Football in Mexico has its roots in Mineral del Monte, a mining town near Pachuca, where British miners brought the sport in the 19th century. The British miners, mainly from Cornwall, arrived in Mexico in search of silver and settled in Mineral del Monte. There, they began to play football in their breaks and soon joined the Mexicans, who found it strange at first, but started to play and interact, and thus began to spread the fever of football in Real del Monte. The matches between English and Mexican teams were played near the Mina Dolores in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in a site that is now used as a parking lot. A dusty metal plaque marks the place as the cradle of football in Mexico. Near there, some businesses display the flags of Great Britain and Mexico. There is a small museum that proclaims: "Football in Mexico was born in a place close to the sky", referring to the altitude of Mineral del Monte, 2,700 meters above sea level. Other memories of the early years, including an old miner's helmet, are exhibited inside the Football Hall of Fame, a site established in 2011 in Pachuca, 18 kilometers from Mineral del Monte. Although rugby is a more popular sport in Cornwall, the miners in Mexico "decided early on to play football instead of rugby, which is why it spread", said Sharron Schwartz, a historian from Redruth, Cornwall, specializing in Cornish migration. "The game attracted Mexicans because it was considered modern, encapsulated British cultural imperialism, and people wanted to emulate the British sense of fair play", Schwartz declared. "Football also helped to break down ethnic, racial, and class barriers, and promoted integration and social cohesion". In 1892, British technicians, engineers, and miners founded the Pachuca Football Club, which earned Pachuca the enduring title of "Cradle of Football", although some other Mexican cities dispute that claim. "Pachuca, where the majority of the Cornish community resided, formed an organized team composed of men who had been part of the cricket club and some newcomers from Cornwall", Schwartz said. "In 1895, the Pachuca Cricket Club, the Pachuca Football Club, and the Velasco Cricket Club merged to form the Pachuca Athletic Club". Gradually, the game spread throughout the country. The Pachuca Athletic Club disappeared in 1922, but was reborn in 1950, now exclusively integrated by Mexicans.