Greek Mexican
Encyclopedia
A Greek Mexican is a Mexican
person of Greek
descent. The largest Greek communities are in Mexico City
, Guadalajara
, and Sinaloa
. Smaller numbers of Greeks can be found in Aguascalientes
, Acaponeta
, Tepic
, and Pachuca
. Their numbers range from 4,000 to 25,000.
, Humaya
, and Culiacán
rivers became known as the "Valle de Grecia" (“Valley of Greece”). Today, Sinaloa has a heavy Greek presence, and Greek surnames are very common in the state. Greek Mexican families can also be found in other major cities around the republic, such as Mexico City and Guadalajara.
of 2000. When including descendants of Greeks, published estimates range from 1,000 to 4,000 individuals.
The General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad estimates that only 1,000 Greeks live in Mexico. On the other hand, according to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number stands at about 4,000, including descendants of Greeks. In agreement with the estimate by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elena Stamatiadou, president of the Comunidad Helenica de Mexico in Mexico City, estimated that there were at least 1,500 Greek families living in Mexico. Stamatiadou stated that most families were made up of second and third-generation Greeks from Euboea
, Greece's second largest island. A lower estimate of 300 families was published in Greece Now magazine in 2004. Other sources report significant numbers of immigrants from Cyprus
and mainland Greece.
area is the Greek Orthodox Church of Santa Sofia in Naucalpan
, Mexico State. The church also serves as the home for the Comunidad Helenica de Mexico, or Hellenic Community of Mexico.
alone standing at 2,000 individuals. Greeks can also be found in the cities of Mazatlán
, Guamuchil
, Guasave
, and Los Mochis
. Culiacán is home to the Comunidad Helenica of Culiacán (Hellenic Community of Culiacán).
Demographics of Mexico
With a population 112,336,538 in 2010, Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world, the second-most populous country in Latin America after Portuguese-speaking Brazil, and the second in North America, after the United States. Throughout most of the twentieth century Mexico's...
person of Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
descent. The largest Greek communities are in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
, and Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
. Smaller numbers of Greeks can be found in Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
, Acaponeta
Acaponeta
Acaponeta is a both a municipality and a town in the northern part of the Mexican state of Nayarit. The town is located at the geographical coordinates of . The population of the municipality was 34,665 in the 2005 census, living in a total area of 1,667.7 km²...
, Tepic
Tepic
Tepic is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Nayarit.It is located in the central part of the state, at.It stands at an altitude above sea level of some 915 meters, on the banks of the Río Mololoa and the Río Tepic, approximately 225 kilometers north-west of Guadalajara, Jalisco....
, and Pachuca
Pachuca
Pachuca, formally Pachuca de Soto is the capital of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of which the city serves as municipal seat...
. Their numbers range from 4,000 to 25,000.
History
Greeks have immigrated to Mexico since the 18th century, with the largest influx arriving in the mid-20th century and settling in Mexico City, Sinaloa state, and border cities. While many had left Greece due to war and political instability in Greece, the Mexican government also offered incentives for Greeks to work in Mexico, specifically in Sinaloa. During the 1940s, the Mexican government invited a large number of Greeks to Sinaloa to improve harvest of tomatoes. Soon the Greek community became so large that the area around the TamazulaTamazula River
The Tamazula River is a river in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, that connects with the Humaya River in the city of Culiacán to form the Culiacán River. The source of the water is the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. The water flows into the city from the east. The water then flows to the Pacific...
, Humaya
Humaya River
The Humaya River is a river in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, that connects to the Tamazula River in the city of Culiacán to form the Culiacán River. The source of the river is the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. The water flows from the north of the city. The water then flows to the Pacific Ocean....
, and Culiacán
Culiacán River
The Culiacán River is a river that is formed by the connection of the Tamazula River and Humaya River in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. The water from the river then flows to the Pacific Ocean....
rivers became known as the "Valle de Grecia" (“Valley of Greece”). Today, Sinaloa has a heavy Greek presence, and Greek surnames are very common in the state. Greek Mexican families can also be found in other major cities around the republic, such as Mexico City and Guadalajara.
Figures
Statistics regarding exact number of Greek people in Mexico vary greatly, especially due to the different numbers for native-born Greeks and for Mexicans of Greek descent. The only official number is of native-born Greeks, which stood at 298 at the time the Mexican national censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000. When including descendants of Greeks, published estimates range from 1,000 to 4,000 individuals.
The General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad estimates that only 1,000 Greeks live in Mexico. On the other hand, according to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number stands at about 4,000, including descendants of Greeks. In agreement with the estimate by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elena Stamatiadou, president of the Comunidad Helenica de Mexico in Mexico City, estimated that there were at least 1,500 Greek families living in Mexico. Stamatiadou stated that most families were made up of second and third-generation Greeks from Euboea
Euboea
Euboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
, Greece's second largest island. A lower estimate of 300 families was published in Greece Now magazine in 2004. Other sources report significant numbers of immigrants from Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and mainland Greece.
Mexico City
Around 250 Greek Mexican families, or 1,500 individuals, live in and around Mexico City. A major centerpiece of the Greek community of the Greater Mexico CityGreater Mexico City
Greater Mexico City refers to the conurbation around Mexico City, officially called Mexico City Metropolitan Area , constituted by the Federal District—itself composed of 16 boroughs—and 41 adjacent municipalities of the states of Mexico and Hidalgo...
area is the Greek Orthodox Church of Santa Sofia in Naucalpan
Naucalpan
Naucalpan, officially Naucalpan de Juárez, is a city and municipality located just northwest of Mexico City in adjoining Mexico State. The name Naucalpan comes from Nahuatl and means “place of the four neighborhoods or four houses. “de Juárez was added to the official name in 1874 in honor of...
, Mexico State. The church also serves as the home for the Comunidad Helenica de Mexico, or Hellenic Community of Mexico.
Guadalajara
Guadalajara is home to around 230 Greeks. It is also the home of the Casa Helenica de Guadalajara (Hellenic House of Guadalajara) and the Amigos de Grecia (Friends of Greece), which organize community events and offers Greek classes to the public. Elsewhere in the state of Jalisco, the municipality of Colotlán also boasts its own Greek community.Sinaloa
The state of Sinaloa arguably has the largest Greek community in all of Mexico, with estimates in the capital city of CuliacánCuliacán
Culiacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
alone standing at 2,000 individuals. Greeks can also be found in the cities of Mazatlán
Mazatlán
Mazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...
, Guamuchil
Guamúchil
Guamúchil , Sinaloa, is a city in northern Mexico 100 km north of Culiacán.The city serves as municipal seat of the municipality of Salvador Alvarado. At the census of 2005 the city had an official population of 61,862 inhabitants...
, Guasave
Guasave
Guasave is a city and its surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is located in the northwestern part of the state, southeast of the city of Los Mochis. It stands at ....
, and Los Mochis
Los Mochis
Los Mochis is a coastal city in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. It serves as the municipal seat of the municipality of Ahome. As of the 2010 census, the population was 256,613, which was 61 percent of the municipality's population....
. Culiacán is home to the Comunidad Helenica of Culiacán (Hellenic Community of Culiacán).
Numbers
| Greek net migration to Mexico from 1857 to 1976 | |
|---|---|
| Year period | Greek-speaking immigrants |
| 1857–1860 | 54 |
| 1861–1870 | 100 |
| 1871–1880 | 102 |
| 1881–1890 | 383 |
| 1891–1900 | 1,042 |
| 1901–1910 | 372 |
| 1911–1920 | 374 |
| 1921–1930 | 370 |
| 1931–1940 | 310 |
| 1941–1950 | 298 |
| 1951–1960 | N/A |
| 1961–1970 | N/A |
| 1971–1976 | 85 |
| Total | 3,490 |
Notable people
- Homero AridjisHomero AridjisHomero Aridjis is a Mexican poet, novelist, environmental activist, journalist and diplomat known for his independence.-Family and Early Life:...
- writer and diplomat - Los Chicharrines - comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s - Crisantes (born Héctor Crisantakis) - singer-songwriter
- Lambrina Kolioussi - of UNAMUnamUNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
and the Hellenic Community of Mexico - Lampros KontogiannisLampros KontogiannisLampros Kontogiannis Gómez is a Greek-Mexican soccer player who is currently playing for Tigres UANL.- Career :...
- football player for Albinegros de OrizabaAlbinegros de OrizabaThe club Albinegros de Orizaba, is a football team of the city of Orizaba, Orizaba Athletic Club was founded in 1898, a sporting club who also practice Cricket among other sports in the city of Orizaba, Veracruz... - Enrique MetinidesEnrique MetinidesJaralambos Enrique Metinides Tsironides is a Mexican photographer known for his stark and often grisly depictions of life in Mexico City...
- photographer - Felipe Muñoz Kapamas - 1968 Olympic gold medalist and head of the Olympic Committee of Mexico
- Plotino RhodakanatyPlotino RhodakanatyPlotino Constantino Rhodakanaty was a Greek tailor and socialist who was an early activist in Mexico's mid-nineteenth century campesino movement, foreshadowing the Mexican Revolution in 1910....
- anarchist - Constantino Stamatiades - visual artist, sculptor, web designWeb designWeb design is the process of planning and creating a website. Text, images, digital media and interactive elements are used by web designers to produce the page seen on the web browser...
, animationAnimationAnimation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
http://www.stamatiades.com - Kleomenes Stamatiades - actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
http://www.kleomenes.com - Sofía StamatiadesSofía StamatiadesSofía Lama Stamatiades is a Mexican actress.Sofia Lama has performed in several types of television shows, including telenovelas and variety shows.-TV Roles:...
- telenovelaTelenovelaA telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
actress (Eva LunaEva Luna (soap opera)Eva Luna is a 2010 telenovela co-produced by Venevision and Univision Studios, starring Blanca Soto and Guy Ecker as the main protagonists, and Julian Gil and Susana Dosamantes as the main antagonists...
)
External links
- Comunidad Helenica de Mexico Greek community of Mexico
- The Greek side of Mexico: "The Greek Side of Mexico"
- Casa Helenica de Guadalajara, AC