Italian Guatemalan

Italian Guatemalan
Total population
50,000-100,000
Regions with significant populations
Guatemala city, Quetzaltenango and Zacapa
Languages
Guatemalan Spanish and Italian language
Religion
Roman Catholicism and in a less extend Protestantism
Related ethnic groups
Italian people, Guatemalans

Italians in Guatemala or Italian Guatemalans is a continuation of the Italian diaspora that started over two centuries ago in the Americas. Many have descendants in the country. The Italians contributed in the construction of the country as monuments, parks and besides contributing at the National Conservatory.

History

The history of Italian immigration in Guatemala comprises three periods of migratory waves from the 19th and 20th centuries,[1] and the majority of these immigrants settled in Quetzaltenango, but there were also significant communities in Guatemala City and Zacapa. This Italian influence can be seen in various buildings in the country.

Notable Italian-Guatemalans

Italian culture in Guatemala

The Guatemala National Palace was built in the government of Jorge Ubico, and performed with various Italian designs, owing to the Italian influence in the country
Pasaje Enríquez, by Italian architect Alberto Porta

There is much Italian cultural influence in Guatemala, especially evident in the buildings and architecturual styles of earlier times, the Italians contributed in the construction of the country as monuments, parks and besides contributing at the National Conservatory such as National Palace of Guatemala, various catholic churches or the arch of Quetzaltenango. There are institutes that teach Italian in Guatemala,[2] as well as people in Guatemala with Italian surnames such as Bocaletti, Garzaro, Bonnato, Maselli, Comparini, Scoteti and others.[1] A number of Italian architects arrived in Guatemala towards the end of the 19th century, giving rise to an Italian-influenced art and architectual movement, particularly in the capital, and several Italian architects oversaw construction projects in Quetzaltenango; these included the Templo de Logia Fénix No. 2, by Alberto Porta.[3] A group of Italian architects, including Porta and Luigi Lutti, with sculptor Desiderio Scotti, founded the Academy of Municipal Architecture, and were responsible for building many of the most prominent buildings in Quetzaltenango, including the Banco del Occidente and Pasaje Enríquez.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 La ciudad es como tú, cumple. Cultura
  2. ↑ Italian Institute of Culture in Guatemala
  3. ↑ "Quetzaltenango en la historia" (in Spanish). Quetzaltenango, Guatemala: Municipalidad de Quetzaltenango. Archived from the original on 2015-01-23. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
  4. ↑ Liano, Dante (2003). "Introduzione". Dizionario biografico degli Italiani in Centroamerica (in Italian). Milan, Italy: Vita e Pensiero. pp. xv–xvi. ISBN 9788834309797.