The Armenian diaspora population in Mexico is very small in comparison with other immigrant groups. The majority of the population arrived in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

between 1910–1928, most of them arriving after the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

of 1915.

History

The earliest known record, from 1632, recorded the arrival to Mexico of an Armenian national by the name of ''Francisco Martín''. In 1723, Armenian national ''Don Pedro de Zárate'' arrived to Mexico on a Spanish galleon from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

.Los armenios y el lobby azerí en México (in Spanish)
In 1897, Mexican President

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...

planned a project to establish an agricultural community with Armenian settlers in

Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas Soto la Marina is a town in Soto la Marina Municipality located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast ...

(in northern Mexico); the project, however, was never materialized.Armenians in 1930's Mexico City and April 24th Commemorations
/ref> Soon after the

, committed by Ottoman forces in April 1915, many Armenians began to immigrate to the

American continent The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

. From 1921-1928, Mexico had an open immigration policy for most foreigners. During that time, close to 300 Armenians immigrated to Mexico. Once in Mexico, most of the Armenian community decided to head north to the United States. The majority of those who stayed in the country, settled in La Merced neighborhood of

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, where many started working as peddlers, shoemakers and shop owners.La diáspora armenia en México (in Spanish)
/ref> Due to its relatively small size (when compared to the larger communities in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

), the Armenian community in Mexico never established a school or community center, which in turn did allow for the community to assimilate quickly into the larger Mexican population. The Armenian community of Mexico today retains a number of approximately 400–500 people and an unknown number of descendants. Many members of the community have entered politics and are well known artists and actors; and have contributed to the ethnic composition of Mexico today.

Mexicans of Armenian ancestry

Mauricio Ochmann Mauricio Ochmann (born November 16, 1977) is an American-born, Mexican actor best known for his roles in telenovelas, such as ''Amarte Asi'', where he starred as Ignacio "Nacho" Reyes. He also appeared in Kevin Costner's film ''Message in a Bottl ...

* Berge Bulbulian *

Rosa Gloria Chagoyán Rosa Gloria Chagoyán (; hy, Ռոզա Գլորիա Չագոյան); is a Mexican actress and singer of Armenian descent. Biography Chagoyán started her career as a radio host. She entered the world of acting in 1973 as an actress in ''El Dia ...

* Jacobo Harrotian *

Siouzana Melikián Siouzana Melikian () is a Ukrainian- Mexican actress of Armenian descent. Biography Melikian was born on 14 August 1986, into a family of circus performers in Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR, USSR. Before moving to Mexico with her family, she spent the ...

Armen Ohanian Armen Ohanian ( hy, Արմեն Օհանյան), born Sophia Pirboudaghian ( hy, Սոֆյա Էմանուելի Փիրբուդաղյան, 1887–1976) was an Armenian dancer, actress, writer, and translator. Biography Armen Ohanian was born in ...

* Jacobo Harrotian *

Paris Pişmiş Marie Paris Pişmiş de Recillas ( hy, Բարիզ Փիշմիշ, 30 January 1911 – 1 August 1999) was an Armenian-Mexican astronomer. Pişmiş was born Mari Sukiasian ( hy, Մարի Սուքիասեան) in 1911, in Ortaköy, Istanbul. She comp ...

Arturo Sarukhán Arturo Sarukhán Casamitjana (; born 14 September 1963) is a former ambassador of Mexico to the United States. A consultant and public speaker, he is also a nonresident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, an adjunct professor at the El ...

History

Mexicans of Armenian ancestry

See also

References

Further reading