Asian Colombians

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Asian Colombians
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Fundacion Cultural colombo-coreana.png
Korean-Colombian Cultural Foundation in Bogota, Colombia
Total population
200,000 (2023, est.)
Regions with significant populations
Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, Medellín, Santa Marta, Neiva, Manizales, Cúcuta, Pereira
Languages
Colombian Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Languages in India, Arabic, Vietnamese, Armenian, Turkish, Thai, Filipino, Malay.
Religion
Buddhism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Islam, Protestantism, Shintoism, Sikhism
Related ethnic groups
Asians, Arabs, Colombians, Arab Colombians

Asian Colombians (Spanish : colombianos asiáticos; Latin American Spanish: [/kolombjanos//aˈsjatikos/] ) are Asian immigrants in Colombia and their descendants. The majority of Asian Colombians are of Chinese and Japanese descent, [1] [2] [3] with a smaller portion being of Korean descent. There are also notable South Asian, Southeast Asian, Arab, and Middle Eastern descending populations. [4] [5]

Contents

A study by Latinobarómetro in 2023 estimated that 0.4% of Colombians are Asian, this would equate to around 200,000 of Colombia's population of approximately 50 million people. [6]

Immigrants from Japan in Palmira (date unknown) Japoneses en Colombia.jpg
Immigrants from Japan in Palmira (date unknown)

History

Panama Canal Railway

In 1854, many Chinese migrants arrived in Colombian territory for the construction of the Panama Canal Railway across the Isthmus of Panama, as the domestic labor force was insufficient. [7] Around 705 Chinese immigrants came from the Guandong province, demonstrating their skills working on the construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad on the west coast of the United States. [8] [9] The Chinese migrants being brought into the projects was a desperate measure by the managers of the railway companies, who did not have enough workers among the native population for the construction and failed to import enough Irish, German, and other European migrants to make up for the deficit. [7] [10]

Sugar industry

At the beginning of the 20th century, Indian Muslim migrants settled in the towns of the Cauca River valley, some just temporarily and others permanently, to engage in the commercial activity demanded by the new working population of the nascent sugar industry. These immigrants brought a variety of products to rural areas, both granting credit and accepting barter. [5]

Panamanian independence

Toraji Irie, a renowned Japanese writer, states in his work on Japanese migration to other regions of the World that the first Japanese migrants who arrived in Colombia in 1903, the year Panama gained independence and Colombia lost control of the Isthmus of Panama, came as a result of the Colombian Government seeking help from Japan in hiring workers to guard land bordering Panama against U.S. incursions. [11]

In 1928, this was the smallest migratory group, being somewhat small compared to other South American countries like Brazil, Peru or Venezuela. Despite this, some Japanese families began settling in Valle del Cauca, [12] where many became farmers.

Late 20th century

Between 1970 and 1980, there was a small yet constant flow of Asian migration (mainly from China) into Colombian cities, primarily Bogotá, Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, Medellín, Santa Marta, Neiva, Manizales, Cúcuta and Pereira, which continues to this day. Other very small groups of Asian migrants came from India, [4] Indonesia, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Between 1970 and 1980 there were more than 6,000 Chinese Immigrants in Colombia, as they continued to arrive and grow in population. Anti-Immigration policies in many other countries is a possible factor in continued Chinese immigration into Colombia. Emigration out of China into Colombia generally did not occur in the first three decades following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, as emigration was restricted. Due to Xenophobia and Sinophobia within the United States, a significant amount of Chinese people chose to immigrate into other countries, including Colombia. [13]

Diasporic communities

Arab

Most Arab Colombians are of Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian and Palestinian origins, most emigrating from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. [14] [15] Many of them settled in cities like Barranquilla and Maicao. [16]

As the Arab population in Colombia grows, so does it's Muslim community. From 2007 to 2023, Bogotá went from having 1 mosque to 6. [16]

Lebanese Colombians in Maicao (2014) Arabes en colombia.jpg
Lebanese Colombians in Maicao (2014)

Lebanese

Colombia has the third-largest Lebanese population abroad, with an estimated between 1,200,000 [17] and 2,500,000 [18] people, below only Argentina and Brazil. Between 1880 and 1930, it is estimated 10,000 to 30,000 Lebanese migrants relocated to Colombia. [16]

Syrian

Most Syrian Colombians came to Colombia in the late 19th and early 20th century, with notable populations in Córdoba, Cartagena, and other cities. [14]

Chinese lion and dragon costumes at the 2016 Barranquilla Carnival Colonia China en el Carnaval de Barranquilla.jpg
Chinese lion and dragon costumes at the 2016 Barranquilla Carnival

Chinese

A large portion of modern (2000s-present) Chinese emigration into Colombian is composed of employees and business executives who have moved to Colombia following the multinational corporations they work for, some of which providing housing and accommodations for them directly. This has encouraged the development of diasporic Chinese enclaves in cities that welcome multinational corporations, such as Medellín, Barranquilla, and Cali. While many Chinese resident workers are on temporary visas, the enclaves are established and composed of many permanent Chinese-Colombian residents and citizens. [20] As of 2018, the Chinese embassy totaled around 20,000 Chinese citizens living in Colombian cities. [21]

Japanese

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, as of 2023, there were 1,264 Japanese nationals residing in Colombia and an estimated 3,100 "Japanese descendants". [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

Chinatowns in Latin America developed with the rise of Chinese immigration in the 19th century to various countries in Latin America as contract laborers in agricultural and fishing industries. Most came from Guangdong Province. Since the 1970s, the new arrivals have typically hailed from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Latin American Chinatowns may include the descendants of original migrants — often of mixed Chinese and Latino parentage — and more recent immigrants from East Asia. Most Asian Latin Americans are of Cantonese and Hakka origin. Estimates widely vary on the number of Chinese descendants in Latin America but it is at least 1.4 million and likely much greater than this.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin Americans</span> Citizens of Latin American countries

Latin Americans are the citizens of Latin American countries.

Asian Latin Americans are Latin Americans of Asian descent. Asian immigrants to Latin America have largely been from East Asia or West Asia. Historically, Asians in Latin America have a centuries-long history in the region, starting with Filipinos in the 16th century. The peak of Asian immigration occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries. There are currently more than four million Asian Latin Americans, nearly 1% of Latin America's population. Chinese, Japanese, and Lebanese are the largest Asian ancestries; other major ethnic groups include Filipinos, Syrians, Koreans and Indians, many of whom are Indo-Caribbean and came from neighboring countries in the Caribbean and the Guianas. Brazil is home to the largest population of East Asian descent, estimated at 2.08 million. The country is also home to a large percentage of West Asian descendants. With as much as 5% of their population having some degree of Chinese ancestry, Peru and Mexico have the highest ratio of any country for East Asian descent. Though the most recent official census, which relied on self-identification, gave a much lower percentage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian Argentines</span> Ethnic group

Asian Argentines, are Argentine citizens or residents of Asian ancestry. The vast majority trace their ancestry to West Asia, primarily from Lebanon, Syria and Armenia, and the Far East, primarily from China and Japan. However, there are other communities of Indian origin as well. Asian Argentines settled in Argentina in large numbers during several waves of immigration in the 20th century.

Asian Brazilians refers to Brazilian citizens or residents of Asian ancestry. The vast majority trace their origins to Western Asia, particularly Lebanon, or East Asia, namely Japan. The Brazilian census does not use "Asian" as a racial category, though the term "yellow" refers to people of East Asian ethnic origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigration to Mexico</span>

Immigration to Mexico has been important in shaping the country's demographics. Since the early 16th century, with the arrival of the Spanish, Mexico has received immigrants from Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Today, millions of their Indigenous mixed descendants still live in Mexico and can be found working in different professions and industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colombians</span> Citizens of Colombia

Colombians are people identified with the country of Colombia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Colombians, several of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Colombian.

Arab Colombians refers to Arab immigrants and their descendants in the Republic of Colombia. Most of the migrants came from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine. When they were first processed in the ports of Colombia, they were classified as Turks because what is now Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine were then territories of the Ottoman Empire. It is estimated that Colombia has a Lebanese population of 3.2 million. Meanwhile, the Palestine population is estimated between 100,000-120,000.

Emigration from Colombia is a migratory phenomenon that started in the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigration to Colombia</span>

Immigration to Colombia during the early 19th and late 20th Century, is what makes it one of the most diverse countries in the world, above other countries in the Latin region. Colombia inherited from the Spanish Empire harsh rules against immigration, first in the Viceroyalty of New Granada and later in the Colombian Republic. The Constituent Assembly of Colombia and the subsequent reforms to the national constitution were much more open to the immigrants and the economic aperture. However naturalization of foreigners, with the exception of those children of Colombians born abroad, it is still difficult to acquire due 'Jus soli' law is not allowed by the government, and only 'Jus sanguinis' law is accepted. Immigration in Colombia is managed by the "Migración Colombia" agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese Mexicans</span> Ethnic minority in Mexico

Japanese Mexicans are Mexican citizens of Japanese descent. Organized Japanese immigration to Mexico occurred in the 1890s with the foundation of a coffee-growing colony in the state of Chiapas. Although this initiative failed, it was followed by greater immigration from 1900 to the beginning of World War II. However, it never reached the levels of Japanese immigration to the Americas such as Brazil or the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese Colombians</span> Ethnic group

Japanese Colombians are Japanese immigrants and their descendants in Colombia. They have their own culture and organizations. In the early 20th century, Ryôji Noda, secretary consulate in both Peru and Brazil and expert advisor to the Japanese government on immigration to South America, was assigned to survey Colombia. On his return to Japan, he presented a report of his tour of Colombia to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This geographical area of Colombia would be occupied by Japanese farmers twenty years later. In 1920, the Farmers Society of Colombia sent a proposal to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Trade, drawing the government's attention to the lack of agricultural workers. Following this, Colombian President Rafael Reyes offered to travel and make contracts himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Colombians</span> Ethnic group

Lebanese Colombians are Colombians of Lebanese descent. Most of the Lebanese community's forebears immigrated to Colombia from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for economic, political and religious reasons. The first Lebanese moved to Colombia in the late nineteenth century. There was another wave in the early twentieth century. It is estimated that over 10,000 Lebanese immigrated to Colombia from 1900 to 1930.

Race and ethnicity in Colombia descend mainly from three racial groups—Europeans, Amerindians, and Africans—that have mixed throughout the last 500 years of the country's history. Some demographers describe Colombia as one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the Western Hemisphere and in the World, with 900 different ethnic groups. Most Colombians identify themselves and others according to ancestry, physical appearance, and sociocultural status. Social relations reflect the importance attached to certain characteristics associated with a given racial group. Although these characteristics no longer accurately differentiate social categories, they still contribute to one's rank in the social hierarchy. A study from Rojas et al. involving 15 departments determined that the average Colombian has a mixture of 47% Amerindian, 42% European, and 11% African. These proportions also vary widely among ethnicities.

The history of the Jews in Colombia begins in the Spanish colonial period with the arrival of the first Jews during the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian Mexicans</span> Ethnic group of Asian-descending Mexicans

Asian Mexicans are Mexicans of Asian descent. Asians are considered cuarta raíz of Mexico in conjunction with the two main roots: Native and European, and the third African root.

At the 2011 census, the number of immigrants in Costa Rica totaled about 390,000 individuals, or about 9% of the country's population. Following a considerable drop from 1950 through 1980, immigration to Costa Rica has increased in recent decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian Colombians</span> Colombian citizens of Italian descent

Italian Colombians are Colombian-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Colombia during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people in Colombia. Italians have been immigrating to Colombia since the early 16th century.

Indian Colombians are Indian immigrants in Colombia and their descendants. The Indian community in Colombia is not as large as other Asian Colombian communities, but there are some places in Colombia where they have an established presence Indian-made businesses. The vast majority of Colombians who have Indian ancestry are of Indo-Caribbean origin, this includes those from Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Of Indian nationals in Colombia, most cite work related motivations in relocating to Colombia.

References

  1. Rodríguez, Carolina (2018). "Inmigración japonesa a bogotá: historia de vida" [Japanese Immigration into Bogota: Life Stories](PDF). Repository Universidad Javeriana (in Spanish). Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  2. Semana (25 October 2018). "Así llegaron los primeros migrantes japoneses a Colombia" [How the first Japanese migrants arrived in Colombia.]. Semana (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  3. Redacción. "Las culturas asiáticas escondidas en Colombia" [The hide-and-seek Asian cultures in Colombia]. PanoramaCultural.com.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  4. 1 2 Restrepo, Estefanía Carvajal (15 April 2018). "Una pequeña India está surgiendo en el sur de Medellín" [A little bit of India is emerging in southern Medellín]. www.elcolombiano.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  5. 1 2 Navarrete Pelaz, María Cristina (2017). Inmigrantes del este de la India en el valle del río Cauca. [Immigrants from Eastern India in the Cauca River Valley.] (in Spanish) Universidad del Valle. ISBN 978-958-765-324-3
  6. "Raza/Etnia a la que pertenece". Latinobarómetro 2023 Colombia. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  7. 1 2 Organizaciones chinas en Colombia Archived 2024-07-09 at the Wayback Machine [Chinese Organizations in Colombia] (in Spanish)
  8. "Los chinos en colombia: historia, diáspora e identidad" [The Chinese in Colombia: History, Diaspora and Identity] (in Spanish).
  9. Semana (28 October 2006). "Chinos y japoneses" [Chinese and Japanese (peoples)]. Semana.com Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  10. Patiño, German (28 October 2006). "Chinos y japoneses" [Chinese and Japanese (peoples)]. Semana (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 August 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2006.
  11. "¿Por qué llegaron los japoneses a Colombia?" [Why did Japanese people arrive in Colombia?]. El Pueblo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  12. "La sorprendente historia de cómo una novela romántica fue el origen de la migración de japoneses a Colombia" [The surprising story of how a romantic novel was the origin of Japanese migration to Colombia] (in Spanish). BBC News Mundo. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  13. Friederike Fleischer. "La diáspora china: una aproximación a la migración china en Colombia" [The Chinese diaspora: an approximation of migration into Colombia.] (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  14. 1 2 Fawcett de Posada, Louise; Posada Carbó, Eduardo (1992). "En la tierra de las oportunidades: los sirio-libaneses en Colombia" [In the land of opportunity: the Syrian-Lebanese in Colombia](PDF). Boletín Cultural y Bibliográfico (in Spanish). 29 (29). publicaciones.banrepcultural.org: 8–11. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  15. Alexander, Inigo. "'A Colombian Wild West': Inside Maicao's Arab community". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  16. 1 2 3 Alexander, Inigo (5 April 2023). "From the Ottomans to the oil boom: Inside Colombia's Arab and Muslim community". Middle East Eye . Archived from the original on 5 October 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  17. "Geographical Distribution of the Lebanese Diaspora". The Identity Chef. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  18. "Proyecciones nacionales y departamentales de población. 2006–2020" [National and departmental population projections. 2006–2020](PDF) (in Spanish). DANE National Statistical Service, Colombia. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  19. "No es cuento chino... ¡Apareció un dragón!". El Heraldo (in Spanish). 7 February 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  20. "Presencia de chinos en Colombia se ha duplicado en ocho años" [The presence of Chinese in Colombia has doubled in eight years]. UN News Agency | Universidad Nacional de Colombia. 20 November 2014. Archived from the original on 19 September 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  21. Radio, Redacción BLU (9 September 2018). "Chinos en Colombia: así es la vida de inmigrantes asiáticos en el país" [Chinese (people) in Colombia: How life of Asian Immigrants is in the country]. Blu Radio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  22. "Japan-Colombia Relations". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. 6 September 2024. Archived from the original on 27 August 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2024.