in full Pachuca de Soto
City (pop., 2000: 231,602), capital of Hidalgo state, central Mexico.
Founded in 1534, it was one of the first settlements in the Viceroyalty of New Spain . It lies in a rich mining area in the Sierra Madre Oriental, roughly 8,000 ft (2,400 m) above sea level. Its silver mines date from the 16th century, when the Mexican process of separating silver from the ore by amalgamation with mercury was perfected there. Industries include smelting works and metallic-ore reduction plants.