Mexican immigration to Cuba comprises people who emigrated from
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 ...
to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
and their descendants. Cuba is home to the most Mexicans living in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
. The waves of migration from Mexico to Cuba started from the 1970s, attracted by a mild climate.
The resident embassy of Mexico reported 2,752 Mexican citizens in Cuba in 2010, but estimates approximately 4,000 Mexican citizens crossing into the neighboring country for educational, business, commercial, industrial and tourist activities. The Mexican community has been primarily established in the city of
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. .
Many people from Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Veracruz, Jalisco, and Tamaulipas share ties of familiarity with Cubans following the
Caste War
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
and industrial trade (
Porfiriato
, common_languages =
, religion =
, demonym =
, currency =
, leader1 = Porfirio Díaz
, leader2 = Juan Méndez
, leader3 = Porfirio Díaz
, leader4 ...
) that drove Mexicans to migrate to the island.
History
The Mayans were separated from their work, and they surreptitiously left with fugitive status prosecuted by the local authority. On the other hand, there were inherited debts, so that the children had to pay what the father could not have covered. This created a pattern, perpetuating dependence on the family and as the father came close to paying off his debt, the landowner was allowed to trade with their workers, establishing the slave market in Cuba.
Thus, entire families formed indigenous human chains moved in from the mainland to the island. Under these conditions they lived and suffered, especially many Yucatán Mayans in the mid-nineteenth century.
[Nelson Reed, The Caste War of Yucatan, Stanford University Press, 1964] Most were brought to
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. but others were brought to Cuba as farmers of sisal, sugarcane, and fodder in the provinces of
Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 139,336 (2004) in a municipality of 190,332, it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños'' ...
,
Matanzas
Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...
and
Camagüey
Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 321,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province.
It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by S ...
.
Mexican communities
Yucatecans
The
Yucatecans, the largest Mexican community on Cuban soil, are distributed in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. ,
Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río is the capital city of Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. With a population of 139,336 (2004) in a municipality of 190,332, it is the List of cities in Cuba, 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños'' ...
, and
Matanzas
Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...
. This community arrived in Mexico from the Spanish colonial period, as slaves were brought to the island to work the sugar plantations. Many other Yucatecans came during the
Caste War
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
in the nineteenth century. Migration from the Yucatán decreased in the twentieth century. A notable amount of modern day Cubans have traceable ancestry from the Yucatan Peninsula as the result of Mayan importation to the island
The majority of the
Mexican diaspora
Emigration from Mexico is the movement of people from Mexico to other countries. The top destination by far is the United States, by a factor of over 150 to 1 compared to the second most popular destination, Canada.
Overview
Emigration from ...
in Cuba are descendants of immigrants from Yucatán.
Statistics
See also
*
Cuban immigration to Mexico
*
Cuba–Mexico relations
Cuba–Mexico relations refers to diplomatic and bilateral relations between the Republic of Cuba and the United Mexican States. The two nations are members of the Association of Caribbean States, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mexican Immigration To Cuba
Ethnic groups in Cuba
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...