Chinatowns in Latin America

Chinatowns in Latin America developed with the rise of in the 19th century to various countries in Latin America as contract laborers in agricultural and fishing industries. Most came from Guangdong Province. Since the 1970s, the new arrivals have typically hailed from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Latin American Chinatowns may include the descendants of original migrants — often of mixed Chinese and Latino parentage — and more recent immigrants from East Asia. Most Asian Latin Americans are of and Hakka origin.
Estimates widely vary on the number of Chinese Descendants in Latin America but it is at least
1.4 million and likely much greater than this.

Unlike the Chinatowns of Anglo America and Europe, pure-blood ethnic Chinese were relatively few in number but now increasing rapidly due to generally lower levels of Chinese immigration to some parts of Latin America. Residents of Latin American Chinatowns tend to be multilingual. Latin America's Chinatowns include those of Mexico City, Havana, Buenos Aires, and . Some of these Chinatowns mainly serve as tourist attractions and not as true, living ethnic communities. The Chinatown of Havana, Cuba's is largely multi-generation Spanish-speaking Chinese Cuban whereas the Chinatown of the Belgrano district of Buenos Aires, Argentina consists of many first-generation Holo- and Mandarin-speaking immigrants from Taiwan.

Politically, several nations of Latin America recognize the government of the Republic of China in Taiwan. A Chinese arch was presented as a gift to the Barrio Chino of Panama City, following the visit of Panama by the then Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui. After the major official visit by the Cuban Revolution's Fidel Castro to the People's Republic of China in 1995, materials were given for the new Chinese arch on Calle Dragone in Havana's Barrio Chino.

Argentina

It is centered around Arribe?os, Mendoza and Monta?eses Streets, in the upper-middle class neighbourhood of Belgrano, Buenos Aires. Large numbers of recent Taiwanese and immigrants have settled in the area. Also included are ethnic Chinese from other parts of Latin America and East Asia, and Asians of non-Chinese ancestry, mainly Japanese and Korean, whose first immigrants date from WWII and the Korean war.

Brazil

, Brazil, has no permanent Chinatown, but the Chinese-Brazilian community is centered around the ''Liberdade'' district. Besides being an area famous for its strong presence, a significant number of Taiwanese immigrants settled in Liberdade, and many immigrants have come to Liberdade following the Communist revolution in 1949. Many Cantonese from Hong Kong and -speaking Macau — including some of mixed Chinese and descent — also settled the place after their in 1997 and 1999 respectively. These Macau immigrants can usually speak and understand , allowing them to adjust more easily to life in Brazil. A very sizeable number of have settled the area as refugees when they were violently forced out in the 1960s. Today, Chinese Brazilians are the second largest Asian ethnic group in Brazil, after the . The Liberdade district has a distinct multi-Asian cultural presence. In addition, the Chinese community of S?o Paulo have centered around "25 de Mar?o," an extensive retail and wholesale shopping area in the old center of SP.

Chile

The majority of 5,000 Chinese Chileans live in a district locally known as ''El Districto de la Chinesca'' or Chinatown in Santiago, where Chinese-owned businesses and stores selling authentic Chinese goods are, but it's not a classic example of what a "Chinatown" is without the pagodas or other features associated with Chinatowns around the world.

Costa Rica

There is a sizeable Chinese community in the Puntarenas area and , around the "Paseo de los estudiantes" area. Recent Chinese immigrants are coming from Taiwan, many of whom have established businesses in Costa Rica.

Cuba

Chinese immigration to Cuba started in 1847 when Spanish settlers brought in Cantonese contract workers to work in the sugar fields. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers were brought in from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan during the following decades to replace the labor of African slaves. After completing 8-year contracts, the Chinese immigrants generally settled permanently in Cuba, where their descendants have since intermarried with local Cubans.

Unlike that of Argentina and other Latin American countries, the overseas Chinese population of Cuba was once large, but the now-diminished Chinese Cuban community is today clustered around the largely dying ''Barrio Chino'' — called ''Barrio Chino de La Habana'' — on Calle Zanja, in Havana. After the Cuban Revolution of 1959, many Chinese Cuban entrepreneurs fled the country for the United States. Since the 1960s, Cuba has not attracted very many, if any, Chinese immigrants .

Only one Chinese-language newspaper, ''Kwong Wah Po'', remains in Cuba. Havana's Chinatown was formerly among the largest in Latin America as the neighborhood comprised 44 square blocks during its prime. To tie in with the Revolution's economic reliance on tourism, attempts have recently been launched to attract revitalization investment for the Chinatown from Mainland Chinese state-run enterprises and overseas Chinese private investors, particularly Chinese Canadians.

Dominican Republic

While Havana's ''Barrio Chino'' is struggling for self-preservation, a new bustling and organic Chinatown in the Dominican Republic thrives, in that country's capital city Santo Domingo, on Avenida Duarte; it was officially inaugurated as a Chinatown in 2006. While serving the local Chinese community with at least 40 immigrant-run businesses, it is also promoted as a tourist attraction. The development of Chinatown is now gaining momentum, and a new gateway arch is in development. First-generation Chinese immigrants came from Hong Kong and Taiwan in 1970s.

Mexico

History

The first to Mexico came from China, some were -born Chinese, brought by the trade. However most contemporary Chinese immigrants came to Mexico during the 20th century as contract workers and political refugees. With the rise of anti-Chinese sentiment in Mexico in the 1930s under President Plutarco Elías Calles, most Chinese Mexicans, including individuals of mixed Chinese and Mexican descent, were forced out of Mexico and deported to China.

Mexico City's small ''barrio chino'' is on Calle Dolores in in the city center.

Mexicali, a historic Chinese outpost

The border town of Mexicali, Baja California, adjacent to the United States, contains the largest concentration of Chinese Mexicans in Mexico; its Chinatown, on Avenida Madero Calle Azueta, is called ''La Chinesca'' . Some of the earliest Chinese settlers who arrived in the United States eventually went south to Mexico to escape institutionalized anti-Chinese persecution in California. The largest number of new Cantonese-speaking Chinese immigrants came mostly from the Guangzhou area around 1919. Mexicali had a local chapter of the Kuomintang. There is now a consulate of the People's Republic of China in Mexicali. The economic problems of Mexico in the 1980s led many Chinese-Mexicans to migrate north into the United States. Today, members of the multigenerational Chinese-Mexican community own and operate many businesses across the city. One of the oldest Chinese restaurants, Restaurant 19, or named after one of the early Mexican chinatown corridors Alley 19 was opened in December 18, 1928 and eventually closed in Winter 2001. It was known to be one of the oldest Chinese restaurants in Mexico. This restaurant was utilized by many U.S. and Mexican officials and celebrities throughout the years; its end eventually came due to the devaluation of the in the 1980s and the new border crossing that takes tourist and locals away from the original heart of Mexicali. Currently there are more than 80 Chinese restaurants from small coffee shops '''' to huge 750 occupancy dining rooms. Nowadays, there are about 2,000 Chinese Mexicans living in the city, however there are 100,000 residents more than thought who are of Chinese descent .

Nicaragua

Nicaragua has no permanent Chinatown but the Chinese Nicaraguan community is centered around Managua and the Caribbean coast, most notably in Bluefields and Puerto Cabezas. Many Chinese immigrants are present, most of who are from mainland and also from Taiwan. The Chinese first arrived in Nicaragua's Caribbean coast, where most settled in cities such as Bluefields, El Bluff, Laguna de Perlas, and Puerto Cabezas. Then in the late 19th century began migrating to the Pacific lowlands of the country, mainly Managua. Many Chinese in Nicaragua committed themselves to the commerce industry and opened up businesses. They also dedicated themselves to the candy, soap, and clothing industries.

Panama

There are two commonly known Chinatowns in Panama City. The Traditional or Old Chinatown, located adjacent to "Casco Viejo" which represents the so called "Barrio Chino de la Ciudad de Panamá". And the emerging Chinatown in . These Chinatowns grew mostly out of the need for commerce within the immigrants. Items and Foodstuffs that were not normally commerced in Panama, but were wanted by the immigrants, was/is traded in Chinatown.

;History and immigration
During the 1940s - 1950s Arnulfo Arias's government, the Chinese population in Panama suffered persecution and deportation . For which many Chinese decided to change surnames through fake marriages to Panamanian nationals. Under Omar Torrijos's and Manuel Noriega's Regime, many nationals profited by offering illegal travel documents for sale, which brought Mainland Chinese immigrants into the country.

In the 1850s, the original Chinese immigrants came to build the railroads of Panama. This is the first massive Chinese migration to Panama.
The second migration took place during the Panama Canal construction. There have been many migrations since, triggered by different situations and from different regions in China and Asia.
Panama, because of its commercial/trade location advantage, has been favored by many a migrating Chinese and Asian. Nowadays, Panama hosts many Chinese of a "regional mandarin" and -speaking descent. Immigrants from Hong Kong and Guangdong province of China make up the majority of Chinese and Asians living in Panama. Other ethnicities and nationalities in Panama with sizable populations include: Taiwanese, Japanese, and South Koreans.

Peru

The main Peruvian Chinatown is located in Lima and is called the ''Barrio Chino de Lima'', located on Calle Capón ; it is one of the two earliest Chinatowns in the Western Hemisphere, along with that of Havana, and contains various architecture in traditional Chinese fashion. Local Chinese restaurants, called in Peruvian Spanish chifas, serve Chinese food with significant Peruvian influence and are popular in Chinatown among native Peruvians as well.

In contrast to Cuba, the Chinese Peruvians, despite the problems of recent history in the country — including the dictatorial rule of Juan Velasco Alvarado , which forced many of his Chinese Peruvian opponents to flee — have still chosen to remain in large numbers.

Historical Chinese immigration to the Amazonian region of Peru is intriguingly documented in a small village named Chino several miles outside of . While its inhabitants, in the main, are clearly native Amazonians, many bear striking genetic traits — markedly smoother facial structure, stereotypically Asian eyes, and straighter hair — which may mark the existence of a community of Chinese immigrants in the 19th or 20th century who intermarried and vanished, as mysteriously as they came.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico boasts a ''barrio chino'' in . Since Puerto Ricans are U.S. , Chinese-Puerto Ricans can also be considered Chinese Americans. However, many Chinese Puerto Ricans, to escape poverty, have moved to the mainland United States.

Venezuela

Venezuela is also home to one of Latin America's largest concentrations of ethnic Chinese. A lively ''barrio chino'' can be found on Avenida Principal El Bosque in the El Bosque district of Caracas. Cantonese is widely spoken among Chinese Venezuelans, especially the variety commonly known as Hoisan or Toisan, but there has been recent Taiwanese immigration, adding to the linguistic and cultural diversity. Chinese from other places of the world also settled in Venezuela, especially from the Philippines, where they were experienced persecution in the 1970s under Ferdinand Marcos, and Cuba, where Fidel Castro's Communist Revolution seized their businesses.