On November 17th, Cornish American Heritage Society (CAHS) hosted a Zoom event called ‘The Immigration of Cornish Miners to Latin America and the Lives They Created There’. The event was hosted by Sharron Schwartz, a Redruth born and residing Ph.D graduate who is the acknowledged authority on Cornish mining migration to Latin America.
CAHS is a non-profit cultural society for people living overseas who celebrate their roots in Cornwall.
President of the society, Johnny Trestrail, talked about how the group ‘were thrilled to host Sharron, an esteemed historian and specialist in Cornish mining migration, for this enlightening event’.
Sharon P. Schwartz, Ph.D, delivering her virtual talk on November 17th
Sharron’s latest research is focussed on the bicentennial of the first nine Cornish mineworkers arriving at the silver mines in Real del Monte and Pachucha in Mexico (1824-2024). She mentioned in a blog post for mining migration website Cousins Jacks World: ‘to say that some of these events were the highlight of my 30 years as a Cornish historian, is an understatement’.
Sharron began her work on the project in early 2024 with the production of short films and pop-up banners in collaboration with the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. These were displayed at museums including Geeveor Tin Mine in Penzance, King Edward Mine in Camborne, and Tavistock Guildhall.
On the other side of the coin, Sharron also fundraised for much needed maintenance at the English cemetery in Real del Monte, which she describes as ‘the most important burial place of its kind for the Cornish in Latin America’.
As part of her research, Sharron is working hard to strengthen the connection between the Cornish and Latin American communities. This included hosting a gala concert at Redruth Wesley Chapel in September. The evening featured a creative fusion of music, and saw Mexican guitarist Raúl Salvador Ruíz Rangel perform in the same show as the Mousehole Male Voice Choir.
She also attended the opening of a new mining museum, Mina Dolores, in Real de Monte. The new building showcases equipment from Harveys of Hayle, and several former miners attended the opening to support. Additionally, Sharron participated the 16th International Pasty Festival, which also took place in Real De Monte.
The future of the connection between Cornwall and Mexico is looking very positive. During her time in Real de Monte, a new memorial in honour of the bicentenary was unveiled. Named ‘Memorial del Minero Inglés’ or ‘English Miners’ Memorial’, the arrival of the new statue is was ‘of particular poignance’ to Sharron.
Her research and work spans beyond the CAHS however, with Sharron delivering lectures and conferences in the UK and Mexico, including University of Exeter, Redruth Old Cornwall Society, Royal Cornwall Museum and the Comarca Minera Geopark in Pachuca.
Sharron has plans to return to Mexico in 2025 to further her work, debuting a new film that highlights contributions that Cornish immigrants made in the Real del Monte Industrial Revolution. She plans to continue to collaborate with her Mexican research partner Belem Oviedo Gàmez, at the Real del Monte Archive.
Sharron’s virtual event sharing her recent work and research with CAHS a great success; the feedback included that the presentation ‘was a unique opportunity to deepen our understanding of Cornwall’s cultural footprint on a global scale’.
CAHS President Johnny concluded by emphasising that ‘the Cornish have a rich history of doing amazing things outside of Cornwall!’
Cornish American Heritage Soceity’s mission, as found on their website banner
Additional to the event but with a fresh perspective on mining communities outside of Cornwall, student Connor Siegfreid talks about his experiences moving from his studies at Colorado State University to spend a semester in Cornwall at University of Exeter. He shared his discoveries about the connections, mining and more, between the two communities.
CAHS has over 250 members in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere in the world. More information about the group can be found at www.cousinjack.org.