The
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
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 ...
during the
Spanish colonial period. Many of them were sailors,
conquistadors, clergy, and members of the military. Later Portuguese arrivals included
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
s in conflict with Spanish leadership. Today, the country's largest Portuguese community is concentrated in
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 ...
, especially in the
Colonia Condesa, home to many restaurants and bars popular with people of Portuguese origin.
History
The first Portuguese to arrive in New Spain was Sebastián Rodríguez de Oliveira, a companion of
Hernán Cortés. The Portuguese were a significant presence in New Spain, particularly during the
Iberian Union
pt, União Ibérica
, conventional_long_name =Iberian Union
, common_name =
, year_start = 1580
, date_start = 25 August
, life_span = 1580–1640
, event_start = War of the Portuguese Succession
, event_end = Portuguese Restoration War
, ...
. A notable portion of the immigrants were Portuguese
Sephardi Jews
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...
fleeing the
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...
.
Portuguese immigrants had no difficulty adapting into New Spanish society because they were
Catholics and accountable to the
Spanish Crown for taxation. During the Mexican War of Independence, Mexicans did not distinguish between Spanish and Portuguese colonists who were on the side of the Spanish Crown, many of whom were killed or expelled. Only those who wanted to remain loyal to The Spanish Crown were expelled or returned to the Iberian Peninsula, while others stayed and integrated into Mexican society remained and lost touch with the Old World.
Portuguese immigrants were granted preferential
naturalization times (requiring two years of residence instead of five) in 1993.
The preferential naturalization time was granted due to historical and cultural connections and was previously given to Latin Americans (1917) and Spaniards (1939).
According to the 2000
Censo General de Población y Vivienda The Censo de Población y Vivienda (''Population and Housing Census'') is the main national population census for Mexico. It is compiled by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), a decentralized agency of the Mexican Federal go ...
, there were 311 Portuguese-born residents of Mexico.
See also
*
Mexico–Portugal relations
*
Judaism in Mexico#Colonial period
*
Peninsulares
In the context of the Spanish Empire, a ''peninsular'' (, pl. ''peninsulares'') was a Spaniard born in Spain residing in the New World, Spanish East Indies, or Spanish Guinea. Nowadays, the word ''peninsulares'' makes reference to Peninsular ...
*
Spanish Mexican
Spanish Mexicans are citizens or residents of Mexico who identify as Spaniards, Spanish as a result of nationality or recent ancestry. Spanish immigration to Mexico began in the early 1500s and spans to the present day. The vast majority of Mexi ...
*
Geographic distribution of Portuguese
The following is a list of the nine sovereign states and one territory where Portuguese is an official language.
Nations with Portuguese as an official language Sovereign states
*
* (see Brazilian Portuguese)
*
* ( co-official with Tet ...
References
External links
*
Presencia portuguesa en México colonial'
{{Ethnic groups in Mexico
Portuguese diaspora in Mexico