely look into visiting more of the surrounding area like the pueblo majico Real de Monte and the Basaltic Prisms of Santa Maria Regla.