Italian immigration to Mexico
Entrance to the Italian section of the Panteón de Dolores in Mexico City
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|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
7,735 Italian nationals residing in Mexico (2014) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Puebla · Mexico City · Nuevo León · Veracruz | |
| Languages | |
| Mexican Spanish · Italian · Chipileño | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Italian diasporas |
7,735 Italian nationals residing in Mexico (2014)
An Italian-Mexican or Italo-Mexican (Spanish: italo-mexicano, Italian: italo-messicano) is a Mexican citizen of Italian descent or origin. The ancestors of most Mexicans of Italian descent arrived in the country during the late 19th century. Their descendants have generally assimilated into mainstream Mexican society.
During the colonial era there was a small number of non-Spanish European entrants, in particular Catholic missionaries. There are records of a few Italian soldiers and mariners in early New Spain. Prominent among the Italians was Juan Pablos (born Giovanni Paoli in Brescia), who founded the first printing shop in the Americas. The most important missionary was Eusebio Kino who led the evangelization of Pimería Alta.
Italo-Mexican identity rests on the common experience of migration from Italy in the late 19th century, a period characterized by a general Italian diaspora to the Americas. About 13,000 Italians emigrated to Mexico during this period, and at least half returned to Italy or went on to the United States. Most Italians who came to Mexico were farmers or farm workers from the northern Italian regions of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, and Lombardy. Others, who arrived in the early 19th century, were from southern Italy. Many Italian settlers arriving in the late 19th and early 20th centuries received land grants from the Mexican government. When Benito Mussolini came to power, thousands of Italian families left Italy for Mexico.
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Wikipedia