Turks in Mexico
Turks in Mexico (Turkish: Meksika Türkleri, Spanish: mexicanos turcos) comprise Turkish people living in Mexico and their Mexico-born descendants. The Turkish community is largely made up of immigrants or the descendants of immigrants, born in the Ottoman Empire before 1923, in the Republic of Turkey since then or in neighbouring countries once part of the Ottoman Empire that still have some Turkish population.
Reloj otomano, a gift from the Ottoman community in Mexico to commemorate the centennial of Mexican Independence | |
Total population | |
---|---|
461 Turkey-born residents (2019)[1] Unknown number of Mexicans of Turkish descent | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Mexico City | |
Languages | |
Mexican Spanish, Turkish | |
Religion | |
Islam[2] and Judaism[3] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Turkish diaspora |
History
According to census records, "Turks" have been present in Mexico since at least 1895 with 453 individuals recorded.[4] However, most of the emigres from the Ottoman Empire were not ethnic Turks. Since they traveled with passports issued by Turkish authorities, it led to a misunderstanding in Latin America of identifying Arab immigrants as "turcos" (Turks).[5] Most of the Ottoman immigrants were Lebanese Christians, with smaller populations of Syrians and Jews.
Institutions
- Casa Turca Ciudad de México (2003) and Casa Turca Guadalajara (2015)
See also
Further reading
- Alfaro-Velcamp, Theresa, So Far from Allah, So Close to Mexico: Middle Eastern Immigrants in Modern Mexico, University of Texas Press, 2009
References
- "International Migration Database". OECD. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
Country of birth/nationality: Turkey, Variable: Stock of foreign population by nationality
- "Ofrecen un fragmento de Turquía en Guadalajara". Grupo Milenio. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
En cuanto a la religión, la mayoría practica el Islam...
- "Dimensión Antropológica". Grupo Milenio. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- "Estadísticas Históricas de México" (PDF). National Institute of Statistics and Geography. p. 83. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- "Los sirio-libaneses". Semana.com (in Spanish). 28 October 2006. Retrieved 21 January 2021.