French Mexicans (french: Franco-Mexicains, links=no, es, franco-mexicanos, links=no or es, galo-mexicanos, links=no) are Mexican citizens of full or partial French ancestry. French nationals make up the second largest European immigrant group in Mexico, after

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both in ...

Migration history

French immigration to Mexico started only on a small scale before Mexico became an independent country in 1821, as foreign immigration was sometimes prohibited by Spanish authorities under the colonial regime. The first wave of French immigration to Mexico occurred in the 1830s, following the country's recognition by France, with the foundation of a French colony on the Coatzacoalcos River, in the state of

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

. In total, 668 settlers were brought from France to populate the colony. Most of them went back to France as the project of colonization failed, but some permanently settled in Mexico. In 1833, another colony was founded in the state of

as well, under the name of Jicaltepec. A second wave of French immigration came to Mexico at the end of the 1840s, during the California Gold Rush (at the time gold was discovered, California was still part of the Mexican territory). As a consequence, in 1849 French represented the second foreign community in Mexico after Spaniards. Between 1850 and 1914, Mexico received 60,000 to 300,000 French immigrants an estimated range of 7,000,000 to 10,000,000 Mexicans could have some degree of French ancestry according to various studies . According to the 2010 Census, French people form the second largest European emigrant community in Mexico after

, and eleventh overall immigrant community. There are around 9,500 French nationals registered in Mexico and about 6,000 to 7,000 Frenchmen unregistered. Two thirds of them are Mexicans of French ancestry holding double nationality. Many Mexicans of French descent live in cities and states such as

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

, San Luis Potosí, Aguascalientes,

, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Puebla, Queretaro and

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

Second Mexican Empire

Most French Mexicans descend from immigrants and soldiers that settled in Mexico during the Second Mexican Empire, headed by Maximilian I of Mexico and masterminded by Emperor Napoleon III of France and the Mexican conservatives in the 1850’s to create a Latin empire in the New World (indeed responsible for coining the term or Amérique latine, or '

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 ...

'). Emperor Maximilian's consort,

Carlota of Mexico Charlotte of Belgium (''Marie Charlotte Amélie Augustine Victoire Clémentine Léopoldine''; 7 June 1840 – 19 January 1927), known by the Spanish version of her name, Carlota, was by birth a Princess of Belgium and member of the House of ...

, a princess of Belgium, was a granddaughter of

Louis-Philippe of France Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...

The "Barcelonnettes"

The largest wave of immigration from France to Mexico came from the city of

Barcelonnette Barcelonnette (; oc, Barciloneta de Provença, also ; obsolete it, Barcellonetta) is a commune of France and a subprefecture in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It is located in the souther ...

, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Between 1850 and 1950, 5,000 to 6,000 inhabitants of the

Ubaye Valley The Ubaye Valley is an area in the Alpes de Haute-Provence ''département'', in the French Alps, having approximately 7,700 residents. Its residents are called ''Ubayens''. Its principal town is the ''sous-préfecture'' of Barcelonnette. 350px, ...

immigrated to Mexico. Many established textile businesses between Mexico and France. While 90% stayed in Mexico, some returned to Barcelonette, and from 1880 to 1930, built grand mansions called ''Maisons Mexicaines'' and left a mark upon the city. Today, there are 60,000 descendants of the "Barcelonnettes".

French settlement in Veracruz

In 1833, 98 persons coming from

Haute-Saône Haute-Saône (; Arpitan: ''Hiôta-Sona''; English: Upper Saône) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of northeastern France. Named after the river Saône, it had a population of 235,313 in 2019.Haute-Marne Haute-Marne (; English: Upper Marne) is a department in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. Named after the river Marne, its prefecture is Chaumont. In 2019, it had a population of 172,512.Côte-d'Or and

Yonne Yonne () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight constituent departments, it is l ...

settled in a colony called Jicaltepec, in the state of

. In 1874, the community resettled on the other bank of the river, in San Rafael. From 1880 to 1900 the population of the colony grew from 800 to 1,000 inhabitants. There are now around 10,000 French Mexicans in the state of Veracruz.

Involvement in World War II

Jean René Champion, a Mexican of French ancestry, was the first

Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...

(''Forces Françaises Libres'') officer to enter Paris on the day when the city was liberated from the Nazis on August 26, 1944.

French contributions to Mexican society

The French introduced cultural traits adopted by the Mexican culture and may have helped coin the term “ Mariachi”, though it is not certain. The word “ Mariachi” may have originated during French

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

ic rule in the 1860s since French settler families used the music during

weddings A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marria ...

(marriage). Clark attributes this to "phonetic coincidence" (Clark, 1996). An important culinary contribution was the

bolillo A ''bolillo'' () (in Mexico) or ''pan francés'' (in Central America) (meaning "French bread") is a type of savory bread made in Mexico and Central America. It is a variation of the baguette, but shorter in length and is often baked in a stone ...

, which is now widely used for the

torta Torta is a culinary term that can, depending on the cuisine, refer to cakes, pies, flatbreads, sandwiches, or omelettes. Usually, it refers to: * cake or pie in South America, much of Europe, and southern Philippines * flatbread in Spain * a ...

. The French also heavily influenced Mexico's

pan dulce Pan dulce, literally meaning "sweet bread", is the general name for a variety of Mexican pastries. Bread was introduced in Mexico by Spanish colonists, settlers and immigrants; however, Mexican pan dulce as we know it today rose to popularity ...

Education

There are two French international schools in Mexico: * Lycée Franco-Mexicain (campuses in Mexico City and Cuernavaca) *

Lycée Français de Guadalajara Lycée Français de Guadalajara ( es, Colegio Franco Méxicano, A.C., CFM) is a French international school in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, in Greater Guadalajara. The school serves ''maternelle'' (preschool) through ''lycée'' (senior high school). ...

Notable French-Mexicans

* Luis G. Abbadie, writer *

León Aillaud León Aillaud Barreiro was an Interim Governor of the Mexican State of Veracruz in the period from June 22, 1911, to December 12, 1911. Early years Born in the city and port of Veracruz, in the year 1880. Did his primary school in his hometown ...

, governor of Veracruz * Miirrha Alhambra, French-born Mexican pianist *

Pita Amor Guadalupe Teresa Amor Schmidtlein (May 30, 1918 – May 8, 2000), who wrote as Pita Amor, was a Mexican poet. Biography She was born in Mexico City,"Amor, Guadalupe (1920–)." '' Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages'', ...

, poet, of French descent * Ramón Arnaud, Mexican Army and the last Mexican governor of Clipperton Island; of French descent *

Aracely Arámbula Aracely Arámbula Jacques (; born March 6, 1975), known professionally as Aracely Arámbula, is a Mexican actress, model, singer, television personality and entrepreneur. Life and career Early life Aracely Arambula Jacques was born in Chih ...

, Mexican actress, model, and singer; of French and Basque descent *

Alberto Baillères Alberto Baillères González (22 August 1931 – 2 February 2022) was a Mexican billionaire businessman. , he had an estimated net worth of US$10.1 billion according to ''Forbes''. He was the chairman of Grupo BAL, and of ITAM. Early life Bai ...

, third-richest man in Mexico *

Jean-Louis Berlandier Jean-Louis Berlandier (1803 – 1851) was a French-Mexican naturalist, physician, and anthropologist. Early life Berlandier was born in Geneva, and later trained as a botanist there. During this time he probably served an apprenticeship to a ...

, scientist *

Angelique Boyer Angelique Monique-Paulette Boyer Rousseau (born 4 July 1988), simply known as Angelique Boyer, is an actress. Born in France, she has spent most of her life and her entire professional career in Mexico, becoming a dual French and Mexican citize ...

, Mexican, French-born telenovela actress *

Linda Christian Linda Christian (born Blanca Rosa Henrietta Stella Welter Vorhauer; November 13, 1923 – July 22, 2011) was a Mexican film actress, who appeared in Mexican and Hollywood films. Her career reached its peak in the 1940s and 1950s. She played Mara ...

, movie actress, of French descent *

Manuel Clouthier Manuel de Jesús Clouthier del Rincón (June 13, 1934 – October 1, 1989) was a Mexican agriculturalist, businessman and politician. His 1988 presidential campaign challenged the dominance of Mexico's PRI party in the nation's politics, with ...

, businessman and politician *

Tatiana Clouthier Tatiana Clouthier Carillo (b. August 12, 1964, Culiacan, Sinaloa) is a Mexican educator, politician and writer. From December 8, 2020 to October 6, 2022, she served as the head of the Secretariat of Economy of Mexico appointed by President And ...

, politician, writer, and entrepreneur * Carlos Loret de Mola, Mexican journalist of French descent *

Edgar de Evia Edgar Domingo Evia y Joutard, known professionally as Edgar de Evia (July 30, 1910 – February 10, 2003), was a Mexican-born American interiors photographer. In a career that spanned the 1940s through the 1990s, his photography appeared in maga ...

, Mexican-born American photographer *

Eugenio Derbez Eugenio González Derbez (; born September 2, 1961) is a Mexican actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films and television series including '' The Book of Life, The Angry Birds Movie 2 and The Secret Life of Pets.'' In the 2010s, he ap ...

, actor, comedian, and film director; of French descent on his great grandmother's side (Gilly) *

Consuelo Duval María del Consuelo Dussauge Calzada (born 11 January 1969), more commonly known by her stage name Consuelo Duval, is a Mexican comedian and actress of film, television, theatre, and voice-over. She is known for her various comic characters such ...

, Mexican actress of French descent *

Yolanda Vargas Dulché Yolanda Vargas Dulché de la Parra (; July 18, 1926 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico– August 8, 1999 in Mexico City) was a List of Mexican writers, Mexican writer principally known for the creation of the comic book character of Memín Pinguín and ...

, writer, mother of French origin * Roberto Heinze Flamand, sprint canoeist, of French descent *

Eugène Goupil Charles Eugène Espidon Goupil (14 December 1831 – 24 October 1896) was a French Mexican philanthropist and collector. In 1889 he bought Joseph Marius Alexis Aubin's collection of 384 Mesoamerican manuscripts. On 14 May 1864, he married August ...

, French-born Mexican philanthropist and collector * Francisco Romano Guillemin, artist, of French descent * Ralph Heinze, sprint canoeist, of French descent *

Claude Heller Claude Heller Rouassant (born 2 May 1949 in Mexico City) was the Ambassador for Mexico to the United Nations and the Security Council. He has been Mexico's Ambassador to France, Cuba, Austria and Switzerland. He was also ambassador to the Organis ...

, ambassador, of German and French descent *

Saturnino Herrán Saturnino Herrán Guinchard (9 July 1887 – 8 October 1918) was a Mexican painter influential to Latin culture in the late 19th and early 20th century. Biography Born a mix of Indigenous Mexican and Swiss descent, Saturnino Herrán was rais ...

, painter * Lourdes Grobet, photographer * José de la Borda, French-born Mexican philanthropist *Edward Huet, French-born Mexican, first outstanding Deaf teacher in Mexico and developed

Mexican Sign Language Mexican Sign Language (''"Lengua de Señas Mexicana"'' or LSM, also previously known by several other names), is a natural language that serves as the predominant language of the Deaf community in Mexico. LSM is a complete and organized visual ...

. *

Gustavo Huet Gustavo Huet Bobadilla (22 November 1912 – 20 November 1951) was a Mexican athlete. He was born in Mexico City, Mexico. He competed in shooting and represented Mexico at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, ...

, Mexican-born American athlete, of French descent *

Emilio Azcárraga Jean Emilio Fernando Azcárraga Jean III (; born 21 February 1968) is a Mexican businessman who currently serves as the chairman of both mass media company Televisa and professional football team Club América. In 1997, at the age of 29, Azcárr ...

, businessman, of French descent * Frédéric-Yves Jeannet, French-born Mexican writer and professor * Elizabeth Katz, actress and former model, of French descent *

Michelito Lagravere Michel Lagravère Peniche (born December 1, 1997, in Mérida, Yucatán) is a French Mexican bullfighter. Biography He has been plying his trade mostly in Mexico and other Latin American countries due to the age restrictions which prevent him fro ...

, child bullfighter, to French father * Remigio Leroy, French-born doctor and first Guanajuato mummy *

Alberto Ruz Lhuillier Alberto Ruz Lhuillier (27 January 1906 – 25 August 1979) was a Mexican archaeologist. He specialized in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archaeology and is well known for leading the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) excavations at ...

, French-born Mexican archaeologist * Ángel Navarro, French-born leading Spanish settler in New Spain *

Martha Debayle Martha (Hebrew language, Hebrew: מָרְתָא‎) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is describe ...

, Nicaraguan-born Mexican radio journalist of French descent *

Montserrat Olivier Montserrat Oliver (born Montserrat Lourdes Socorro Oliver Grimau on April 13, 1966) is a Mexican fashion model, business entrepreneur, actress, and talk-show host. Life and career Oliver started her modeling career at the age of 16. She quic ...

, actress, television presenter, and former fashion model *

Roberto Palazuelos Roberto Palazuelos Badeaux (born January 31, 1967), better known as Roberto Palazuelos () or "El Diamante Negro" (The Black Diamond), is a Mexican actor, model and producer; best known for his work in Mexican Novelas. Origins Roberto Palazue ...

, actor, mother of French origin *

Elena Poniatowska Hélène Elizabeth Louise Amélie Paula Dolores Poniatowska Amor (born May 19, 1932), known professionally as Elena Poniatowska () is a French-born Mexican journalist and author, specializing in works on social and political issues focused on th ...

, French-born Mexican journalist and author; French and Mexican

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

descent * Antonio Enríquez Savignac, politician * Laurette Séjourné, Italian-born Mexican archaeologist and ethnologist, of French descent * Eugenio Toussaint, composer, arranger, and jazz musician * Eduardo Troconis, race-car driver *

Adrián Woll Adrián Woll (December 2, 1795 – February 1875) was a French Mexican general in the army of Mexico during the Texas Revolution and the military conflict between Mexico and the Republic of Texas which followed. Woll was governor of Tamaulipas f ...

, 19th-century Mexican general, born and died in France * José Youshimatz, Mexican-born American, retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer; of French descent * DJ Trevi, Mexican-American, DJ, producer, composer, and actor; of French descent

References

External links

Los que llegaron - Franceses
from

Canal Once Once (Eleven; formerly Once TV México and Canal Once) is a Mexican educational broadcast television network owned by National Polytechnic Institute. The network's flagship station is XEIPN-TDT channel 11 in Mexico City. It broadcasts across ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:French Immigration To Mexico European Mexican 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