MINERAL DEL CHICO

CULTURAL TOURISM IN SITES OF MINING HERITAGE

Mineral del Chico

El Chico

Mineral del Chico is a town located 18 Km. from the capital of the state. It was founded in 1565; thirteen years after the news of the first mineral discovery in the region were announced. As time passed, most of its mines were abandoned affecting the population that by 2005 barely reached 6,714 inhabitants. El Chico is one of the most picturesque towns of the state of Hidalgo, is a place that does not need a title to really be a magic town. To go to this town, it is necessary to pass through El Chico National Park. The park is one of the oldest ecological reserves in the world; on May 1, 1898 facing the deforestation danger the park obtain the “Reserved Area” title granted by Porfirio Díaz.

This town, thanks to its complicated access, has been spared by “modernity”. Some vestiges of its big processing haciendas still remain; one of them has been converted in hotel, another one is being used as a house and it can only be observed from the high part of the town (it is worth to do this) and only some walls, pictures and memories are left from a third one. Its downtown has a market where, on weekends, visitors can eat the traditional lamb cooked underground, a special dish called mixiote, quesadillas, sopes (tortilla patties with cheese) and a variety of drinks; next to the market, there is a small bar known as “Las tachuelas” that still has the tradition of preparing a drink with the same name, according to a legend it was the traditional drink of English miners in the region during the 19th century.

Its main church is the Purísima Concepción Parish, a neoclassical building with a Stone facade and Toscan columns; town’s patron saint celebration is on December 8. Church’s first construction dates from 1569 but it was destroyed by a fire, the new sanctuary was rebuilt in 1725, and it was remodeled in 1819. Next to the church there is a clock, donated by Gabriel Mancera in 1886. The impressive rock formation known as "The Nuns" and the fountain located in the plaza are symbols of this town; the fountain is made of cast iron designed especially for this place and donated by Gabriel Mancera as well. Its central motif is a sculptural group allusive to the legend of Leda and the Swan, and it is ornamented with emblematic images of the natural environment surrounding this place and the mining symbols: pick and hammer.