Croatian Uruguayans are

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

migrants to

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

and their descendants. The first Croats reached the Río de la Plata region during the second half of the 18th century; the biggest inflow of immigrants was mostly during the first half of the 20th century. They established their own institutions, such as the Croatian Home. According to estimates from the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, there are some 3,300 people of Croat descent living in Uruguay, whereas other estimates place the figure at around 5,000. In 2006, author and politician Eduardo R. Antonich published the monograph ''Hrvatska i Hrvati u Urugvaju'' (English: Croatia and Croats in Uruguay), which explores the history of the Croatian community within Uruguay.

History

The earliest records of Croatian settlers in Uruguay date back to the 18th century, referring to

sailors A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...

who abandoned

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetians might refer to: * Masters of Venetian painting in 15th-16th centuries * ...

and

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 ...

ships and settled in the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...

region. The oldest known testimony on this matter is the will of Šimun Matulić from 1790, in which he states that he was born on the island of

Brač Brač is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, with an area of , making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. It is separated from the mainland by the Brač Channel, which is wide.Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

to several individuals with Croatian surnames to care for his holdings. At the end of the 19th century, within the framework of Uruguay's open

immigration policy Immigration law includes the national statutes, regulations, and legal precedents governing immigration into and deportation from a country. Strictly speaking, it is distinct from other matters such as naturalization and citizenship, although the ...

, there was a more significant influx of Croatians to Uruguay, primarily from the

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

region. Most settled in Montevideo, although small communities were established in places like

Conchillas Conchillas (, ) is a small industrial town located within the Colonia Department, in southwestern Uruguay. Geography The town is located on the coast of Río de la Plata near the stream Arroyo Conchillas, northwest of Colonia del Sacramento, the ...

and Carmelo in the

Colonia Department Colonia () is a department of southwestern Uruguay. Its capital is Colonia del Sacramento, the country's second-oldest city. Geography Climate Colonia has an annual average temperature of 20.4 °C (68.7 °F). In winter it has an averag ...

, where they engaged in

maritime transportation Maritime transport (or ocean transport) or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by watercraft has been widely used throughout recorded history, as it provi ...

. In 1928, the ''Hogar Croata de Montevideo'' (English: Croatian Home of Montevideo) was founded, an association aimed at promoting Croatian culture, language, and traditions, as well as bringing together immigrants and their descendants. However, for much of the 20th century, the ''Sociedad Yugoslava Bratstvo del Uruguay'' (English: Yugoslav Brotherhood Society of Uruguay) was composed mainly of ethnic Croats, along with

Montenegrins Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

Bosnians Bosnians (Serbo-Croatian language, Serbo-Croatian: / ; / , / ) are people native to the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially the region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia. The term ''Bosnian'' refers to all inhabitants/citizens of the coun ...

, and

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( ), are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, Slovenian culture, culture, and History of Slove ...

, but ceased operations in the 1990s due to the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

. Politically, much of the Croatian community in Uruguay opposed the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...

since the

treaties of Rome The Treaty of Rome, or EEC Treaty (officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community), brought about the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC), the best known of the European Communities (EC). The treaty was signe ...

ceded the Dalmatia region—where most Croatian immigrants in Uruguay originated—to

Fascist Italy Fascist Italy () is a term which is used in historiography to describe the Kingdom of Italy between 1922 and 1943, when Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship. Th ...

. Additionally, following the

Tito–Stalin split The Tito–Stalin split or the Soviet–Yugoslav split was the culmination of a conflict between the political leaderships of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, under Josip Broz Tito and Joseph Stalin, respectively, in the years following World W ...

in the years after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, members of the ''Hogar Croata de Montevideo'' sided with

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

, the Leader of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1980, while those of the ''Sociedad Yugoslava Bratstvo del Uruguay'' supported

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

Notable people

File:AntonioLussich.jpg, Antonio Lussich File:Margarita Percovich - Declaración de Ciudadana Ilustre - 2016.jpg,

Margarita Percovich María Margarita Percovich Aldabe (born 21 January 1941) is an Uruguayan former politician and activist. A member of the Broad Front, she served as Senator of the Republic from 2005 to 2010 and as National Representative from 2000 to 2005. She ...

File:Julio Ribas en Penarol.jpg,

Julio César Ribas Julio César Ribas Vlacovich (born 8 January 1957) is a Uruguayan association football manager and former footballer. He is the current manager of River Plate Montevideo. Career as manager Ribas was appointed the manager of Primera Division U ...

File:27 de enero Secretario General, Ernesto Samper Pizano, recibió en UNASUR a Presidentes de la CELAC (cropped).jpg,

Raúl Fernando Sendic Raul, Raúl, Raül, and Raüll are forms of a common first name in Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan. The name is cognate of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph and the French R ...

File:Vilardebo detalle.jpg, Teodoro Vilardebó Matulić ;Past * Nancy Guguich es">:es:Nancy_Guguich">es/small> (1944–2021), vocalist * Antonio Lussich (1848–1928), sailor, writer and naturalist * Arturo Lussich (1872–1966), physician and politician *

Raúl Sendic Raúl Sendic Antonaccio (March 16, 1926 – April 28, 1989) was a Uruguayan lawyer, trade unionist and founder of the National Liberation Movement – Tupamaros (MLN–T). After beginning his legal career organising agricultural workers and ag ...

(1926–1989), politician and guerrilla leader * Teodoro Vilardebó Matulić es">:es:Teodoro_Vilardebó_Matulić">es/small> (1803–1856), physician ;Present *Jorge Jukich (born 1943), Olympic cyclist *

Rodrigo Lussich Rodrigo () is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name ''Roderick'' ( Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the last ...

es">:es:Rodrigo_Lussich">es/small> (born 1972), television personality *

Esteban Ostojich Esteban Daniel Ostojich Vega (born 12 April 1982) is a Uruguayan Association football, football Referee (association football), referee. He has been a FIFA International Referees List, FIFA international referee since 2016. Refereeing career Os ...

(born 1982), football referee *

(born 1941), politician and activist * Mariana Percovich (born 1963), politician and activist * Julio César Ribas Vlacovich (born 1957), footballer manager *

(born 1962), politician,

Vice President of Uruguay The vice president of Uruguay is the person with the second highest position in the executive branch of the Uruguayan government, after the President of Uruguay. The vice president replaces the elected President in case of his death or absence. Th ...

between 2015–2017

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Croatians In Uruguay

European diaspora in Uruguay * Croatia–Uruguay relations

History

Notable people

See also

References

External links