Total population | |
---|---|
355,000 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Callao, Lima, Trujillo, Arequipa , Ica | |
Languages | |
Spanish, French | |
Religion | |
Roman Catholicism |
French Peruvians (French: français-péruvien; Spanish: franco-peruano) are Peruvian citizens of French ancestry; a French of Peruvian descent or a person of both French and Peruvian descent. The French were the fourth largest group of immigrants to settle in the country after the Spanish, Italians, and the Germans.
In 1872, the Sociedad de Inmigración Europea ("European Immigration Society") was founded in Peru. Its objective was promoting Old World immigration by covering the costs of their journeys and financially supporting them during their first settler years in Peru.
The regions where most of the French immigrants originated from were Bordeaux, Paris, as well as the French portion of the Basque Country. They mostly interacted with fellow French immigrants, and they were usually relatively skilled at a trade. Initially the community was united, but as time passed many intermarried with Peruvians from other European backgrounds. Very few French-Peruvians can trace their ancestry.