Spanish settlement in Argentina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Spanish Argentine Hispano Argentino |
|---|
      |
| Notable Spanish-Argentines José de San Martín · Manuel Belgrano · Isabel Perón Raúl Alfonsín · Javier Saviola · Libertad Lamarque   |
| Total population |
|
25 million |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Throughout Argentina |
| Languages |
| Rioplatense Spanish. Minority speaks Galician, Catalan, and Basque. |
| Religions |
| Predominantly Roman Catholicism |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Spanish, Galicians, Catalans, Basque-Argentines |
Spanish settlement in Argentina, that is the arrival of Spanish emigrants in Argentina, took place in the period before Argentina's independence from Spain and again in large numbers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Spain was the colonial power in Argentina before the 1816 declaration of Argentine independence. Before 1816 almost all European settlers in Argentina were from Spain, relating to religious, government and commercial business. A substantial Spanish population built up in the new cities, and mixed with the indigenous populations.
Between 1857 and 1940 more than 2 million Spanish people emigrated to Argentina, mostly from Galicia, Basque Country, Asturias, Cantabria, and Catalonia in northern Spain, and also from Andalusia in southern Spain.
Today, around 10% of the Argentine population descend from Basque people, both Spanish and French, and are described as Basque Argentines. They gather in several Basque cultural centres installed in most large cities in the country.
The city with the second greatest number of Galician people is Buenos Aires, where immigration from Galicia was so important that today all Spaniards, regardless of their origin within Spain, are often referred to as gallegos (Galicians) in Argentina. Galicians make up 70% of the Spanish population in Argentina.
Although many Argentines have Spanish blood and because Argentina and Spain share common cultural aspects (the language, religion which is Roman Catholic Christianity, and traditions), Argentine elites diminished the Spanish culture from their culture in the newly independent country and made Argentine culture. Spanish settlement dates back to 1500s and from that, many Spaniards intermarried with non-Spaniards. This is because prior to its independence, Spaniards in Argentina who were against to Spain and desired their independence are known as Argentines and Argentines who were opposed to independence are known as Spaniards. A few generations after independence, they see themselves as purely Argentines that they do not have too much connection with Spain and have lack of interest about their Spanish ancestry and the great influence their ancestors had in the national culture. To keep a separate Spanish identity in Argentina is impossible as having a Spanish-Argentine identity is synonymous to be simply Argentine because Argentine culture was mostly derived from Spanish culture. This is like many Brazilians although having Portuguese descent will never consider themselves of Portuguese blood but as simply “Brazilians”.
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