Spanish immigration to Uruguay
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Throughout Uruguay | |
| Languages | |
| Rioplatense Spanish · Galician · Catalan · Basque | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism · Others | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Spanish Argentines |
Spanish settlement in Uruguay, that is the arrival of Spanish emigrants in the country known today as Uruguay, took place firstly in the period before independence from Spain, and again in large numbers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Between the 15th and early 19th centuries, the Spanish Empire was the sole colonial power in the Banda Oriental. Thus, before 1811, a great part of the European settlers in Uruguay were from Spain, and they carried the Spanish colonial administration, including religious affairs, government, and commercial business. A substantial Spanish-descended Criollo population gradually built up in the new cities, while some mixed with the indigenous populations (mestizos), with the Black slave population (mulattoes), or with other European immigrants.
The Spanish settlement, along with the Italians, formed the backbone of today's Uruguayan society. Like its neighbour country Argentina, the culture of Uruguay exhibits significant connections to Spanish culture; in terms of language, customs and traditions.
The concept Spanish Uruguayans may refer to Uruguayans of post-independence Spanish immigrant descent, as long as they have retained a Spanish cultural identity; typically there are thousands of Galician immigrants. During the Spanish Civil War, thousands of Spaniards fled from Spain to Uruguay.The Spanish republicans fled Franco's regime as well, seeking to escape retribution from the new government.
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Wikipedia