Filipino Cubans are

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 ...

ns of

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

ancestry. Filipinos have been settling in Cuba since the 16th century and they are one of the earliest Asian communities in the country.

History of migration

Filipinos and other Asian workers reached Cuba by sailing in the Manila-Acapulco galleons that crossed the Pacific Ocean regularly from the late 16th century until 1815.

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

was the jump-off point for all Spanish trade coming from

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

, while

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.

was the take-off point for Spanish trading ships sailing from

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Most of the Asians who landed in Cuba went on to work in "Nueva Filipinas" (New Philippines) which is now

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 10th-largest city in Cuba. Inhabitants of the area are called ''Pinareños''. History Pinar del R� ...

. Most Filipinos who were brought by the Spaniards to Cuba worked in the tobacco plantations while there were others who were altar boys, catechism leaders, and church workers. Pinar del Río is famous for their cigars, which were brought over from the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

by the Spanish because it was much closer to Europe and easier to oversee. Afterwards, some Filipinos moved to Havana's big Barrio Chino or Chinatown. : Pinar del Río Others jumped ship to

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. Others also sailed back to Sinaloa and Jalisco in Mexico. Those with money went to

or back to Manila (and brought with them the "Escabeche a la Cubana" which is a favorite dish to all Filipinos which they almost always serve using fish). The rest intermarried with the Cuban population. Over time, the Filipinos who stayed quickly lost their ties to the Philippines since many among the Filipinos were like the local Cubans. They can speak Spanish, they were Catholic, they have to pay taxes or tributos, and they were treated like slaves by their Spanish masters. Nonetheless, their children survive to this day. Filipino Cubans were generally called “Chinos Manila," as Manila was very famous among the Cuban population at that time.

Notable people

Important Filipino Cubans include the Azcarraga Fessner family, whose patriarch was Marcelo de Azcarraga y Palmero, the first Prime Minister of Spain to be of Filipino descent, whose mother was a Filipina from the Lizarrabal and Palmero families.

References

{{Overseas Filipinos Asian Cuban Cuba–Philippines relations Ethnic groups in Cuba

Filipino Latin American

History of migration

Notable people

See also

References