Devin and I just got back from one of the most enjoyable “international” trips I’ve ever made—to the mining city of Pachuca, Mexico located about two hours northwest of Mexico City to take part in what was almost a“pilgrimage” to see a Pachuca soccer match.I know most of the people who read this blog aren’t all that familiar with the sport of soccer but to Mexican soccer fans, at least one trip to Pachuca during a lifetime is considered a pilgrimage given the storied history of the club there.
Pachuca is the birthplace of North American and Mexican soccer and the first Pachuca team was founded by Cornish tin miners in the mountains here in
1901. That makes the club 108 years old and it is an internationally-known club—in fact, just last year they placed fourth in the Club World Cup playing against teams from Africa, Asia, South and North America and Europe. You aFlways hear about English and European soccer clubs like Liverpool, Chelsey, Manchester United, Barcelona and Milan but last year Pachuca placed higher in the world than all but one of them (Manchester United won the championship). The clubs in Mexico City always measure themselves against Pachuca and the matches are always packed with fans, often violent, and filled with passion.This is it: Mexican Soccer Mecca. There is no equivalent in U.S. sports—Pachuca is the Mexican version of the New York Yankees, Boston Celtics and Dallas Cowboys all combined in one franchise, year after year, for 108 years.
Devin and I have both wanted to see a game here since we’ve become Houston Dynamo fans. Actually, there is some history between the two clubs—Houston has beaten Pachuca twice in Houston and Pachuca has beaten us twice in Mexico (Pachuca rarely looses to anybody in Mexico). This game was September 16—his birthday—and as a present, we went down there against the advice of almost everybody we talked to.
We flew out of Houston that morning to Mexico City and logistically, things started going wrong almost immediately. We landed in Mexico City about a half-hour late and it took us nearly two hours to clear customs. Despite the recent bad blood between the Mexican and U.S. national teams this summer, we both wore our bright orange Dynamo jerseys and drew a lot of stares but nobody gave us any trouble.
From the airport we had planned to take a bus to the Mexico City north bus station then connect to Pachuca. Since neither of us speak particularly good Spanish, that was the part of the trip I considered most stressful. Once we cleared customs, though, we were so far behind schedule we decided to take a taxi directly to Pachuca—very expensive but a good investment in hindsight.
We arrived at Pachuca and checked into the Holiday Inn there. Pachuca is still today an active mining town—a working-class community of over a million people located about 8,200 feet above sea level and one of the highest towns in Mexico in terms of elevation and coolest in terms of temperature. We ate supper at the restaurant there and Devin was able to contact the Houston Dynamo front office over the Internet and actually established contact with the Dynamo Chief Operating Executive who was surprised to learn anybody had made the trip from Houston. He also later called Devin on his cell phone and arranged to get us free tickets to the game. This is like a sports fan being contacted by someone like Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys or Drayton McLane of the Houston Astros—pretty impressive that the Dynamo would take that kind of effort to support visiting fans!
We also learned that the game has been delayed two hours because of television coverage so that gave us a little room but I’m still glad we took a taxi instead of negotiating the bus schedules.
Like I said before, Houston and Pachuca have a short but competitive history and when the North American tournament brackets were announced last spring the Pachuca front office publicly stated they wanted another match up with Houston. The two teams play well against each other, respect each other, and to promote this match the Pachuca front office offered free tickets to the whole stadium. Try to imagine the Los Angles Lakers or Chicago Cubs doing that for an important game! Predictably the result was a packed stadium—between 25,000 and 30,000 fans. Our orange jerseys started really standing out in the crowd!
Despite that, we decided to make a twenty-minute walk up the side of the mountain to the
stadium instead of taking a taxi about an hour before game time. Again, we got tons of strange stares and some taunting but nobody gave us any real trouble. That would be a recurring theme throughout our two-day stay there—lots of taunting (about 90% of it good-natured) but we never ran into a single real jerk looking for trouble. For the most part, I think we were considered novelties and possibly maybe even “crazy Gringos.”We got to the stadium and were walking around looking for “will call” to pick up our tickets when Devin got another call from the Chief Operating Officer and he had sent a security officer to meet us with the tickets. We got inside the stadium and noticed the tickets had no seats marked on them—we didn’t realize the game had been opened up free to everybody and there were no
assigned seats. We just started looking for a good spot and accidentally stumbled into what was their ultra, hard-core support section which would have been a HUGE mistake but a security officer stopped us and radioed somebody else who sent a contingent of Hidalgo State Police to escort us.Despite the fact the stadium was “sold out” due to the free tickets, one section is always reserved for visiting supporters. You have to remember that these matches, especially with Mexico City clubs, tend to be very violent and security is very tight here—also very efficient.
We were escorted to the “visitors section” and guess what, out of nearly 30,000 soccer fans that night, there were only two orange Dynamo jerseys in the stands. We were literally “surrounded” by Hidalgo State Police about five feet apart. I am attaching a short video here that I took in which I can count 44 of them around us. To view the video, click on the little triangle in the lower left corner--it may take a couple of seconds to buffer but should then play. I would also mention that not a single one of
them looked like someone you would want to start trouble with. We had a “contact” that spoke pretty good English and was very good to us. We didn’t do it, but he told us if we needed to use the restroom, they would literally shut one of the men’s rooms down for us and escort us there. Once inside the security ring, I don’t think we were in any danger at all!!!
As expected, it was a really good game and, as expected, the Dynamo lost 2-0 but we were never really predicted to win against the No. 4 club team in the world, in their stadium, at 8200 feet. It really was a "David vs. Goliath" match, but it was a good game and well worth our trip down there. Nobody really gave us any trouble and several people actually came up and welcomed us to Pachuca and expressed surprise we were there. We had fun, showed “the colors,” and displayed our flags and cheered for the Dynamo. I traded club scarves with one of them and a number of their fans asked us for other Dynamo gear.
We were held in place until the stadium was nearly empty then escorted to the entrance and then, a little surprisingly, turned loose into the remaining crowd to get back to the hotel. We decided to walk rather than take a taxi and made the walk with some friendly taunting but no problems. Of course, if the Dynamo had won, it would probably have been much different.
The next morning we slept in, ate breakfast, and took a taxi to the old historic downtown area of Pachuca. This area is a long ways from the border and almost nobody spoke very much English, so we were really on our own.
Pachuca is a very old and historic mining town and even today quarries are located throughout the city. Much of the architecture here is stone masonry—walls, aqueducts, and old buildings. In many ways, it has the feel of an English village because of the rock masonry. We visited the landmark of the city, the Monument Clock Tower, in the heart of the historical district. As they are proud to boast, there are only four of these particular clocks in the world—Big Ben in London, the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, and another in France.
We went inside the base of the tower and signed up for a city tour on a small bus. We were, as usual, the only Gringos, but a young kid who spoke pretty good English joined th
e bus with us and gave us a personalized interpretation while the main guide spoke to the others in Spanish. Overall, it worked out pretty well.
We rode around the city center looking at old historic buildings, the Hidalgo Supreme Court, and some convents and old churches. We stopped and went inside the Church of San Francisco—the oldest church in Pachuca and very ornate and beautiful.
The tour also went up the side of the mountain and stopped at the huge, and I mean huge, statue of Christ overlooking the city. We returned to the clock tower at the end of the tour and Devin and I ate at one of the restaurants on the main plaza. The food here is obviously “Mexican” but not Tex-Mex like you get in Houston. There are some similarities
such as tortillas and tacos, but it really is a type of Mexican food all in its own.
The food item that Pachuca is famous for is a Mexican version of the Cornish pasties where a small meal is rolled up in crust and formed into a pastry containing a meat, potatoes, vegetables and a dessert. The restaurant we ate at was out of them at the time, so we ordered off the menu.
After lunch, we decided to take a taxi back to the soccer stadium for some more pictures of the outside and in doing so managed to stumble into one of the most pleasant surprises of the whole trip.
Devin collects photos of himself in front of various stadia in his Dynamo jersey with his scarf and we hadn’t found the main entrance the night before (and it might not have been a good idea at the time anyway) so we took a taxi there and walked around looking for the main entrance sign. One of the side gates was open so we went in and were stopped by a little, older man who was the gate guard and spoke no English whatsoever. After stumbling through an explanation and pointing to my camera, he let us wander around inside the stadium.
The Pachuca stadium is literally the showpiece of Pachuca. It is a really nice stadium and that day the only other people there were the cleaning staff doing their thing after last night’s game. Devin and I shot pictures of each other against the backdrop of the club name in the stands and were leaving when the little old man stopped us again and motioned for us to follow him.
He then took us to the luxury boxes, through the stands themselves, and gave us a personalized tour. He didn’t speak English but I think he understood we really respected and admired the Pachuca tradition. I don’t think many other Gringos have ever had such a tour—at least such a two-on-one personalized tour. He then took us to the press box and other locations in the stadium. We then got on an elevator with him and
went down about three or floor stories and then, to our amazement, we stepped out onto the playing field! Only a die-hard soccer fan would probably appreciate this—but it was an almost unprecedented thing to see this famous and historical stadium grounds from this perspective.
He also took us down a long hall which was basically a museum—a hallway of historic photos including the 1901 Cornish team, photos of all the trophies and international matches and tournaments during the past 108 years, and pictures of famous Pachuca players and moments. Every visiting team that plays here has to run through this tunnel to get on the field—could be pretty intimidating!
We thought the “tour” was over when he took us through one more door and to our amazement, we were in the Pachuca locker room. As you would expect with this club, it was much like a spa in a five-star luxury hotel. We got to go into the pre-game meeting room where the team meets before each match. It is designed in a circle with each player having a designated seat and his life-sized photo and framed jersey behind the seat. One of those spots belongs to Jose Torres, a kid from Longview, Texas. Visiting here is something even organized tours don’t get to do and we are quite possibly the only two people on the face of the earth to visit here wearing Dynamo jerseys.
Secondly only to the game itself, this was the highlight of the trip! From the stadium we walked back down and found the local sports shop where Devin got an official Pachuca club scarf from the 2008 Club World Cup in Japan and we headed back to the hotel, stopping at the local bus station and buying tickets back to the airport for the following day.
We had visited a lot that day, walked quite a few miles, and got back tired. After showering, we hit the business center, checked emails and Devin called Alida. We ate a fairly light supper and called it a day.
The third morning we got up early, checked out of the hotel, and walked down to the bus station.
It was surprisingly easy to negotiate and we got on our express bus to the airport with no problems. The trip back was going great until the engine overheated and we had to stop while the driver poured bottle after bottle of drinking water in the radiator to get the temperature back down and we took off again only to have stop shortly later at a filling station where he poured buckets of water in the radiator but he did get us to the airport ok—and basically on schedule.
At the airport, our flight was delayed but Continental got us on a flight an hour earlier. After we had boarded, we sat there at least an hour because of maintenance problems then were told to disembark because the flight was cancelled. Our original flight was still delayed but after standing in line for what seemed two hours we got back on it and it left a couple of hours behind schedule but we made it back to Houston ok.
All of this took place in just 48 hours but it was one of the best and most enjoyable trips of this nature that I’ve ever taken. I’m sure it will be a birthday Devin will always remember and we’ll both have stories that will be told and retold for years to come.
Pachuca is a very old and historic mining town and even today quarries are located throughout the city. Much of the architecture here is stone masonry—walls, aqueducts, and old buildings. In many ways, it has the feel of an English village because of the rock masonry. We visited the landmark of the city, the Monument Clock Tower, in the heart of the historical district. As they are proud to boast, there are only four of these particular clocks in the world—Big Ben in London, the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, and another in France.We went inside the base of the tower and signed up for a city tour on a small bus. We were, as usual, the only Gringos, but a young kid who spoke pretty good English joined th
e bus with us and gave us a personalized interpretation while the main guide spoke to the others in Spanish. Overall, it worked out pretty well.We rode around the city center looking at old historic buildings, the Hidalgo Supreme Court, and some convents and old churches. We stopped and went inside the Church of San Francisco—the oldest church in Pachuca and very ornate and beautiful.
The tour also went up the side of the mountain and stopped at the huge, and I mean huge, statue of Christ overlooking the city. We returned to the clock tower at the end of the tour and Devin and I ate at one of the restaurants on the main plaza. The food here is obviously “Mexican” but not Tex-Mex like you get in Houston. There are some similarities
such as tortillas and tacos, but it really is a type of Mexican food all in its own.The food item that Pachuca is famous for is a Mexican version of the Cornish pasties where a small meal is rolled up in crust and formed into a pastry containing a meat, potatoes, vegetables and a dessert. The restaurant we ate at was out of them at the time, so we ordered off the menu.
After lunch, we decided to take a taxi back to the soccer stadium for some more pictures of the outside and in doing so managed to stumble into one of the most pleasant surprises of the whole trip.
Devin collects photos of himself in front of various stadia in his Dynamo jersey with his scarf and we hadn’t found the main entrance the night before (and it might not have been a good idea at the time anyway) so we took a taxi there and walked around looking for the main entrance sign. One of the side gates was open so we went in and were stopped by a little, older man who was the gate guard and spoke no English whatsoever. After stumbling through an explanation and pointing to my camera, he let us wander around inside the stadium.
The Pachuca stadium is literally the showpiece of Pachuca. It is a really nice stadium and that day the only other people there were the cleaning staff doing their thing after last night’s game. Devin and I shot pictures of each other against the backdrop of the club name in the stands and were leaving when the little old man stopped us again and motioned for us to follow him.He then took us to the luxury boxes, through the stands themselves, and gave us a personalized tour. He didn’t speak English but I think he understood we really respected and admired the Pachuca tradition. I don’t think many other Gringos have ever had such a tour—at least such a two-on-one personalized tour. He then took us to the press box and other locations in the stadium. We then got on an elevator with him and
went down about three or floor stories and then, to our amazement, we stepped out onto the playing field! Only a die-hard soccer fan would probably appreciate this—but it was an almost unprecedented thing to see this famous and historical stadium grounds from this perspective.He also took us down a long hall which was basically a museum—a hallway of historic photos including the 1901 Cornish team, photos of all the trophies and international matches and tournaments during the past 108 years, and pictures of famous Pachuca players and moments. Every visiting team that plays here has to run through this tunnel to get on the field—could be pretty intimidating!
We thought the “tour” was over when he took us through one more door and to our amazement, we were in the Pachuca locker room. As you would expect with this club, it was much like a spa in a five-star luxury hotel. We got to go into the pre-game meeting room where the team meets before each match. It is designed in a circle with each player having a designated seat and his life-sized photo and framed jersey behind the seat. One of those spots belongs to Jose Torres, a kid from Longview, Texas. Visiting here is something even organized tours don’t get to do and we are quite possibly the only two people on the face of the earth to visit here wearing Dynamo jerseys.
Secondly only to the game itself, this was the highlight of the trip! From the stadium we walked back down and found the local sports shop where Devin got an official Pachuca club scarf from the 2008 Club World Cup in Japan and we headed back to the hotel, stopping at the local bus station and buying tickets back to the airport for the following day.
We had visited a lot that day, walked quite a few miles, and got back tired. After showering, we hit the business center, checked emails and Devin called Alida. We ate a fairly light supper and called it a day.
The third morning we got up early, checked out of the hotel, and walked down to the bus station.
It was surprisingly easy to negotiate and we got on our express bus to the airport with no problems. The trip back was going great until the engine overheated and we had to stop while the driver poured bottle after bottle of drinking water in the radiator to get the temperature back down and we took off again only to have stop shortly later at a filling station where he poured buckets of water in the radiator but he did get us to the airport ok—and basically on schedule.At the airport, our flight was delayed but Continental got us on a flight an hour earlier. After we had boarded, we sat there at least an hour because of maintenance problems then were told to disembark because the flight was cancelled. Our original flight was still delayed but after standing in line for what seemed two hours we got back on it and it left a couple of hours behind schedule but we made it back to Houston ok.
All of this took place in just 48 hours but it was one of the best and most enjoyable trips of this nature that I’ve ever taken. I’m sure it will be a birthday Devin will always remember and we’ll both have stories that will be told and retold for years to come.
As Devin pointed out during the trip: "Fortune favors the bold." We went boldly where few other Dyamo fans have ever gone. Of course, we may have had a little help.....
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