Extremely rare circa 1935 Mexican Real Photo Postcard featuring the integrated baseball team Veracruz Aguilas. Including the baseball pioneer and manager Augustin Verde and the Afro-Cuban star catcher Rafael “Sungo” Pedroso.

This photo was certainly taken before 1937, prior to the creation of the Mexican League and the era of Jorge Pasquel. It was most likely during the earliest season in Mexico of the Cuban catcher Rafael Sungo Pedroso. Pedro so is also remembered as the back-up catcher for Josh Gibson in Cuba for Santa Clara in 1938.

Interestingly, most of the players featured on the photo are black players, some of them are almost certainly Negro Leagues players, either Afro-Cubans and/or African-Americans. However most research still have to be done to identify the players on this photo. The only persons on this photo identified with certainty are Verde and Pedroso.

Augustin Verde was a Cuban baseball player and manager who established himself in Veracruz very early in his life. He formed the Veracruz Aguilas in 1903 and managed the team until 1939. Before the team became a “professional” team during the 1930’s, the players of the Veracruz Aguilas were employees of the oil company Compania Mexicana de Petroleo El Aguila (Mexican Eagle Oil Company). And the team has probably always been built around Cubans established in Veracruz, where the Cuban community was always significant. It was also an integrated team since the early days. Augustin Verde was a true pioneer of baseball in Veracruz and was one of the earliest manager to sign star players from Cuba or the Negro Leagues. The actual photo from around 1935 of the Veracruz Aguilas certainly illustrates a turning point in the professionnalisation of the team and how Verde recruited players abroad in the United States Negro Leagues or in other Latin countries.

This photo has a tremendous significance for Negro Leagues, Cuban and Mexican baseball history. Great addition to any serious baseball collection.