The ethnic groups of Veracruz are varied and of different origins. Due to the location of the state and its proximity to the sea, Veracruz is considered a crossroads of different cultures, among which the African, the European and the indigenous aboriginal stand out.
Veracruz is one of the 31 states that make up the United States of Mexico. It is located in the southeast of the country and is divided into 10 administrative regions, made up of 212 municipalities.
Veracruz has about 8 million inhabitants according to the 2010 census and has a territorial extension that covers about 3.7% of the national territory, with 71,820 km 2.
The port of Veracruz was the gateway for the different races that inhabit that state. Since colonial times and until more recent dates, it has received Spanish colonizers, slaves, sailors and immigrants from different parts of the world, especially Europe.
The mixture of cultures and races is manifested in the traditions, music, gastronomy and in the idiosyncrasy of the Veracruz people.
The 3 main ethnic groups of Veracruz
1- Europeans
At the end of the 19th century, the government of Mexico decided to implement policies to repopulate some areas of the territory of Veracruz and opened the doors to hundreds of people of European origin.
In the middle of the 20th century, 25 thousand Spanish citizens arrived at the port of Veracruz. Added to those who had arrived since colonial times, they make the Spanish community the most important in the region.
Their customs are deeply rooted in the state in the political, religious and cultural spheres. Between 1858 and 1924, more than 3,800 immigrants of Italian origin arrived at the port of Veracruz.
Currently, more than 85 thousand descendants of Italians live in Veracruz, distributed throughout the entire state.
More than 50 thousand French descendants live in this state. 5,000 citizens of Lebanese origin also arrived at its port, who dispersed throughout the region.
So did more than 10,000 Jews and as many Germans who are among the inhabitants of this vast region.
2- African Americans
They constitute a very important part of the culture of the area: both in folklore and in customs and gastronomy.
They arrived at the port of Veracruz as slaves, brought by the Spanish in colonial times, but also from the islands of the Antilles.
There is a considerable presence of zambos, mulatos and pardos, mainly in the coastal area of the state of Veracruz.
3- The indigenous
According to the 2000 population census, indigenous communities are found in 68 of the 212 municipalities of the state, and represent 12% of the population. In 1800, 90% of the state's population was of indigenous origin.
The ethnic groups that inhabit the territory are: Nahuas (they represent more than 50% of the indigenous population of the area), Totonacs, Huastecas, Popolucas, Zapotecs, Chinantecs, Otomi, Mazatecs, Tepehuas and Mixtecs.
References
- Carmen Blázquez Domínguez, C., Celaya Nández, Y., & Velasco Toro, JM (2016). Brief story. Fund of Economic Culture.
- (1950). Statistical Compendium of the state of Veracruz. INEGI.
- Léonard, E. (2000). The Sotavento Veracruzano: social processes and territorial dynamics.
- Minahan, J. (2013). Ethnic Groups of the Americas: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO.
- Nutini, HG (2009). Social Stratification and Mobility in Central Veracruz. University of Texas Press.