Spanish Brazilian
Encyclopedia
Brazilians of Spanish descent are Brazilian people of full or partial Spanish ancestry. Brazilians of Spanish descent can be estimated as being 15 million people or 20 million according the Spanish government. http://www.maec.es/subwebs/Embajadas/Brasilia/es/MenuPpal/NotaPaisBrasil/Paginas/notapais_brasil.aspx
, Pedro Taques de Almeida Paes Leme, also mentions the three Rendon brothers, Juan Matheus Rendon, Francisco Rendon de Quebedo and Pedro Matheus Rendon Cabeza de Vaca, as well as Diogo Lara, form Zamora
. The family names Bueno, Godoy, Lara, Saavedra, Camargo, etc., tracing back to these early settlers, are quite popular throughout Southeast Brazil, Southern Brazil and the Center-West
.
The expansion of Portuguese-Brazilian settlements into Spanish claimed territory was a long and gradual process, which took the form of Portuguese-Brazilian expeditions and settlements led by the Bandeirantes
. Except for the Missions, no Spanish settlements actually existed in the territory of future Brazil by the middle of the 18th century, when most of it was under Portuguese control. This defacto control was legally recognised in 1750 when sovereignty over the vast area – including the Missions – was transferred from Spain to Portugal by the Treaty of Madrid
While there is no historic evidence of Spanish settlements in the area that is now Rio Grande do Sul (other than São Gabriel
, founded in 1800 and stormed by the Brazilian/Portuguese in 1801), some genetic research conducted on southern Brazilian gaúchos suggests that they may be mostly descended from mixed indigenous
and Spanish ancestry rather than from Portuguese and indigenous ancestry. The study itself cautions that there may be difficulties with its identification of the respective Iberian (Portuguese and Spanish) contributions to the gaúcho population of southern Brazil.
. Between 1882 and 1930, 3,297,312 Spaniards emigrated, of whom 1,594,622 went to Argentina and 1,118,960 went to Cuba. Brazil only started to be an important destination for immigrants from Spain in the 1880s, and the country received the third largest number of immigrants from that country, after Argentina and Cuba.
It is estimated that since Brazil's independence (1822) some 750,000 Spaniards have entered Brazil. This figure represents between 12.5% and 14% of all foreigners entering Brazil since its independence and puts the Spaniards in the third place among immigrant nationalities in Brazil, but it possibly includes Portuguese emigrating on false Spanish passports; in fact, Portuguese immigrants in Rio de Janeiro are popularly known as "galegos" (Galicians). Spanish immigrants were among those who had a higher rate of permanent residence in Brazil, overtaken by the Japanese but above nationalities such as Portuguese, Italian or German. This may be due to the large number of families traveling with passage paid by the Brazilian government that left their native Spain to work on coffee
plantations of the state of São Paulo. Most Spanish immigrants entered Brazil between 1880 and 1930, with the peak period between 1905 and 1919, when their annual entrances overcame those of Italians.
After São Paulo, the second largest contingent came to Rio de Janeiro
, while other states such as Minas Gerais
, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, Mato Grosso
, Pará
and Bahia
received smaller groups. In all those states, immigrants from Galicia were the vast majority, at about 80%, and those were predominantly male
s who emigrated alone, settled in urban centers and paid for their travel by ship. Galician smallholders settled mainly in urban areas of Brazil. Starting in the early 20th century, most Spanish immigrants were Andalusian
peasants who worked in the coffee
plantations, mainly in rural areas of São Paulo State
.
The profile of the Spanish immigrants during the period 1908–26 shows that 82.7% immigrated in families, 81.4% were farmers, only 2.2% were artisans or skilled workers and 16.3% were in category of "others". These data reflect that Spanish immigration was not very diversified and qualified and had a low mobility since it was subsidized by the Brazilian Government, so immigrants were not free to decide where to work. In this way, the vast majority of those who came to São Paulo were directly taken to the coffee farms without having the opportunity to settle rural communities as land owners, or work in urban jobs.
Figures
Spanish immigration was the third largest among immigrant groups in Brazil; about 750,000 immigrants entered Brazil from Spanish ports. Numbers of Spaniards coming to Brazil before independence are unknown. Brazilian censuses do not research "ethnic origins" or ancestry, which makes it very difficult to give accurate numbers of Brazilians of Spanish descent. The only reliable research available is the 1998 July PME, the scope of which, however, is limited (it covers only six metropolitan regions), resulting in probably skewed results, as it includes the metropolitan regions of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, and Salvador, probably the most important concentrations of Brazilians of Spanish descent. In the 1998 PME, Brazilians of Spanish descent were 4.4% of the analysed populations. If the same proportion would be found in all territory, this would mean about 8,400,000 Brazilians of Spanish descent, but such extrapolation is problematic, and quite certainly results in an overestimate, due to the issues pointed above.Colonial Brazil
About more than half of modern Brazil's territory being attributed to Spain by the treaty of Tordesilla, Spain was unable to settle that region. During the dynastic union between Portugal and Spain (1580–1640), many Spaniards settled in Brazil, particularly in São Paulo. As a consequence, there is a large number of Brazilian descendants of these early settlers, especially since the early inhabitants of São Paulo explored and settled in other parts of Brazil. The descendants of Bartolomeu Bueno de Ribeira, born in Seville around 1555, who settled in São Paulo around 1583, marrying Maria Pires, are an example of it. Afonso Taunay, in his book dealing with early São Paulo, São Paulo in the XVI century, mentions also Baltazar de Godoy, Francisco de Saavedra, Jusepe de Camargo, Martin Fernandes Tenório de Aguilar, Bartolomeu de Quadros, among others. In his genealogical account of the settling of São PauloSão Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Pedro Taques de Almeida Paes Leme, also mentions the three Rendon brothers, Juan Matheus Rendon, Francisco Rendon de Quebedo and Pedro Matheus Rendon Cabeza de Vaca, as well as Diogo Lara, form Zamora
Zamora, Spain
Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier...
. The family names Bueno, Godoy, Lara, Saavedra, Camargo, etc., tracing back to these early settlers, are quite popular throughout Southeast Brazil, Southern Brazil and the Center-West
Center-West Region, Brazil
The Central-West Region of Brazil is composed of the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul; along with Distrito Federal , where Brazil's national capital, Brasília, is situated...
.
The expansion of Portuguese-Brazilian settlements into Spanish claimed territory was a long and gradual process, which took the form of Portuguese-Brazilian expeditions and settlements led by the Bandeirantes
Bandeirantes
The bandeirantes were composed of Indians , caboclos , and some whites who were the captains of the Bandeiras. Members of the 16th–18th century South American slave-hunting expeditions called bandeiras...
. Except for the Missions, no Spanish settlements actually existed in the territory of future Brazil by the middle of the 18th century, when most of it was under Portuguese control. This defacto control was legally recognised in 1750 when sovereignty over the vast area – including the Missions – was transferred from Spain to Portugal by the Treaty of Madrid
Treaty of Madrid (1750)
The Spanish–Portuguese treaty of 1750 or Treaty of Madrid was a document signed by Ferdinand VI of Spain and John V of Portugal on January 13, 1750, concerning their empires and status of their territories in what is now Brazil....
While there is no historic evidence of Spanish settlements in the area that is now Rio Grande do Sul (other than São Gabriel
São Gabriel
São Gabriel is a municipality in the state Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.It's the birthplace of the Field Marshal Mascarenhas de Morais and Baron of Candiota.- Paleontology :This city belongs to the geopark of Paleorrota....
, founded in 1800 and stormed by the Brazilian/Portuguese in 1801), some genetic research conducted on southern Brazilian gaúchos suggests that they may be mostly descended from mixed indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
and Spanish ancestry rather than from Portuguese and indigenous ancestry. The study itself cautions that there may be difficulties with its identification of the respective Iberian (Portuguese and Spanish) contributions to the gaúcho population of southern Brazil.
Immigration
Spanish emigration peaked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it was concentrated to Argentina and CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Between 1882 and 1930, 3,297,312 Spaniards emigrated, of whom 1,594,622 went to Argentina and 1,118,960 went to Cuba. Brazil only started to be an important destination for immigrants from Spain in the 1880s, and the country received the third largest number of immigrants from that country, after Argentina and Cuba.
It is estimated that since Brazil's independence (1822) some 750,000 Spaniards have entered Brazil. This figure represents between 12.5% and 14% of all foreigners entering Brazil since its independence and puts the Spaniards in the third place among immigrant nationalities in Brazil, but it possibly includes Portuguese emigrating on false Spanish passports; in fact, Portuguese immigrants in Rio de Janeiro are popularly known as "galegos" (Galicians). Spanish immigrants were among those who had a higher rate of permanent residence in Brazil, overtaken by the Japanese but above nationalities such as Portuguese, Italian or German. This may be due to the large number of families traveling with passage paid by the Brazilian government that left their native Spain to work on coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantations of the state of São Paulo. Most Spanish immigrants entered Brazil between 1880 and 1930, with the peak period between 1905 and 1919, when their annual entrances overcame those of Italians.
Origins and destinations
In the state of São Paulo, destination of the majority of Spanish immigrants (about 75% of the total), 60% were from Andalusia, had their travel by ship paid by the Brazilian government, emigrated in families and were taken to the coffee farms to replace African slave manpower.| Spanish Immigration to São Paulo - Percentage by Region http://images.paulocel29.multiply.multiplycontent.com/attachment/0/R77ApgoKCh8AADZQ6QY1/TESE_MARILIA_D_K_CANOVAS%20migrantes%20espanhois%20em%20sp.pdf?nmid=83153163 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | 1893-1902 | 1903-1912 | 1913-1922 |
| Andalusia Andalusia Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and... |
43,6 | 53% | 50% |
| Aragon Aragon Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza... |
0,8% | 2,0% | 1,4% |
| Asturias Asturias The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages... |
1,1% | 0,4% | 0,7% |
| Balearic Islands Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital... |
0,2% | 0,4% | 0,3% |
| Basque Country | 2,9% | 1,0% | 1,0% |
| Canary Islands Canary Islands The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union... |
2,0% | 0,7% | 0,3% |
| Cantabria Cantabria Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria... |
0,3% | 0,1% | 0,2% |
| Castille and León | 10,4% | 12% | 10,6% |
| Castile-La Mancha Castile-La Mancha Castile-La Mancha is an autonomous community of Spain. Castile-La Mancha is bordered by Castile and León, Madrid, Aragon, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, and Extremadura. It is one of the most sparsely populated of Spain's autonomous communities... |
1,1% | 1,2% | 3,0% |
| Catalonia Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an... |
6,9% | 2,3% | 1,8% |
| Extremadura Extremadura Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west... |
0,7% | 1,2% | 6,2% |
| Galicia | 22,6% | 14,5% | 10,3% |
| Madrid | 1,9% | 0,7% | 0,7% |
| Murcia Region of Murcia The Region of Murcia is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the country, between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast.... |
0,7% | 5,2% | 8,5% |
| Navarra | 1,3% | 2,0% | 0,9% |
| Valencia Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia... |
2,1% | 1,9% | 1,8% |
| La Rioja La Rioja (Spain) La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:... |
0,7% | 0,6% | 0,9% |
| Others | 0,7% | 0,8% | 1,4% |
After São Paulo, the second largest contingent came to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro (state)
Rio de Janeiro is one of the 27 states of Brazil.Rio de Janeiro has the second largest economy of Brazil behind only São Paulo state.The state of Rio de Janeiro is located within the Brazilian geopolitical region classified as the Southeast...
, while other states such as Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
, Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
and Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
received smaller groups. In all those states, immigrants from Galicia were the vast majority, at about 80%, and those were predominantly male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
s who emigrated alone, settled in urban centers and paid for their travel by ship. Galician smallholders settled mainly in urban areas of Brazil. Starting in the early 20th century, most Spanish immigrants were Andalusian
Andalusian people
The Andalusians are the people of the southern region in Spain approximated by what is now called Andalusia. They are generally not considered an ethnically distinct people because they lack two of the most important markers of distinctiveness: their own language and an awareness of a presumed...
peasants who worked in the coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantations, mainly in rural areas of São Paulo State
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
.
| Year | Percentage of the City |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 12% http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/especial/2005/saopaulo451/cronologia.shtml |
| 1920 | 4,3% http://images.paulocel29.multiply.multiplycontent.com/attachment/0/R77ApgoKCh8AADZQ6QY1/TESE_MARILIA_D_K_CANOVAS%20migrantes%20espanhois%20em%20sp.pdf?nmid=83153163 |
The profile of the Spanish immigrants during the period 1908–26 shows that 82.7% immigrated in families, 81.4% were farmers, only 2.2% were artisans or skilled workers and 16.3% were in category of "others". These data reflect that Spanish immigration was not very diversified and qualified and had a low mobility since it was subsidized by the Brazilian Government, so immigrants were not free to decide where to work. In this way, the vast majority of those who came to São Paulo were directly taken to the coffee farms without having the opportunity to settle rural communities as land owners, or work in urban jobs.
Numbers of immigrants
| Spanish immigration to Brazil Source: (IBGE IBGE The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics or IBGE , is the agency responsible for statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information in Brazil... ) | |||||||||
| 1884–1893 | 1894–1903 | 1904–1913 | 1914–1923 | 1924–1933 | 1945–1949 | 1950–1954 | 1955–1959 | ||
| 113,116 | 102,142 | 224,672 | 94,779 | 52,405 | 40,092 | 53,357 | 38,819 | ||
Notable Brazilians of Spanish descent
- Clóvis BornayClóvis BornayClóvis Bornay was a Brazilian museologist, actor, and maker of Carnival costums for more than 40 years, which made him famous throughout the nation. He was born of Spanish and Swiss descent in Nova Friburgo, near to Rio de Janeiro, where he died on October 10, 2005. Bornay was 89 years...
- Drauzio VarellaDrauzio VarellaDrauzio Varella, MD, is a Brazilian physician, educator, scientist and noted medical science popularizer in the press and TV, as well as best-selling author...
- Mário CovasMário CovasMário Covas Júnior was a Brazilian politician.Covas studied engineering at the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo. He entered politics in his native city of Santos, in the state of São Paulo....
- Nélida PiñonNélida PiñonNélida Piñon is a Brazilian writer born May 3, 1937 in Rio de Janeiro of Spanish immigrants. Her first novel was Guia-Mapa de Gabriel Arcanjo , written in 1961, it concerns a protagonist discussing Christian doctrine with her guardian angel...
(of Galician descent) - OscaritoOscaritoOscarito was the stage name of Brazilian actor and comedian Oscar Lorenzo Jacinto de la Imaculada Concepción Teresa Diaz. Oscarito was born to a family of circus comedians. His first film was Voz do Carnaval , which also featured Carmen Miranda. He became a sought actor for chanchadas...
- Pedro CasaldáligaPedro CasaldáligaPere Casaldàliga i Pla, more known as Pedro Casaldáliga is a Catalan-born emeritus Brazilian Bishop of São Felix do Araguaia . He is one of the most known practitioners of Liberation Theology. He has received numerous awards, including the International Catalunya Prize...
(Catalan born) - Raul Cortez
- Roberto SalmeronRoberto SalmeronRoberto Salmeron , Brazilian electrical engineer and experimental nuclear physicist of international renown, Emeritus Research Director of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of France ....
- André Franco MontoroAndré Franco MontoroAndré Franco Montoro was a Brazilian politician and lawyer. He was born in São Paulo as the son of André de Blois Montoro and Tomásia Alijostes. He was a senator and governor of São Paulo. He was a member of several parties, such as PDC, MDB, Party of Brazilian Democratic Movement and one of the...
- Zé do CaixãoZé do CaixãoJosé Mojica Marins is a Brazilian filmmaker, actor, screenwriter, and television and media personality. Marins is also known by his alter ego Coffin Joe . Although Marins is known primarily as a horror film director, his earlier works were Westerns, dramas and adventure films...
- Tonico & TinocoTonico & TinocoTonico e Tinoco are a Brazilian musica sertaneja Duo,and claimed to be the most famous and prolific one. Formed by the siblings Tonico and Tinoco...
- Ivete SangaloIvete SangaloIvete Maria Dias de Sangalo is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Brazilian Axé and MPB singer, songwriter, and occasional actress and television show host...
- Heitor Villa-LobosHeitor Villa-LobosHeitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known and most significant Latin American composer to date. He wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works...
- Jaime OncinsJaime OncinsJaime Oncins is a former tennis player from Brazil.Oncins represented his native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where he reached the quarter-finals before falling to Russia's Andrei Cherkasov. The right-hander won two individual career titles...
- Pepita Rodriguez
- OscaritoOscaritoOscarito was the stage name of Brazilian actor and comedian Oscar Lorenzo Jacinto de la Imaculada Concepción Teresa Diaz. Oscarito was born to a family of circus comedians. His first film was Voz do Carnaval , which also featured Carmen Miranda. He became a sought actor for chanchadas...
- Amador BuenoAmador BuenoAmador Bueno was born around 1572 in the city of São Paulo, Captaincy of São Vicente which is now the State of São Paulo in Brazil. He was born to Bartholomeu Bueno da Ribeira, a Spanish settler from Seville and Maria Pires, from São Paulo, daughter of Salvador Pires and Mécia Fernandes...
- Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva
See also
- Immigration to BrazilImmigration to BrazilImmigration to Brazil is the movement to Brazil of foreign persons to reside permanently. It should not be confused with the colonisation of the country by the Portuguese, or with the forcible bringing of people from Africa as slaves....
- White BrazilianWhite BrazilianWhite Brazilians make up 48.4% of Brazil's population, or around 92 million people, according to the IBGE's 2008 PNAD . Whites are present in the entire territory of Brazil, although the main concentrations are found in the South and Southeastern parts of the country...
- White Latin AmericanWhite Latin AmericanWhite Latin Americans are the people of Latin America who are white in the racial classification systems used in individual Latin American countries. Persons who are classified as White in one Latin American country may be classified differently in another country...