Czech Mexicans () are citizens of Mexico who are of
Czech descent. Czechs originate from the
Czech lands
The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands (, ) is a historical-geographical term which denotes the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia out of which Czechoslovakia, and later the Czech Republic and Slovakia, were formed. ...
, a term which refers to the majority of the traditional
lands of the Bohemian Crown
The Lands of the Bohemian Crown were the states in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval and early modern periods with feudalism, feudal obligations to the List of Bohemian monarchs, Bohemian kings. The crown lands primarily consisted o ...
, namely
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
,
Moravia
Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The medieval and early ...
and
Czech Silesia
Czech Silesia (; ) is the part of the historical region of Silesia now in the Czech Republic. While it currently has no formal boundaries, in a narrow geographic sense, it encompasses most or all of the territory of the Czech Republic within the ...
. These lands have been governed by a variety of states, including the
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...
, a crown land of the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
, the
Czechoslovak Republic
Czechoslovak Republic (Czech and Slovak: ''Československá republika'', ČSR), was the official name of Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1939 and between 1945 and 1960. See:
*First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938)
*Second Czechoslovak Republic ...
, and, now, the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
.
History
Jesuit missionaries
During the colonial era, there were several Bohemian
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
missionaries involved in the evangelization of
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 ...
. The first Jesuits left Bohemia for the Americas in 1678.
A notable example is Simon Boruhradsky (Hispanicized as Simón de Castro) who was part of the Viceroy's court and contributed to architectural projects.
Recent immigration
The Czech community in Mexico has been a discrete community, most of them arrived to the country as refugees escaping from World Wars. The Czech community of Mexico City frequently meets for celebrations at the statue of
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech name, Czech and Slovak name, Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas (name), Thomas. Tomáš is also a surname (feminine: Tomášová). Notable people with the name include:
Given name Sport
*Tomáš Berdych (born 198 ...
located on
Avenida Presidente Masaryk.
Notable individuals
*
Angélica Espinoza Stransky, actress
*
Juan de Esteyneffer, Jesuit missionary
*
Wenceslaus Linck, Jesuit missionary
*
Rubén Marshall Tikalova, editorial director
*
Miroslava, actress of the
Golden Age of Mexican cinema
*
Sylvia Schmelkes, sociologist
*
Sasha Sokol, actress and singer
*
Luisito Comunica (Luis Arturo Villar Sudek), YouTuber and blogger
See also
*
Czech Republic–Mexico relations
*
Norteño (music)
''Norteño'' or ''norteña'' (, ''northern''), also ''música norteña'', is a subgenre of regional Mexican music. The music is most often based on duple and triple metre and its lyrics often deal with socially relevant topics, although there ar ...
, influenced by Central European immigrants
*
Czech diaspora
The Czech diaspora refers to both historical and present emigration from the Czech Republic, as well as from the former Czechoslovakia and the Czech lands (including Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia). The country with the largest number of Czechs l ...
*
White Mexicans
References
Further reading
* Odložilík, Otakar "Czech Missionaries in New Spain", ''The Hispanic American Historical Review'', Vol. 25, No. 4 (Nov., 1945), pp. 428-454
* Polzer, Charles W. (1991).
The Jesuit Missions of Northern Mexico'. Taylor & Francis. .
* Rechcigl, Miloslav (2016).
Encyclopedia of Bohemian and Czech-American Biography' . AuthorHouse. (includes biographies of Bohemian missionaries active in colonial Mexico)
{{Ethnic groups in Mexico
Immigration to 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 ...
Ethnic groups in Mexico
Czech diaspora by country