Cemento Cruz Azul is a

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

company in Mexico. It was founded more than a century ago, during 1881, by a British businessman named Henry Gibbon. On May 22, 1927, the company's workers organized the

Club Deportivo Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football league system, Mexican football. Because "azul" ...

football club, which has gone on to become one of the most famous

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

teams in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, winning nine national and seven international titles. The soccer team's association leads to the nickname of ''La Máquina Cementera'' or the cement locomotive. Along with

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

and Bimbo bread, Cemento Cruz Azul are among the most frequent emblems on Mexican soccer jerseys. With the creation of the

North American Free Trade Agreement The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA ; es, Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte, TLCAN; french: Accord de libre-échange nord-américain, ALÉNA) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that crea ...

(NAFTA) in 1994, the company enjoyed the benefits of being able to transport across

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. It is now a well known cement company internationally. Cemento Cruz Azul has faced stiff competition from Mexico's other leading cement producer,

Cemex CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V., known as Cemex, is a Mexican multinational building materials company headquartered in San Pedro, near Monterrey, Mexico. It manufactures and distributes cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates in more than 50 countries. ...

, a company which has gone on to set foot on other countries, such as

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

(Cemex Puerto Rico), the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

History

In 1881, Englishman Henry Gibbon rented a portion of the old Hacienda City of Jasso, Hidalgo, and installed a

hydraulic lime Hydraulic lime (HL) is a general term for calcium oxide, a variety of lime also called quicklime, that sets by hydration. This contrasts with calcium hydroxide, also called slaked lime or air lime that is used to make lime mortar, the other common ...

factory. By 1883, fellow Englishman Joseph (or George) Watson, heavily invested into the factory and business. Despite the efficient mining of the rich deposits of limestone minerals from the Hidalgo region, the business practically did not develop due to lack of capital and was bankrupt by 1906.

Cement robbery

It was reported on December 21, 2020, that three people connected to a man named Billy Alvarez were being sought, accused of committing fraud to illegally obtain ten thousand tons of Cemento Cruz Azul cement.

Oaxaca attack

On July 27, 2021, a video surfaced where some 30 people are seen illegally entering the Cruz Azul Oaxaca plant and shooting the place. No injuries were reported in the incident.

References

Cement companies of Mexico Companies established in 1881 Manufacturing companies based in Mexico City Mexican brands Cooperatives in Mexico 1881 establishments in Mexico {{industry-company-stub