Corsican immigration to Venezuela
Encyclopedia
Corsicans coming from the regions of Cap Corse and La Castagniccia started arriving in the first third of 19th Century and settled mainly in the coastal towns of Carúpano
and Rio Caribe
. Known locally as Los Corsos, Corsicans played a central role in the development of the cocoa industry in Venezuela
. Around the 1950s many Corsican families left Paria and settled in Caracas
, and have been active in politics, commerce, medicine and the arts.
.
The first wave of Corsicans arrived in the Venezuelan region of Paria around 1830. Antonio Oletta, Francisco and Cayetano Morandi, José Vicente Franceschi and Juan Bautista Lucca were some of the first Corsicans to settle in the town of Carúpano
. Once in Paria, many Corsicans founded cocoa exporting firms, most notable being that of the Franceschi & Co, established in 1830 and still existing today, making it one of Venezuela's oldest companies.
There were two other significant waves of immigration at the end the 19th century. While most of them went to Carúpano
, where there was already a well established Corsican-Venezuelan community, others settled in the towns of Barcelona
and Ciudad Bolivar
. The Corsos controlled the Venezuelan cocoa bean trade and modernized many of the towns were they lived.
The port facilities, road improvements and a telegraph cable that connected Carúpano with Marseille
were some of the projects put forward by the Corsicans in Carúpano.
Carúpano
Carúpano is a city in the eastern Venezuelan state of Sucre. It is located on the Venezuelan Caribbean coast at the opening of two valleys, some 120 km east of the capital of Sucre, Cumaná...
and Rio Caribe
Río Caribe
Río Caribe is a colorful fishing town located 22 kilometers from Carúpano, Sucre State, in Eastern Venezuela. It is the capital city of the Arismendi municipality.- History :...
. Known locally as Los Corsos, Corsicans played a central role in the development of the cocoa industry in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Around the 1950s many Corsican families left Paria and settled in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, and have been active in politics, commerce, medicine and the arts.
Historical background
During the reign of Napoleon III Corsica suffered a decline in agricultural production (particularly in the wine, olive and chestnut industries) due to unfair trade practices imposed by France. That coupled with a population boom due to the eradication of malaria in coastal areas, forced many Corsican families to emigrate to the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
The first wave of Corsicans arrived in the Venezuelan region of Paria around 1830. Antonio Oletta, Francisco and Cayetano Morandi, José Vicente Franceschi and Juan Bautista Lucca were some of the first Corsicans to settle in the town of Carúpano
Carúpano
Carúpano is a city in the eastern Venezuelan state of Sucre. It is located on the Venezuelan Caribbean coast at the opening of two valleys, some 120 km east of the capital of Sucre, Cumaná...
. Once in Paria, many Corsicans founded cocoa exporting firms, most notable being that of the Franceschi & Co, established in 1830 and still existing today, making it one of Venezuela's oldest companies.
There were two other significant waves of immigration at the end the 19th century. While most of them went to Carúpano
Carúpano
Carúpano is a city in the eastern Venezuelan state of Sucre. It is located on the Venezuelan Caribbean coast at the opening of two valleys, some 120 km east of the capital of Sucre, Cumaná...
, where there was already a well established Corsican-Venezuelan community, others settled in the towns of Barcelona
Barcelona, Anzoátegui
Barcelona is the capital of Anzoátegui State, Venezuela and was founded in 1671. Together with Puerto La Cruz, Lecheria and Guanta, Barcelona forms one of the most important urban areas of Venezuela with a population of approximately 950,000.-History:...
and Ciudad Bolivar
Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. It was founded with the name Angostura in 1764, renamed in 1846, and, as of 2010, had an estimated population of 350,691....
. The Corsos controlled the Venezuelan cocoa bean trade and modernized many of the towns were they lived.
In 1876, four companies -Franceschi & Cia., Massiani & Cia., Lucca Raffalli Bros., represented almost 90% of the export of cocoa carried out during that year. Nearly half a century later, in 1921, five companies -Franceschi & Cia., Prosperi & Cia. (founded 1890), Antoni Brothers, Benedetti Brothers (founded 1889) and Raffalli Brothers still represented 80% of the export trade for cocoa from Carúpano. (Harwich Vallenilla, Nikita. La red comercial corsa. 1991)
The port facilities, road improvements and a telegraph cable that connected Carúpano with Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
were some of the projects put forward by the Corsicans in Carúpano.
Distinguished Venezuelans of Corsican Descent
- Arturo Uslar PietriArturo Uslar PietriArturo Uslar Pietri , was a Venezuelan intellectual, lawyer, journalist, writer, television producer and politician.- Life :...
(May 16, 1906 – February 26, 2001) – writer, intellectual, political thinker, winner of the Miguel Cervantes Award - Raúl LeoniRaúl LeoniRaúl Leoni Otero was President of Venezuela from 1964 until 1969. He fought against the dictators Juan Vicente Gómez and Marcos Pérez Jiménez, and was a charter member of the Acción Democrática party....
(April 24, 1905 - July 5, 1972) – President of Venezuela, 1964–1969
See also
- Corsican people
- Corsican immigration to Puerto RicoCorsican immigration to Puerto RicoCorsican immigration to Puerto Rico came about as a result of various economic and political changes in the mid-19th century Europe; among those factors were the social-economic changes which came about in Europe as a result of the Second Industrial Revolution, political discontent and widespread...
- History of VenezuelaHistory of VenezuelaThis article discusses the history of Venezuela. See also the history of South America.-Pre-Columbian period:Archeologists have discovered evidence of the earliest known inhabitants of the Venezuelan area in the form of leaf-shaped flake tools, together with chopping and plano–convex scraping...
- List of Corsicans