IMMIGRANTS REMEMBERED
During a recent visit to Real del Monte, I stood in the British cemetery, known locally as the Panteón Inglés, a quiet but powerful space that holds the stories of Cornish miners who came to Mexico in the 1800s. They brought with them steam engines, pasties, and football, and helped revive silver mining in the region. But more than that, they left behind lives carved into stone.
Walking among the gravestones, I couldn’t help but reflect on the deeper connections to my The Faces of Mexico project. While the project has primarily focused on Mexican identity and portraiture, this visit opened my eyes to another layer of migration and labor history, one that mirrors so much of what continues today. People crossing oceans, driven by the hope of better opportunities.
The miners who left England two centuries ago were not unlike today’s immigrants. They were skilled, resilient, and determined to build a life through work. These kinds of stories often go untold, yet they shape the economies and cultures of the places we live in.
A return visit is definitely in order. There’s more to explore, and perhaps another chapter to tell.
