Basque Mexicans (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''vasco-mexicanos'' or simply ''vasco'',

Euskara Basque ( ; ) is a language spoken by Basques and other residents of the Basque Country, a region that straddles the westernmost Pyrenees in adjacent parts of northern Spain and southwestern France. Basque is classified as a language isol ...

: ''euskal-mexikar'') are

Mexicans Mexicans () are the citizens and nationals of the Mexico, United Mexican States. The Mexican people have varied origins with the most spoken language being Spanish language, Spanish, but many also speak languages from 68 different Languages o ...

of full, partial, or predominantly Basque ancestry, or Basque-born persons living in Mexico. Seen in Mexico by the whole Euskalerria concept, Basque descendants can be from

Navarre 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. ...

Euskadi The Basque Country or Basque Autonomous Community (), also officially called Euskadi (), is an autonomous community in northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Araba, Bizkaia, and Gipuzkoa. It surrounds two enclaves called Treviño ...

Iparralde The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided ...

History

The first Catholic archbishop in Mexico, Juan Zumarraga, was Basque. Francisco Ibarra explored northern Mexico and founded

Nueva Vizcaya Nueva Vizcaya, officially the Province of Nueva Vizcaya (; ; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya''; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital and largest town is Bayo ...

. Fermín de Francisco Lasuén was the founder of many of the

Spanish missions in Alta California The Spanish missions in California () formed a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. The missions were established by Catholic priests of the Franciscan orde ...

. In 1907, the Basque community founded the ''Centro Vasco''. This community consisted of immigrants from

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...

Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...

and some French Basques. There was a divide between the Basque community: the first group were rural unskilled, economic emigrants that arrived in the late 19th and early 20th century and the other were political exiles of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

that tended to have technical or academic education. A notable migrant of the former group was Braulio Iriarte who immigrated to Mexico in 1877 with no education or professional experience. He began as an employee in a bakery and after years of hard work he owned 80 bakeries and a mill. This mill, El Euskaro, was founded in 1906; it was one of the largest in Mexico. He also owned

haciendas A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards) ...

Querétaro Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...

, mines in

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico :''Most, if not all, named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753–1811)'' * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coah ...

, large properties in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

and helped found various corporations, including

Grupo Modelo Grupo Modelo is a large brewery in Mexico owned by Anheuser-Busch that exports beer to most countries of the world. Its export brands include '' Corona'', ''Modelo'', and '' Pacífico''. Grupo Modelo also brews brands that are intended solely ...

Notable Basque-Mexicans

Javier Aguirre Javier Aguirre Onaindía (; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed ''El Vasco'' (The Basque), is a Mexican football Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manag ...

, Mexican former footballer and manager of Basque Origin. *

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Sor or SOR may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * School of Rock, 2003 film starring Jack Black * Shades of Rhythm, a British based rave music group * Son of Rambow, 2008 film starring Bill Milner and Will Poulter * Sor, Serdar Ortaç ...

, self-taught scholar and poet of the Baroque school, and nun of New Spain. *

Agustín de Iturbide Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu (; 27 September 178319 July 1824), commonly known as Agustín de Iturbide and later by his regnal name Agustín I, was the first Emperor of Mexico from 1822 until his abdication in 1823. An offi ...

, emperor of the First Mexican Empire. *

María Félix María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña (; 8 April 1914 – 8 April 2002) was a Mexican actress and singer. Along with Pedro Armendáriz and Dolores del Río, she was one of the most successful figures of Latin American cinema in the 1940s and ...

, Mexican actress of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. *

Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...

, Mexican film actress,

Golden Age of Hollywood Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome, Stroud#Golden Val ...

. *

Alejandro González Iñárritu Alejandro González Iñárritu (born 15 August 1963) is a Mexican filmmaker primarily known for making modern psychological drama (film genre), psychological drama films about the human condition. His most notable films include ''Amores perros ...

, filmmaker, director of the highly acclaimed '' Birdman'' and '' The Revenant''. *

Vicente Fox Vicente Fox Quesada (; born 2 July 1942) is a Mexican businessman and politician who served as the 62nd president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. After campaigning as a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist, Fox was elected president on the Nat ...

, 55th President of Mexico, of maternal Basque descent. *

Juan de Oñate Juan de Oñate y Salazar (; 1550–1626) was a Spanish conquistador, explorer and viceroy of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in the viceroyalty of New Spain, in the present-day U.S. state of New Mexico. He led early Spanish expedition ...

, New Spanish explorer, colonial governor of the New Spain province of New Mexico. *

Enrique Gorostieta Enrique Gorostieta Velarde (Monterrey, 1889 – Atotonilco el Alto, June 2, 1929) was a Mexican soldier best known for his leadership as a general during the Cristero War. Life Born in Monterrey into a prominent Mexican family of Basque descent ...

, Cristero Army general *

Francisco "Pancho" Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

, Mexican Revolutionary generals. * Mariano Abasolo, Mexican revolutionist. *

Juan Escutia ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philippi ...

, Mexican soldier. * José Alberto Aguilar Iñárritu, Mexican economist and politician * Carlos Guerrero de Lizardi, Mexican professor and researcher in economics. *

Carlos María Abascal Carranza Carlos María Abascal Carranza (Ciudad de Mexico June 14, 1949 – Ciudad de Mexico December 2, 2008), known as Carlos Abascal, was a Mexican lawyer, business leader, and politician. He was the Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of Vicen ...

, Mexican lawyer and the Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of Vicente Fox. *

Ignacio Elizondo Francisco Ignacio de Elizondo Villarreal, (born Salinas Valley, New Kingdom of León, New Spain, March 9, 1766 - died San Marcos, Texas, New Spain, c. September 12, 1813), was a royalist military officer during the Mexican war of independence ag ...

, New Spanish royalist general of the Spanish army during the Mexican War of Independence. *

Clemente Aguirre Clemente Aguirre (November 23, 1828 – October 24, 1900) was a Mexican composer, conductor, bandleader, instructor, and folksong collector active in Guadalajara, Jalisco. His father died when he was a child, leaving his family in poverty. Noneth ...

, Mexican composer and music instructor. *

José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi José Joaquín Eugenio Fernández de Lizardi Gutiérrez (November 15, 1776 – June 21, 1827) was a Mexican writer and political journalist. He is best known as the author of '' El Periquillo Sarniento'' (1816), translated into English as ''The Ma ...

, Mexican writer and political journalist. * Sergio Salvador Aguirre Anguiano, Mexican jurist and Associate Justice. * Celso Aguirre Bernal, Mexican writer and historian. *

Ricardo Legorreta Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis (May 7, 1931 – December 30, 2011) was a Mexican architect. He was a prolific designer of private houses, public buildings and master plans in Mexico, the United States and some other countries. He was awarded the pres ...

, Mexican architect. *

Luis Gatica Luis Gatica (born February 25, 1961) is a Mexican actor, son of the Chilean singer Lucho Gatica and the Puerto Rican actress Mapita Cortés. He is the uncle of fellow actor Alfredo Gatica. Biography Luis Gatica was born in Veracruz, Mexico. He ...

, Mexican actor to Chilean father of Basque descent. *

Liza Echeverría Liza Echeverría (born Linda Elizabeth Echeverría Gray on August 29, 1972) is a Mexican actress, model and television presenter. Telenovelas * ''Luz Clarita'' (1996) as Dana * '' Misión S.O.S.'' (2004) as Sirena As a host * '' Galardón a ...

, Mexican actress and model. *

Andrea Legarreta Andrea Legarreta Martínez (born 12 July 1971) is a Mexican actress and television host, she is best known as being one of the main hosts of the TV morning show ''Hoy''. She was married to the singer Erik Rubín Erik Rubín Milanszenko ...

, Mexican actress and TV host. *

Ramón Músquiz Don Ramón Músquiz (1797–1867) was the political chief of Texas from 1828 to 1834 and in 1835. He promoted the expansion into Texas and peaceful relations of its population, regardless of their origins. Músquiz was also appointed governor of ...

, Mexican governor of Texas from 1830 to 1831 and in 1835. *

Ricardo Pozas Arciniega Ricardo Pozas Arciniega (May 4, 1912, Amealco de Bonfil, Querétaro – January 19, 1994, Mexico City) was a distinguished Mexican anthropologist, scientific investigator and indigenista. He wrote the classic anthropological works ''Juan P� ...

, Mexican anthropologist, scientific investigator and indigenista. * Carlos Emilio Orrantía, Mexican footballer. * Guillermo Iberio Ortiz Mayagoitia, Mexican jurist and Supreme Court Justice. * Manuel Rueda Chapital, Mexican lawyer and his five sons and daughters, Maria Luisa, Patricia, Gabriela, Manuel Jr, and Mauricio *

Manuel Peláez Manuel Peláez Gorrochotegui (1885–1959) was a Mexican military officer, noteworthy for his participation in the Mexican Revolution of 1910 to 1920. Manuel Peláez was born in 1885 in the Huasteca region of the state of Veracruz, in the c ...

, Mexican military officer. *

Hilda Gaxiola Hilda Gaxiola Álvarez (born July 14, 1972 in Guamúchil, Sinaloa) is a female beach volleyball player from Mexico, who won the silver medal in the women's beach team competition at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republi ...

, Mexican female beach volleyball player. *

Venustiano Carranza José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza (; 29 December 1859 – 21 May 1920), known as Venustiano Carranza, was a Mexican land owner and politician who served as President of Mexico from 1917 until his assassination in 1920, during the Mexican Re ...

, 44th President of Mexico from 1917 to 1920. *

Luis Echeverría Luis Echeverría Álvarez (; 17 January 1922 – 8 July 2022) was a Mexican lawyer, academic, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 57th president of Mexico from 1970 to 1976. Previously, ...

, 50th President of Mexico from 1970 to 1976. * Yuridia Francisca Gaxiola Flores, Mexican singer of Basque ancestry. * Alberto Andrés Alvarado Arámburo, Mexican politician. * Jorge Ibargüengoitia, Mexican novelist and playwright. *

Dolores Heredia Dolores Heredia Lerma (; born October 6, 1966) is a Mexican actress. Personal life She is the seventh of ten children who grew up in La Paz, Baja California Sur. Her mother was a photographer from Sinaloa, Lusiana Kornal and her father was a ...

, Mexican actress. *

Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta (2 March 1895 – 23 September 1972) was a Mexican businessman, known for founding the entertainment conglomerate Telesistema Mexicano (now Televisa). Early life Azcárraga was born on 2 March 1895 in Tampico, Ta ...

, Mexican businessman. *

Ángel César Mendoza Arámburo Ángel César Mendoza Arámburo (15 December 1934 – 25 March 2014)Mariana Ochoa, Mexican singer *

María Asunción Aramburuzabala María Asunción Aramburuzabala Larregui (born 2 May 1963) is a Mexican billionaire businesswoman. She is the chairperson of Tresalia Capital, a venture capital firm. As of March 2022, her net worth is estimated at US$6.2 billion. Early life ...

, Mexican billionaire businesswoman. *

Susana Zabaleta Susana Zabaleta Ramos (; born 30 September 1964) is a Mexican soprano singer and actress. Early life Born in Monclova, Coahuila, she moved to Mexico City in 1985. In 1986 she performed in the Sala Ollín Yoliztli and interpreted opera perform ...

, Mexican actress and singer * DJ Trevi, DJ, producer, composer, and actor *

Ángel César Mendoza Arámburo Ángel César Mendoza Arámburo (15 December 1934 – 25 March 2014)Guillermo Ochoa Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Magaña (; born 13 July 1985), commonly known as "Memo Ochoa", is a Mexican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Primeira Liga club AVS Futebol ...

, Mexican footballer.

References

{{Ethnic groups in Mexico *

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...