Spanish Costa Rican

Last updated

Spanish-Costa Rican
Hispano-Costarricense
Total population
4,726,001 (est.) (Counting a possible 75% of descendants of Spaniards, and 17% of mestizos, although 80% are of European descent)
Regions with significant populations
All Costa Rica
Languages
Costa Rican Spanish
Religion
Roman Catholicism and Protestantism
Related ethnic groups
Costa Rican people, Spanish people, White Costa Rican

Spanish Costa Rican are people from Costa Rica with Spanish ancestry from both the conquerors of the colonial period and as immigrants who arrived after independence and the Central American Federation of disunion. Historically this part of the population was called Criollo and were privileged but did not have equal rights with the Spaniards, some of them were mixed with Mestizos. Approximately 16,482 Spanish citizens living in Costa Rica for 2009. [1]

Contents

Immigration

The Spanish immigration began with the exploration of Hernán Ponce de León and Juan de Castañeda along the Pacific coast, soon after led to the native population of this region under Spanish control. Although a small number of colonists settled in Costa Rica because of the small number of Indians who inhabited the region. [2] After independence, the governors were interested in populating the territories with white workers, preferably imported from Europe. After independence, the governors were interested in populating territories with white people workers, preferably brought from Europe, banana cultivation was attracting a lot of capital and labor for the construction of the railway to the Atlantic.

Catalan Immigration

In the early twentieth century many Spaniards used Costa Rica as a bridge to move to Panama attracted by the construction of the Canal. The events in Catalonia for the same dates Catalan prompted many to migrate to Costa Rica, becoming in a few years a thriving and influential Catalan colony that persists today. This colony, located in San Jose (Costa Rica) came to consist mainly of Catalan, followed by Gallegos, Asturian and Castilian. Currently the Catalans make up most of the community of Spaniards in Costa Rica.

Canarian Immigration

Some Canarians had already settled in Costa Rica, beginning in the 16th century; a Canarian from Lanzarote island, Jose Martinez, was among the first Spanish settlers to arrive in Costa Rica in the 16th century. [3] But large-scale Canarian immigration took place in 1884, when over 8,000 Canarians emigrated to a small town when the Costa Rican government invited Canarian immigration to populate the uninhabited town. [4]

migration flows

census yearimmigrants
186441
188668
18921,033
19272,527

Costa Ricans of Spanish ancestry

Costa Rican children at a Costa Rican School. Note that many have Hispanic features. Ninos costarricenses.JPG
Costa Rican children at a Costa Rican School. Note that many have Hispanic features.

The mark on the Spanish in Costa Rican society is very large so much ethnic and cultural, about 80% of the white population is overwhelmingly of Spanish origin, and 17% of the population is mestizo (Spanish with native). According to a genetic study called "Geographic Patterns of Genome Admixture in Latin American Mestizos" the most comprehensive study of mestizo populations of Latin America and published in 2008 in the journal PLoS Genetics, and in which participated the School of Biology, University of Costa Rica, the average resident of the Central Valley of Costa Rica has 65% of European genes (42.5% Spaniards), 30% native and 5% African population. [6] In total the Spaniards contributed very largely on the genetics of Costa Ricans, being the Spanish and mestizo place greater weight in the nation (90%), other European (7%), Chinese, blacks and Arabs (2%) and communities Indians (1%).

Notable Spanish Costa Ricans

Notables Costa Ricans of Spanish descent or part Spaniard, we are taking into account those who have certain inherited Spanish blood (mestizos and lineal descendants), this inheritance are acquiring all generations of these, but now many Costa Rican Hispanics are mixed with Asians, descendants of other Europeans or with descendants of Africans.

Spanish Associations in Costa Rica

The Spaniards apart from the genetic make Costa Ricans have contributed to the culture of Costa Rica as associations and cultural centers, most are in San Jose. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Costa Rica</span> Ethnic group

This is a demographic article about Costa Rica's population, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.

<i>Mestizo</i> Spanish term to denote a person with mixed European and non-European indigenous ancestry

Mestizo is a person of mixed European and Indigenous non-European ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though their ancestors are Indigenous. The term was used as an ethno-racial exonym for mixed-race castas that evolved during the Spanish Empire. It was a formal label for individuals in official documents, such as censuses, parish registers, Inquisition trials, and others. Priests and royal officials might have classified persons as mestizos, but individuals also used the term in self-identification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paisa (region)</span> Region in northwestern Colombia; also the demonym for an inhabitant

A Paisa is someone from a region in the northwest of Colombia, including part of the West and Central cordilleras of the Andes in Colombia. The Paisa region is formed by the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío. Some regions of Valle del Cauca Department (north) and Tolima Department (west) culturally identify as paisas. The main cities of the Paisa region are Medellín, Pereira, Manizales and Armenia.

Isleños are the descendants of Canarian settlers and immigrants to present-day Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Texas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and other parts of the Americas. In these places, the name isleño was applied to the Canary Islanders to distinguish them from Spanish mainlanders known as "peninsulars". Formerly used for the general category of people, it now refers to the specific cultural identity of Canary Islanders or their descendants throughout Latin America and in Louisiana, where they are still called isleños. Another name for Canary Islander in English is "Canarian." In Spanish, an alternative is canario or isleño canario.

Desamparados is the 3rd canton in the province of San José in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of 118.26 km2, and has a population of 206,708, making it the third most populated among the 81 cantons of Costa Rica. The canton's capital city is also called Desamparados.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnic groups in Central America</span>

Central America is a subregion of the Americas formed by six Latin American countries and one (officially) Anglo-American country, Belize. As an isthmus it connects South America with the remainder of mainland North America, and comprises the following countries : Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

White Latin Americans or European Latin Americans are Latin Americans of European descent.

Canary Islanders, or Canarians, are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as habla canaria or the (dialecto) canario. The Canarians, and their descendants, played a major role during the conquest, colonization, and eventual independence movements of various countries in Latin America. Their ethnic and cultural presence is most palpable in the countries of Uruguay, Venezuela, Cuba and the Dominican Republic as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European emigration</span> European-descended people living outside Europe

European emigration is the successive emigration waves from the European continent to other continents. The origins of the various European diasporas can be traced to the people who left the European nation states or stateless ethnic communities on the European continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spaniards in Mexico</span> Ethnic group

Spanish Mexicans are citizens or residents of Mexico who identify as Spanish as a result of nationality or recent ancestry. Spanish immigration to Mexico began in the early 1500s and spans to the present day. The vast majority of Mexicans have at least partial Spanish ancestry; the Northern regions of Mexico have a higher prevalence of Spanish heritage. There are three recognized large-scale Spanish immigration waves to the territory which is now Mexico: the first arrived during the colonial period, the second during the Porfiriato and the third after the Spanish Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Chileans</span> Ethnic group

Spanish Chileans refer more often to Chileans of post-independence Spanish immigrant descent, as they have retained a Spanish cultural identity. People of pre-independence Spanish descent are usually not considered Spanish Chileans even though they form a large majority of the Chilean population and have Spanish surnames and ancestry. This is because they rejected Spanish identity for the emergent Chilean one on the eve of national independence.

Juan Leal Goraz, also called Juan Leal Gonzal, was a Spanish settler and politician who served as the first alcalde of La Villa de San Fernando, which later would become the city of San Antonio, Texas. A native of the Canary Islands, Leal went to San Antonio in 1731 leading a group of settlers from the Canary Islands to populate this municipality, founded by the Spanish government under the sponsorship of King Philip V. Leal had asserted himself as the Canarian emigrants' leader and spokesman since they left the islands. He served as alcade of San Antonio between 1731 and 1732, and again in 1735.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnic groups in Latin America</span> Overview of ethnic groups in Latin America

The inhabitants of Latin America are from a variety of ancestries, ethnic groups and races, making the region one of the most diverse in the world. The specific composition of the group varies from country to country. Many have a predominance of European-Amerindian or Mestizo population; in others, Amerindians are a majority; some are dominated by inhabitants of European ancestry; and some countries' populations have large African or Mulatto populations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costa Ricans</span> People from the country of Costa Rica

Costa Ricans are the citizens of Costa Rica, a multiethnic, Spanish-speaking nation in Central America. Costa Ricans are predominantly Castizos, other ethnic groups people of Indigenous, European, African and Asian descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Uruguayans</span> Ethnic group

Spanish settlement in Uruguay, that is the arrival of Spanish emigrants in the country known today as Uruguay, took place firstly in the period before independence from Spain and again in large numbers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This includes that a large proportion of Uruguayans are of Spanish ancestral origin.

Guido Miranda Gutiérrez was a Costa Rican civil servant and medical doctor. Miranda is credited with spearheading the effort to push the Costa Rican Department of Social Insurance from the capital of San José into smaller municipalities and rural regions.

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">Spanish settlement of Puerto Rico</span> Ethnic group

Spanish settlement of Puerto Rico began in the early 1500s shortly after the formation of the Spanish state in 1493 and continues to the present day.

Elena Gallegos Rosales was the Salvadoran-born wife of the 24th President of Costa Rica. During her tenure as first lady, she was responsible for furnishing and establishing the new Presidential House, performing charitable works, and accompanying her husband on various diplomatic trips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of the Presidency (Costa Rica)</span>

The Ministry of the Presidency is a ministry of the Republic of Costa Rica created on 24 December 1961 through Law 2980. Its work prescribed by law consists in providing support to the President of the Republic, serving as a liaison between the Presidency and the other branches of government, civil society and the various ministries.

References

  1. Censo electoral de españoles residentes en el extranjero 2009 INE-Censo cerrado. Archived 27 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2014-12-08.
  2. La conquista española y colonización Retrieved 2014-12-08.
  3. Francisco Hernández Delgado; María Dolores Rodríguez Armas (2010). "La emigración de Lanzarote y sus causas". Archivo Histórico Municipal de Teguise (www.archivoteguise.es) (in Spanish). Teguise, Lanzarote, Canary Islands: Departamento de Cultura y Patrimonio, Ayuntamiento de Teguise. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  4. Archipiélago noticias. Canarios en Chile (in Spanish: Canarians in Chile). Posted Luis León Barreto. Retrieved 21 December 2011, to 23:52 pm.
  5. Marín Araya, Guiselle (1999). "Españoles en la ciudad de San José a fines del siglo XIX y principios del XX" [Spaniards in the city of San José at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th]. Anuario de Estudios Centroamericanos. Universidad de Costa Rica: 7–31. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  6. PLOS Genetics:Geographic Patterns of Genome Admixture in Latin American Mestizos Retrieved on, 8 November 2014.
  7. Banez Garcia, Fatima. "La ciudadanía española en Costa Rica y Centroamérica". Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad. Programa Nacional de Reformas. Retrieved 8 November 2014.