The

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

arrived in

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 ...

during the Spanish colonial period. Many of them were sailors,

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

s, clergy, and members of the military. Later Portuguese arrivals included

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

s in conflict with Spanish leadership. Today, the country's largest Portuguese community is concentrated 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 ...

, especially in the

Colonia Condesa Condesa or La Condesa is an area in the Cuauhtémoc borough of Mexico City, south of Zona Rosa and 4 to 5 km west of the Zócalo, the city's main square. It is immediately west of Colonia Roma, together with which it is designated as ...

, home to many restaurants and bars popular with people of Portuguese origin.

History

The first Portuguese to arrive in New Spain was Sebastián Rodríguez de Oliveira, a companion of

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...

. The Portuguese were a significant presence in New Spain, particularly during the

Iberian Union The Iberian Union is a historiographical term used to describe the period in which the Habsburg Spain, Monarchy of Spain under Habsburg dynasty, until then the personal union of the crowns of Crown of Castile, Castile and Crown of Aragon, Aragon ...

. A notable portion of the immigrants were Portuguese

Sephardi Jews Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

fleeing the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...

. Portuguese immigrants had no difficulty adapting into New Spanish society because they were

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and accountable to the

Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

for taxation. During the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

, Mexicans did not distinguish between Spanish and Portuguese colonists who were on the side of the Spanish Crown, many of whom were killed or expelled. Only those who wanted to remain loyal to The Spanish Crown were expelled or returned to the Iberian Peninsula, while others stayed and integrated into Mexican society remained and lost touch with the Old World. Portuguese immigrants were granted preferential

naturalization Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

times (requiring two years of residence instead of five) in 1993. The preferential naturalization time was granted due to historical and cultural connections and was previously given to Latin Americans (1917) and Spaniards (1939). According to the 2000

Censo General de Población y Vivienda The Censo de Población y Vivienda (''Population and Housing Census'') is the main national population census for Mexico. It is compiled by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), a decentralized agency of the Mexican Federal g ...

, there were 311 Portuguese-born residents of Mexico.

References

External links

*
Presencia portuguesa en México colonial
' {{Ethnic groups in Mexico Portuguese diaspora in Mexico

History

See also

References

External links