Spanish Argentines (Spanish: hispano-argentinos) are Argentine-born citizens who are predominantly or totally of Spanish descent. The arrival of Spanish emigrants in Argentina took place first in the period before Argentina's independence from Spain, and again in large numbers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, the Spanish Empire was the sole colonial power in the territories that became Argentina after the 1816 Argentine declaration of independence. Thus, before 1850, the vast majority of European settlers in Argentina were from Spain and they carried the Spanish colonial administration, including religious affairs, government, and commercial business. A substantial Spanish descended Criollo population gradually built up in the new cities, while some mixed with the amerindians (Mestizos), with the slave population sub-saharan descended (Mulattoes) or with other European immigrants. Currently, a large part of Argentines can be considered Criollos or Castizos.
Since a great portion of the immigrants to Argentina before the mid-19th century were of Spanish descent, and a significant part of the late-19th century/early-20th century immigrants to Argentina were Spaniards, almost all Argentines are at least partly of Spanish ancestry. Indeed, the 20 most common surnames in Argentina are Spanish. The prevalence and the numerous shared cultural aspects between Argentina and Spain (the Spanish language, Roman Catholicism, Criollo/Hispanic traditions) has been mixed with other European and Latin Mediterranean cultures with the immigration to Argentina during the 20th century. This has led to a hybrid Argentine culture which is among the most distinct from traditional Spanish culture in Latin America. Furthermore, a large proportion of Spanish immigration to Argentina during the 20th century was from the North Western region of Galicia, which has a separate language and distinct culture from other parts of Spain.
History
The interplay between Argentine and Spanish culture has a long and complex history. Spanish settlements date back to 16th century, and from then on, many Criollo Spaniards populated the area of Argentina, some of whom intermarried with non-Spaniards. Spain established a permanent colony on the site of Buenos Aires in 1580, although initial settlement was primarily overland from Peru. The Spanish further integrated Argentina into their vast empire by establishing the Vice Royalty of Rio de la Plata in 1776, and Buenos Aires became a flourishing port. Argentina would become a crucial part of the Spanish Empire in South America.
The Argentine independence movement drastically changed earlier Argentine-Spanish relations. The Argentine movement for independence from Spain began in the powerful city of Buenos Aires on May 25, 1810, and the whole new country formally declared independence from Spain on July 9, 1816, in the city of San Miguel de Tucumán. Following the defeat of the Spanish, centralist and federalist groups engaged in a lengthy conflict to determine the future of the nation of Argentina. Prior to its independence, Spaniards in Argentina who were against the rule of the Spanish Empire and desired their independence came to be known as Argentines, and those who were opposed to independence continued to be identified as Spaniards. But a few generations after independence, and particularly after recent immigration, most Argentines began to see themselves as purely Argentine out of pride in their new developing nation.
Spanish immigration
A Spanish immigrant family in the town of Arias, Córdoba.Percentage of Spanish immigrants in the provinces and territories of Argentina, according to the 1914 Argentine census.
Galicians make up 70% of the Spanish post-colonial immigrant population in Argentina.[citation needed] The city with the world's second largest number of Galician people is Buenos Aires.[citation needed] Immigration from Galicia was so notable that today all Spaniards, regardless of their origin within Spain, are referred to as gallegos (Galicians) in Argentina.[3] The Argentine stereotype about gallegos is that they are dull, stubborn and stingy.[4]
Roughly 10-15% of the Argentine population are descended from Basque people, both Spanish and French, and are described as Basque Argentines. They gather in several Basque cultural centers in most of the large cities in the country. A common practice among Argentines of Basque origin is to identify themselves "French-Basques". This is because of French culture being considered more "fashionable" than Spanish among the average Argentine.
In 2013, there were 92,453 Spanish citizens born in Spain living in Argentina and another 288,494 Spanish citizens born in Argentina.[5]
While there continues to be strong interest among the population in European affairs and their European heritage, the Argentine culture today varies considerably from the Spanish much like the American or Australian cultures vary from the British.
Spanish culture has left a great mark on modern Argentine culture. Bilateral relations have always been of a privileged strategic nature. Meanwhile, prospective and all-round cooperation also experienced periods of acute disagreement. In recent years, Madrid diplomacy has been trying to regain its shaken prestige and influence over Argentina and its closest neighbors. The most significant preparations for this were made during the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America. However, despite some "warming" in relations between the countries, the former level of trust and contacts is not observed. Attempts at cultural cooperation face two significant obstacles. Firstly, Spain does not have a sufficient amount of free funds that must be invested in lending to the Argentine economy, and secondly, the “syndrome of betrayal” that Argentines feel in relation to Spain is not likely to be easily overcome.[6]
Figures
Yale university report states that 2,080,000 Spanish immigrants entered Argentina between 1857 and 1940. Spain provided 31.4% (Italy 44.9%) of all immigrants in that period.[7] Nevertheless, due to prior Spanish immigration occurring throughout the colonial period, around 20 million Argentines are descendants of Spanish to some degree, with the 20 most common surnames in the country being all from Spain.[2]
Another report gives net migration data as follows:[citation needed]
Spanish net migration to Argentina from 1857 to 1976
Year period
Spanish immigrants
1857–1860
1,819
1861–1870
15,567
1871–1880
24,706
1881–1890
134,492
1891–1900
73,551
1901–1910
488,174
1911–1920
181,478
1921–1930
232,637
1931–1940
11,286
1941–1950
110,899
1951–1960
98,801
1961–1970
9,514
1971–1976
-2,784
Total
1,380,140
Spanish-born in Argentina in 2010
Percentage of Spanish-born in Argentina by province according to the 2010 census.
The 2010 Argentine census recorded 94,030 people born in Spain. The following table shows the distribution in the 23 provinces and the capital: [8]
↑ "El estereotipo "gallego", un invento bien piola y argentino" (in Spanish). Clarín. 4 February 2009. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020. El gallego es, de acuerdo al estereotipo cristalizado en la cultura argentina, bruto, tozudo, tacaño, torpe, franco, ingenuo. Puede ser el portero o el almacenero pero nunca un artista, pensador o intelectual. Y claro, se llamará indefectiblemente José o Manuel.
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