Lebanese immigration to Mexico
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
966 Lebanon-born residents (2015) est. 400,000 Mexicans of Lebanese descent |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Yucatan, Veracruz, Coahuila, Jalisco, Sinaloa, Mexico City, Baja California, Guanajuato, Chihuahua, Durango, Puebla | |
| Languages | |
| Mexican Spanish and Lebanese Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Christianity, minority Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Lebanese and Lebanese diaspora |
Lebanese Mexicans refers to Mexican citizens of Lebanese origin.
Although Lebanese Mexicans made up less than 5% of the total immigrant population in Mexico during the 1930s, they constituted half of the immigrant economic activity. Lebanese influence in Mexican culture can be seen most particularly in food, where they have introduced many foods and dishes and created their own recipes such as tacos Árabes.
Interethnic marriage in the Lebanese community, regardless of religious affiliation, is very high; most community members have only one parent who has Lebanese ethnicity. As a result of this, the Lebanese community in Mexico shows marked language shift away from Arabic. Only a few speak any Arabic, and such knowledge is often limited to a few basic words. Instead the majority, especially those of younger generations, speak Spanish as first language.
Carlos Slim, formerly the richest man in the world, is an example of Lebanese Mexican success in Mexican society.
Lebanese immigration to Mexico started in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1892, the first Lebanese arrived in Mexico from Beirut in French ships to Mexican ports such as Puerto Progreso, Veracruz and Tampico. At that time, Lebanon was not an independent nation; the territory was held by the Ottoman Empire and later became a French protectorate. Roughly 100,000 Arabic-speakers settled in Mexico during this time period. They settled in significant numbers in Yucatán, Veracruz, Puebla, Mexico City and the northern part of the country (mainly in the states of Baja California, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango, as well as the city of Tampico and Guadalajara).
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