French Mexican
Encyclopedia
A French Mexican is a Mexican
citizen of full or partial French
ancestry. Mexicans of French descent make up the second largest European descended group in Mexico, after the Spanish.
The French are a nationality, not a race or ethnicity, stated by the French government. Many French settlers into Mexico were of Occitan and Provençal
-speaking background and their languages were threatened with extinction by policies in the late 19th century.
Many Mexicans of French descent live in cities and states such as Zacatecas
, San Luis Potosí
, Aguascalientes
, Veracruz
, Guanajuato
, Guadalajara
, Puebla
and Mexico City
, where French surnames such as Chairez or Chaires, Derbez, Bethancourt, Arnaud, Ricaud, Dreyfus, Clerc, Clariond, Blanc, Toussaint, Dumas, Girault, Meillon, Michel, Montfort, Luquin and Deschamps can be found.
, headed by Maximilian I of Mexico
and masterminded by Emperor Napoleon III of France in the 1860s to create a Latin empire in the New World (indeed responsible for coining the term or Amérique latine, or 'Latin America
'). Emperor Maximilian's consort, Carlota of Mexico
, a Belgian princess, was a granddaughter of Louis-Philippe of France.
, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
. Between 1850 and 1950, 5,000 to 6,000 inhabitants of the Ubaye Valley
immigrated to Mexico. Many established textile businesses between Mexico and France. While 90% stayed in Mexico, some returned to Barcelonette, and from 1880 to 1930, built grand mansions called Maisons Mexicaines and left a mark upon the city. Today, there are 60,000 descendants of the "Barcelonnettes".
, Haute-Marne
, Côte-d'Or
and Yonne
settled in a colony called Jicaltepec, in the state of Veracruz
. In 1874, the community resettled on the other bank of the river, in San Rafael. From 1880 to 1900 the population of the colony grew from 800 to 1,000 inhabitants. There are now around 10,000 French Mexicans in the state of Veracruz.
(Forces Françaises Libres) officer to enter Paris on the day when the city was liberated from the Nazis on August 26, 1944.
”, it originated during French Napoleonic rule in the 1860s and French settler families used the music during weddings, hence the name “Mariachi”.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
citizen of full or partial French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
ancestry. Mexicans of French descent make up the second largest European descended group in Mexico, after the Spanish.
The French are a nationality, not a race or ethnicity, stated by the French government. Many French settlers into Mexico were of Occitan and Provençal
Provençal
Provençal may refer to:*Provençal, meaning "of Provence", a region of France*Provençal dialect, a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the south-east of France*Provençal, meaning the whole Occitan language...
-speaking background and their languages were threatened with extinction by policies in the late 19th century.
Migration history
The bulk of French immigrants arrived in Mexico during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Between 1850 and 1914, Mexico received thousands of French immigrants. French people in modern Mexico form the fourth largest immigrant community in Mexico after Americans, Lebanese and Spaniards. There are around 9,500 French nationals registered in Mexico and about 6,000 to 7,000 Frenchmen unregistered. Two thirds of them are Mexicans of French ancestry holding double nationality.Many Mexicans of French descent live in cities and states such as Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
, San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
, Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
, Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
, Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
, Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
and Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, where French surnames such as Chairez or Chaires, Derbez, Bethancourt, Arnaud, Ricaud, Dreyfus, Clerc, Clariond, Blanc, Toussaint, Dumas, Girault, Meillon, Michel, Montfort, Luquin and Deschamps can be found.
Second Mexican Empire
Most French Mexicans descend from immigrants and soldiers that settled in Mexico during the Second Mexican EmpireSecond Mexican Empire
The Second Mexican Empire was the name of Mexico under the regime established from 1864 to 1867. It was created by Napoleon III of France, who attempted to use the Mexican adventure to recapture some of the grandeur of earlier Napoleonic times...
, headed by Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
and masterminded by Emperor Napoleon III of France in the 1860s to create a Latin empire in the New World (indeed responsible for coining the term or Amérique latine, or 'Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
'). Emperor Maximilian's consort, Carlota of Mexico
Charlotte of Belgium
Charlotte of Belgium is remembered today as Carlota of Mexico as empress consort of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, ex-Archduke of Austria.-Princess of Belgium:The only daughter of Leopold I, King of the Belgians by his second wife,...
, a Belgian princess, was a granddaughter of Louis-Philippe of France.
The "Barcelonnettes"
The largest wave of immigration from France to Mexico came from the city of BarcelonnetteBarcelonnette
Barcelonnette is a commune in the Ubaye Valley, in the southern French Alps, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, of which it is a subprefecture.-History:...
, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is a French department in the south of France, it was formerly part of the province of Provence.- History :Nord-de-Provence was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
. Between 1850 and 1950, 5,000 to 6,000 inhabitants of the Ubaye Valley
Ubaye Valley
The Ubaye Valley is an area in the Alpes de Haute-Provence département, in the French Alps and has approximately 7,700 residents. Its residents are called Ubayens. Its chief town is the sous-préfecture of Barcelonnette....
immigrated to Mexico. Many established textile businesses between Mexico and France. While 90% stayed in Mexico, some returned to Barcelonette, and from 1880 to 1930, built grand mansions called Maisons Mexicaines and left a mark upon the city. Today, there are 60,000 descendants of the "Barcelonnettes".
French settlement in Veracruz
In 1833, 98 persons coming from Haute-SaôneHaute-Saône
Haute-Saône is a French department of the Franche-Comté région, named after the Saône River.- History :The department was created in the early years of the French Revolution through the application of a law dated 22 December 1789, from part of the former province of Franche-Comté...
, Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne is a department in the northeast of France named after the Marne River.-History:Haute-Marne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or is a department in the eastern part of France.- History :Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was formed from part of the former province of Burgundy.- Geography :...
and Yonne
Yonne
Yonne is a French department named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Burgundy in eastern France and its prefecture is Auxerre. Its official number is 89....
settled in a colony called Jicaltepec, in the state of Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
. In 1874, the community resettled on the other bank of the river, in San Rafael. From 1880 to 1900 the population of the colony grew from 800 to 1,000 inhabitants. There are now around 10,000 French Mexicans in the state of Veracruz.
Numbers
| French net migration to Mexico from 1857 to 1976 | |
|---|---|
| Year period | French immigrants |
| 1857–1860 | 578 |
| 1861–1870 | 4,292 |
| 1871–1880 | 10,706 |
| 1881–1890 | 69,363 |
| 1891–1900 | 11,395 |
| 1901–1910 | 11,862 |
| 1911–1920 | -1,352 |
| 1921–1930 | 739 |
| 1931–1940 | 626 |
| 1941–1950 | 5,538 |
| 1951–1960 | 934 |
| 1961–1970 | 1,266 |
| 1971–1976 | 85 |
| Total | 116,032 |
Involvement in World War II
Jean René Champion, a Mexican of French ancestry, was the first Free French ForcesFree French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
(Forces Françaises Libres) officer to enter Paris on the day when the city was liberated from the Nazis on August 26, 1944.
French contributions to Mexican society
The French introduced cultural traits adopted by the Mexican culture, such as the famed music art form “MariachiMariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
”, it originated during French Napoleonic rule in the 1860s and French settler families used the music during weddings, hence the name “Mariachi”.
Notable Franco-Mexicano
- Luis G. AbbadieLuis G. AbbadieLuis G. Abbadie is a Mexican writer specializing in horror, paganism, pseudobibliographies and paramythologies, including horror and fantasy short stories. He has contributed frequently to the Cthulhu Mythos....
, Mexican writer. - Diego RamírezDiego Ramírez (footballer)Diego Ramírez Deschamps is a Mexican football defender currently playing for Atlante F.C., in the Primera División de México.Ramírez began his career with Atlante, debuting on February 5, 2000 in a 4-0 loss to Puebla F.C.....
, Mexican footballer. - Ángel NavarroÁngel NavarroÁngel Navarro was a leading early Spanish settler and patriarch of San Antonio, Texas. Navarro family played a prominent role in the Mexican and Texas revolutions. He was born in Corsica in 1758 and settled in Texas in 1769....
, French-born leading Spanish settler in New Spain. - Montserrat OlivierMontserrat OlivierMontserrat Oliver is a Mexican fashion model, business entrepreneur, actress, and talk-show host.-Life and career:Oliver started her modeling career at the age of 16...
, Mexican actress, television presenter and former fashion model. - León AillaudLeón AillaudLeón Aillaud Barreiro was an Interim Governor of the Mexican State of Veracruz in the period from June 22, 1911, to December 12, 1911.- Early years :Born in the city and port of Veracruz, in the year 1880...
, Mexican Governor of Veracruz. - Laurette SéjournéLaurette SéjournéLaurette Séjourné was a Mexican archeologist and ethnologist best known for her study of the civilizations of Teotihuacan and the Aztecs and her theories concerning the Mesoamerican culture hero, Quetzalcoatl....
, Italian-born Mexican archeologist and ethnologist of French descent. - José YoushimatzJosé YoushimatzJosé Manuel Youshimatz is a retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer from Mexico, who represented his native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. There he won the bronze medal in the men's points race behind Belgium's Roger Ilegems and West Germany's Uwe Messerschmidt...
, Mexican-born American retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer of French descent. - Frédéric-Yves JeannetFrédéric-Yves JeannetFrédéric-Yves Jeannet is a writer and professor of French origin who emigrated to Mexico in his youth. He was born in Grenoble, France, in 1959 and left it in 1975. Jeannet earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in comparative literature at the University of Grenoble. He then lived in London until 1977,...
, French-born Mexican writer and professor. - Belinda, Spanish-born Mexican singer, songwriter and actress of French descent.
- Elizabeth KatzElizabeth KatzElizabeth Katz is a Mexican actress and former model. She was born in France.After obtaining a small role in the telenovela La casa al final de la calle on Televisa she obtained the role of a French model in Amor de Nadie a production starred by Lucía Méndez and Fernando Allende...
, Mexican actress and former model of French descent. - Linda ChristianLinda ChristianLinda Christian was a Mexican movie actress, who appeared in Mexican and Hollywood films. Her career reached its peak in the 1940s and 1950s. She played Mara in the last Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan film Tarzan and The Mermaids...
, Mexican movie actress of French descent. - Gustavo HuetGustavo HuetGustavo Huet Bobadilla was an athlete from Mexico. He was born in Mexico City, Mexico. He competed in shooting and represented Mexico at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He won a silver medal in the Men's 50 meter rifle, prone.-References:...
, Mexican-born American athlete of French descent. - Eugenio ToussaintEugenio ToussaintEugenio Toussaint Uhtohff , was a Mexican composer, arranger and jazz musician.He began playing as a pianist in 1972 with the band "Odradek". In 1975, he took part in the jazz band "Blue Note" and a year later he founded the Mexican band "Sacbé", one of the most important Mexican jazz bands...
, Mexican composer, arranger and jazz musician. - Eugène GoupilEugène GoupilCharles Eugène Espidon Goupil was a French Mexican philanthropist and collector.In 1889 he bought Joseph Marius Alexis Aubin's collection of 384 Mesoamerican manuscripts. On May 14, 1864, he married Augustine Élie...
, French-born Mexican philanthropist and collector. - Roberto Heinze FlamandRoberto Heinze FlamandRoberto Heinze Flamand is a Mexican sprint canoer who competed in the early to mid 1990s. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, he was eliminated in the repechages of the K-1 500 m event. Four years later in Atlanta, Flamand was eliminated in the repechages of the K-2 500 m event.-References:*...
, Mexican sprint canoer of French descent. - Miirrha AlhambraMiirrha AlhambraPauline Joutard was a French-born pianist who performed under the stage name Miirrha Alhambra.Her sister Flora Joutard and she had studied in Bad Homburg before touring Europe and South America together in the early 1900s...
, French-born Mexican pianist. - Ramón ArnaudRamón ArnaudCaptain Ramón Arnaud Vignon was an officer in the Mexican Army and the last Mexican governor of Clipperton Island.- Early years and military enlistment:...
, Mexican Army and the last Mexican governor of Clipperton Island of French descent. - Alberto BaillèresAlberto BaillèresAlberto Baillères is the son of Raúl Bailleres. He is today the second richest man in Mexico, and fourth in Latin America, according to Forbes Magazine.-Overview:...
, Third richest man in Mexico. - Alberto Ruz LhuillierAlberto Ruz LhuillierAlberto Ruz Lhuillier was a Mexican archaeologist. He specialized in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archaeology and is well-known for leading the National Institute of Anthropology and History excavations at the Maya site of Palenque, where he found the tomb of the Maya ruler, Pakal...
, French-born Mexican archaeologist. - Emilio Azcárraga JeanEmilio Azcárraga JeanEmilio Fernando Azcárraga Jean or Emilio Azcarraga III, is a Mexican businessman and the son of Emilio Azcárraga Milmo and his third wife, Nadine Jean a French citizen....
, Mexican businessman of French descent. - Francisco Romano GuilleminFrancisco Romano GuilleminFrancisco Romano Guillemín was a Mexican artist born in Tlapa, Guerrero. He is considered to be one of the few Mexican Impressionists. He started his art studies in Puebla and then continued at the Academia de San Carlos under the direction of Antonio Fabres, German Gedovius and Leandro Izaguirre....
, Mexican artist of French descent. - Pita AmorPita AmorGuadalupe Teresa Amor Schmidtlein , who wrote as Pita Amor, was a Mexican poet. She was born in Mexico City, the youngest child of a family with seven children, of mixed French, German and Spanish ancestry, a member of the Mexican aristocracy...
, Mexican poet of French descent. - Aracely ArámbulaAracely ArámbulaAracely Arámbula Jacques is a Mexican actress, model and singer.- Biography :Arámbula was born March 6, 1975 in the city of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. She was noticed for the first time in 1993 when she was chosen for the "Rostro del Heraldo de México". Arámbula also writes songs and plays guitar...
, Mexican actress, model and singer of French and Basque descent. - Ralph HeinzeRalph HeinzeRalph Heinze Flamand is a Mexican sprint canoer who has competed in the mid 1990s. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, he was eliminated in the repechages of the K-2 500 m event.-Reference:*...
, Mexican sprint canoer of French descent. - Saturnino HerránSaturnino HerránSaturnino Herrán Guinchard was a Mexican painter. His mother's name was Josefa Guinchard. In 1897 he took private drawing lessons in his native city and in 1901 entered the Aguascalientes Academy of Science. He took classes with José Inés Tovilla and Severo Amador, who taught him drawing and...
, Mexican painter. - Claude HellerClaude HellerClaude Heller Rouassant is the current Ambassador for Mexico to the United Nations and the Security Council. He has been Mexico's Ambassador to France, Cuba, Austria and Switzerland...
, Mexican Ambassador for Mexico of German and French descent. - Manuel ClouthierManuel ClouthierManuel de Jesús Clouthier del Rincón, also known as Maquío was a Mexican businessman and politician affiliated to the conservative National Action Party...
, Mexican businessman and politician - Edgar de EviaEdgar de EviaEdgar Domingo Evia y Joutard, known professionally as Edgar de Evia , was a Mexican-born American photographer....
, Mexican-born American photographer. - Ignacio ComonfortIgnacio ComonfortIgnacio Gregorio Comonfort de los Ríos was a Mexican politician and military officer who served as President of Mexico....
, Mexican politician and military officer, 25th President of Mexico to French parent. - Lourdes GrobetLourdes GrobetLourdes Grobet Argüelles is a contemporary Mexican photographer, best known for her photographs of Mexican Lucha libre wrestlers.-Biography:...
, Mexican photographer. - Elena PoniatowskaElena PoniatowskaElena Poniatowska is a Mexican journalist and author. Her generation of writers include Carlos Fuentes, José Emilio Pacheco and Carlos Monsiváis.-Life:Poniatowska was born in Paris to Prince Jean Joseph Evremont Sperry Poniatowski and Paula Amor Yturbe...
, French-born Mexican journalist and author of Polish, French and Mexican nobility descent. - Eduardo TroconisEduardo TroconisEduardo Troconis is a Mexican race car driver. He is a two-time Formula 3 International champion and a Rookie of the Year Award winner in the Indy Lights de las Americas and Formula Vee Series. Troconis has also competed in the NASCAR Mexico Series and Desafio Corona Series.-External links:*...
, Mexican race car driver. - Michelito LagravereMichelito LagravereMichel Lagravere Peniche , better known as Michelito, is a French Mexican child bullfighter.The son of French-born former matador Michel Lagravere and Mexican Diana Peniche Marenco, Michelito claims to have started bullfighting at the age of five, and credits his love for the sport to being...
, Mexican child bullfighter to French father. - Antonio Enríquez SavignacAntonio Enríquez SavignacJ. Antonio Enríquez Savignac was a Mexican politician who served as Secretary of Tourism in the cabinet of President Miguel de la Madrid and as Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization .-Education:Enríquez held a bachelor's degree in administration from the University of...
, Mexican politician. - Raúl Fernández, Mexican basketball player.
- Angelique BoyerAngelique BoyerAngelique Boyer is a French-born Mexican actress, model, and singer. She started her career playing secondary roles in the telenovelas Rebelde, Muchachitas como tú, and Corazón Salvaje. In 2010, she was given her first protagonist role in Teresa, a remake of the 1959 telenovela of the same name...
, Mexican, french born telenovela actress. - Luis Ernesto MichelLuis Ernesto MichelLuis Ernesto Michel Vergara is a Mexican professional footballer who currently plays in Guadalajara of Primera División de México as a goalkeeper. Michel stands at and weighs 75 kilos.-Club career:...
, Mexican goalkeeper for Chivas de Guadalajara of French descent on his fathers side.