Czech immigration to Mexico
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Czech Mexicans ( es, checo-mexicanos) are citizens of Mexico who are of Czech descent. Czechs originate from the
Czech lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands ( cs, České země ) are the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. Together the three have formed the Czech part of Czechoslovakia since 1918, the Czech Socialist Republic since 1 ...
, a term which refers to the majority of the traditional
lands of the Bohemian Crown The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were a number of incorporated states in Central Europe during the medieval and early modern periods connected by feudal relations under the Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted of the Kingdom of B ...
, namely
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
,
Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...
and
Czech Silesia Czech Silesia (, also , ; cs, České Slezsko; szl, Czeski Ślōnsk; sli, Tschechisch-Schläsing; german: Tschechisch-Schlesien; pl, Śląsk Czeski) is the part of the historical region of Silesia now in the Czech Republic. Czech Silesia is, ...
. These lands of have been governed by a variety of states, including the
Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...
, a crown land of the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
, the
Czechoslovak Republic Czechoslovak Republic (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá republika, ČSR''), was the official name of Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1939 and between 1945 and 1960. See: *First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938) *Second Czechoslovak Republic ...
, and, now, the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
.


History


Jesuit missionaries

During the colonial era, there were several Bohemian
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
missionaries involved in the evangelization of
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 ...
. The first Jesuits left Bohemia for the Americas in 1678. A notable example is Simon Boruhradsky (Hispanicized as Simón de Castro) who was part of the Viceroy's court and contributed to architectural projects.


Recent immigration

The Czech community in Mexico has been a discrete community, most of them arrived to the country as refugees escaping from World Wars. The Czech community of Mexico City frequently meets for celebrations at the statue of
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech and Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas. It may refer to: * Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850–1937), first President of Czechoslovakia * Tomáš Baťa (1876–1932), Czech footwear entrepreneur * Tomáš Berdych ( ...
located on
Avenida Presidente Masaryk Avenida Presidente Masaryk is a thoroughfare in the affluent Polanco neighborhood of Mexico City. It stretches from Calzada General Mariano Escobedo in the east to Avenida Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca in the west, passing along the north side of the ...
.


Cultural organizations

* Asociación Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk


Notable individuals

* Angélica Espinoza Stransky, actress * Juan de Esteyneffer, Jesuit missionary *
Wenceslaus Linck Wenceslaus Linck (german: Wenzel Linck) (29 March 1736 – 8 February 1797) was the last of the outstanding Jesuit missionary-explorers in Baja California. Born in Neudek, Bohemia, he entered the Jesuit order at age 18 and studied at Brno and ...
, Jesuit missionary * Rubén Marshall Tikalova, editorial director * Miroslava, actress of the
Golden Age of Mexican cinema The Golden Age of Mexican cinema ( es, Época de Oro del Cine Mexicano) is a period in the history of the Cinema of Mexico between 1930 and 1969 when the Mexican film industry reached high levels of production, quality and economic success of its ...
* Sylvia Schmelkes, sociologist *
Sasha Sokol Sasha Marianne Sökol Cuillery (born 17 June 1970) is a Mexican singer, composer, actress and television presenter. Biography Sökol was born in Mexico City. When she was still a toddler, her parents (Michael "Happy" Sökol and Magdalena Cuil ...
, actress and singer


See also

* Czech Republic–Mexico relations *
Norteño (music) ''Norteño'' or ''Norteña'' (, ''northern''), also ''música norteña'', is a genre of Regional Mexican music. The music is most often based on duple and triple metre and its lyrics often deal with socially relevant topics, although there are ...
, influenced by Central European immigrants


References


Further reading

* Odložilík, Otakar "Czech Missionaries in New Spain", ''The Hispanic American Historical Review'', Vol. 25, No. 4 (Nov., 1945), pp. 428-454 * Polzer, Charles W. (1991).
The Jesuit Missions of Northern Mexico
'. Taylor & Francis. . * Rechcigl, Miloslav (2016).
Encyclopedia of Bohemian and Czech-American Biography
' . AuthorHouse. (includes biographies of Bohemian missionaries active in colonial Mexico) {{Ethnic groups in Mexico Immigration to Mexico
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 ...
Ethnic groups in Mexico