Basque Argentines are
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
citizens of
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
descent or people from Basque residing in Argentina. Basque Argentines are one of the largest Basque diaspora groups in the world.
Basque settlement in Argentina took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when many immigrants arrived in Argentina from the
Basque Country.
Basque people
The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous to, and primarily i ...
had already played a large part in the conquest and development of Argentina as a Spanish colony and in its independence, including
Juan de Garay
Juan de Garay (1528–1583) was a Spanish conquistador.
Garay's birthplace is disputed. Some say it was in the city of Junta de Villalba de Losa in Castile, while others argue he was born in the area of Orduña (Basque Country). There's ...
, the founder of the capital Buenos Aires.
History
Between 1857 and 1940 more than 2 million Spanish people emigrated to Argentina, mostly from
Galicia and the Basque Country, which is a region in the western
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
mountains straddling parts of France and Spain. Both Spanish and French Basques (including
Navarra
Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
ns) arrived in Argentina as part of a wider
Basque diaspora.
Today, around 10% of the Argentine population are of Basque descent. The destination of the majority of Basque emigrants was Argentina, with Basque culture contributing much to Argentine culture.
Basque cultural influences
There are Basque cultural centres (''
Euskal Etxeak'') in most large cities, as well as pelota courts and Basque language schools. Buenos Aires has a major Basque centre, the
Laurak Bat, and a cultural foundation, the Juan de Garay Institute, named after the city's Basque founder. Politicians from the
Basque Country autonomous community
The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...
of Spain, including the ''
lehendakari'', are regular visitors to the country, and the Basque government has diplomatic representation in Argentina, currently
María Elisa Díaz de Mendibil.
Basque heritage

Many places have been given Basque names, including the
city of Ezeiza and its surrounding
partido, best known as the location of Argentina's main international airport,
Ministro Pistarini. The seaside resort of
Necochea
Necochea is a port and beach city in the southwest of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast, along the mouth of the Quequén Grande River, from Buenos Aires and southwest of Mar del Plata. T ...
is a major centre of Basque culture and also has a Basque name. Several
Presidents of Argentina have been of Basque descent, including
Justo José de Urquiza
Justo José de Urquiza y García (; October 18, 1801 – April 11, 1870) was an Argentine general and politician who served as president of the Argentine Confederation from 1854 to 1860.
Life
Justo José de Urquiza y García was bor ...
,
José Evaristo Uriburu,
Hipólito Yrigoyen,
José Félix Uriburu and
Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, not to mention other figures, notably Eva Perón,
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
,
Maxima Zorreguieta and well-known
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
players as
Julio Olarticoechea,
Sergio Goycochea or
Gonzalo Higuaín. There are an estimated 15,000 Basque surnames in Argentina.
Notable people
*
Alfredo Arrieta, military and politician, brother-in-law of
Juan Domingo Perón.
*
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
, a major figure of the Cuban Revolution.
*
Gonzalo Higuaín, professional footballer who plays for MLS club Inter Miami.
*
Aníbal Ibarra
Aníbal Ibarra (born March 1, 1958) is an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as mayor of Buenos Aires.
Biography
Ibarra was born in Lomas de Zamora, a district located in the southern region of Greater Buenos Aires. His father was a P ...
, lawyer and politician who served as mayor of Buenos Aires from 2000 to 2006.
*
Eva Perón, the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952.
*
Hipólito Yrigoyen, two-time President of Argentina.
*
Maxima Zorreguieta, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, married to King Willem-Alexander.
*
Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, former President "de facto" of Argentina
*
Sergio Goycochea, 1990 World Cup starting goalkeeper of Argentina
*
Julio Olarticoechea, former football player
*
Jorge Burruchaga, former football player
*
Mauro Burruchaga, football player
*
Pablo Zabaleta, football player for West Ham United.
*
Gabriel Goity, Actor
*
Macarena Achaga, TV personality
*
Ezequiel Garay
Ezequiel Marcelo Garay González (; born 10 October 1986) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, central defender.
He started his career with Newell's Ol ...
, footballer
*
Magdalena Mouján, mathematician and science fiction writer
*
Adolfo Zumelzú, 1928 Olympian in Argentina football team
*
Olga Zubarry, actress
*
Jorge Zorreguieta, Minister of Agriculture during the Videla Regime
*
Héctor Zelada, 1986 World Cup Winner
*
Héctor Aramburu, musician known as Atahualpa Yupanqui
*
Rogelio Yrurtia
Rogelio Yrurtia (December 6, 1879 – March 4, 1950) was a renowned Argentine sculptor of the Realist school.
Life and work
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Basque immigrants in 1879, Rogelio Yrurtia enrolled in the local Society for the ...
, sculptor
*
Bautista Ezcurra, rugby union player
*
Felipe Ezcurra, rugby union player
See also
*
Immigration to Argentina
The history of immigration to Argentina can be divided into several major stages:
* Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spanish colonization between the :es:Siglo XVI, 16th and :es:Siglo XVIII, 18th century, mostly male, largely assimilat ...
*
Argentines of European descent
*
Spanish Argentine
*
French Argentine
References
{{Authority control
*
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
Spanish diaspora in Argentina
French diaspora in Argentina