A Mexican Town Claims to Be the Birthplace of Soccer

The sport of soccer holds a cherished place in Mexico, with fervent fans gripped by the current World Cup fever. The roots of this passion can be traced back to a specific area northeast of Mexico City, where English miners from Cornwall introduced the game during their 19th-century efforts to modernize the Mexican mining industry in Hidalgo State.

This mountainous region, known colloquially as Mexico’s Little Cornwall, is the center of the debate over soccer’s Mexican origins. The town of Mineral del Monte, with a population of about 16,000 and set at an elevation of nearly 9,000 feet, proudly showcases its Cornish heritage with plaques and paintings that narrate its role in history.

A notable painting refers to the town, also historically called Real de Monte, as the birthplace of soccer in Mexico. A nearby plaque claims the first game occurred in the Dolores Mine’s courtyards. The town’s connection to soccer doesn’t end there. A bakery with Cornish pasties, now filled with Mexican flavors like mole or beans, displays a sign crediting the town as ‘the cradle of Mexican soccer.’ Street art in an alleyway hails it as ‘the seed and root of soccer in Mexico.’

Despite these assertions, others may dispute Mineral del Monte’s claims. Evidence points to the nearby city of Pachuca, further fueling the debate over which location genuinely hosted the first matches. These historical contentions play a significant role in the cultural and historical identity of both towns and continue to be a source of local pride.