Scandinavian immigration to Mexico
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Scandinavian Mexicans are citizens 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 ...
of full or partial
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
n ancestry. The Scandinavian countries (
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
and Sweden) have an intertwined history and shared cultural traits.


History

The first notable Dane and Scandinavian in what would become Mexico was Fray Jacobo Daciano, a younger brother of Christian II of Denmark, who settled in Michoacán in the mid-16th century, evangelized the region and became known for his love of the native
Tarascans Tarascan or Tarasca is an exonym and the popular name for the Purépecha culture. It may refer to: * the Tarascan State, a Mesoamerican empire until the Spanish conquest in the 1500s, located in (present-day) west-central Mexico * the Purépecha p ...
. In 1841 while studying the plants of southern Mexico, Danish scientist Federico Miguel Liebman came across a small group of natives in Oaxaca that spoke an archaic form of Danish. Through interviews with the oldest members of the community, Liebman came to conclude that these individuals were the descendants of Danish pirates that had been abandoned by their crew in the late 16th century and had entered into unions with native women. Swedes have been present in Mexico since at least the 1890s. The
National Archival Services of Norway The National Archival Services of Norway ( no, Arkivverket) is a Norwegian government agency that is responsible for keeping state archives, conducts control of public archiving and works to preserve private archives. It is subordinate to the Mi ...
has records of individual Norwegians in Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During his voyage on the Norway-Mexico Gulf Line beginning in 1907, writer
Peter Lykke-Seest Peter Lykke-Seest (26 September 1868 – 4 February 1948) was a Norwegian poet, novelist, playwright, non-fiction writer, script writer and film director. He was born in Christiania as a son of wholesaler Jens Peter Seest and Caroline Christ ...
spoke positevly of a "colony" of Norwegian businessmen in
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 ...
; they were well-dressed, educated "gentlemen and ladies" that retained Norwegian customs. This stands in contrast to Lykke-Seest's negative feelings for "naive" farmers in a project founded by
Otto Sverdrup Otto Neumann Knoph Sverdrup (31 October 1854, in Bindal, Helgeland – 26 November 1930) was a Norwegian sailor and Arctic explorer. Early and personal life He was born in Bindal as a son of farmer Ulrik Frederik Suhm Sverdrup (1833–1914) ...
in Cuba. He makes no mention of more humble Norwegians, like sailors, that would have been present in the port city. Lykke-Seest wrote positively of Mexico's resources and the economic stability provided by
Porfirio Diaz Porfirio is a given name in Spanish, derived from the Greek Porphyry (''porphyrios'' "purple-clad"). It can refer to: * Porfirio Salinas – Mexican-American artist * Porfirio Armando Betancourt – Honduran football player * Porfirio Barba-Jac ...
's government and urged Norwegians to venture in the country before they were crowded out. He also mentioned the prospect of establishing modern (rationale) farming colonies- his view on these colonies may have been influenced by the Porfirian government. Correspondences between shipowner Gottfred M. Bryde and officials in Mexico, including Michael Strøm Lie, suggest the Norway-Mexico Gulf Line planned to ship Norwegian farmers. After five years of negotiations, a contract was drawn up by the government and the Norway-Mexico Gulf Line in 1912 for the shipping of "colonists" and wooden houses, but due to the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution, was never signed. As a result of the war, Norwegian presence more than halved between 1910 and 1921. Only three to six hundred Norwegians moved to Mexico before 1940. According to the
National Institute of Migration National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
, in 2009 there were 633 Sweden-born residents in Mexico. In the same year there were 404 Denmark-born residents and 240 Norway-born residents. The majority of these individuals lived in the
Mexico City Metropolitan Area 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 ...
.


Notable individuals

Swedish *
Axel Didriksson Axel Didriksson Takayanagui is a writer, a professor at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and member of the board of the ''UNESCO Chair on Regional Integration and University'' at the Autonomous University. He is also the coordinator ...
- writer and professor at
UNAM The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigge ...
* Rosa Lie Johansson- painter * Víctor Lojero Alexanderson- footballer * Anne Marie Thistler- former Miss Sweden * Yolanda "Tongolele" Montes- exotic dancer * Aline Pettersson - writer *
Julieta Rosen Julieta Rosen ((); born 8 November 1962 in Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican actress. Her father is Mexican and her mother is Swedish.From her biography (''Acerca de mí'') in thSpanish language versionoher official website/ref> Biography She st ...
- actress *
Nena von Schlebrügge Birgitte Caroline "Nena" von Schlebrügge (born January 8, 1941) is a Mexican-born Swedish and American fashion model from the 1950s and 1960s. She started her high-fashion modelling career in London in 1957 and continued in New York City in 1 ...
- model * Waldemar Sjölander- artist *
Christopher von Uckermann Christopher Alexander Luis Casillas von Uckermann (born 21 October 1986) is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actor. He started his acting career when he was only two years old in TV commercials, and became known worldwide after his roles as ...
- singer Danish *
Frans Blom Frans Blom (9 August 1893 – 23 June 1963) was a Danish explorer and archaeologist. He was most associated with his research of the Maya civilization of Mexico and Central America. Biography Frans Ferdinand Blom was born in Copenhagen, ...
- archeologist *
Sairi Forsman Sairi Forsman (born 1964 in Mexico City, Mexican Federal District, Distrito Federal) is a Mexico, Mexican Sculpture, sculptor of Danish people, Danish descent. Throughout her creative process, Sairi Forsman has gone through different stages: firs ...
- sculptor * Rosario María Gutiérrez Eskildsen- lexicographer, linguist, educator * Ann Margarit Henningsen- sprint canoer * Cynthia Klitbo- actress * Edvard Emile Langberg - general *
Miguel Ostersen Miguel Pedro Ostersen Hernández (born January 11, 1980) is a Mexican footballer who currently plays for Coronel Bolognesi Coronel Bolognesi Fútbol Club is a Peruvian football club located in the city of Tacna. Originally founded on 18 October ...
- footballer * Greer Skousen- basketball player Norwegian *
Ola Apenes Ola Rasmus Apenes (23 August 1898 – 6 April 1943) was a Norwegian engineer, archaeologist and soldier. He was born in Fredriksstad as a son of shipbroker Georg Apenes (1869–1902) and his wife Kitty, née Mørch (1872–1958). His brother C ...
- archeologist * Eva Norvind- writer and actress *
Nailea Norvind Nailea Norvind (born 16 February 1970) is a Mexican theater, television and film actress. She appeared in the critically acclaimed 1987 film ''Gaby: A True Story''. She also lent her voice to play Princess Kida in the Spanish dubbing of ''Atla ...
- actress * Mario Schjetnan- architect


See also

*
Immigration to Mexico Immigration to Mexico has been important in shaping the country's demographics. Since the early sixteenth century with the arrival of the Spanish, Mexico has received immigrants from Europe, Africa, the Americas (particularly the United States a ...
* Denmark–Mexico relations * Mexico–Norway relations * Mexico–Sweden relations


References

{{Swedish diaspora European Mexican
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Mexican