Armenian Argentine

Armenian Argentines

Total population
70,000, 80,000 to 130,000
Regions with significant populations
Buenos Aires, smaller numbers in Córdoba, Mar del Plata, Berisso and Rosario
Languages
Spanish. Minority speaks Armenian as first language.
Religion
Armenian Apostolic, Armenian Catholic and Protestant
Related ethnic groups
Armenian, Hamshenis, Cherkesogai groups

Armenian Argentines are ethnic Armenians who live in Argentina. Between 70,000 and 135,000 ethnic Armenians live in the country, the largest Armenian population in Latin America, and one of the largest in the world. The core of the population came from Cilicia, Syria and Lebanon. In Buenos Aires, the Armenian community is known to share their common culture with the Basque community through musical events and cultural activities.

According to researcher Kim Hekimian, the majority of Armenians arriving in the 1920s originated from the province of Adana in Cilicia of the Ottoman Empire. Most of these Armenians left their homelands either because of the deportations and massacres of the Armenian genocide. Immigrants from the cities of Marash, Hadjin, and Antep together accounted for approximately 60 percents of all incoming Cilician Armenians. The large number of immigrants from these cities was a result of Armenians following their friends and relatives who had emigrated earlier.

Once in Argentina, Armenians from the same city or town in Cilicia were inclined to group together and maintain their regional customs. The informal census taken by Ohannes Der Jachadurian in 1941 demonstrates that approximately 70 percent of the Armenians in Argentina originating from Hadjin resided in the southern neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, including Flores, Nueva Pompeya, and Villa Soldati. Some of these regional ties promoted the creation of at least twenty organizations in the 1930s. Of these organizations, only the Society of Hadjin, Society of Antep and Society of Marash are still in operation.

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Wikipedia