Peruanos blancos (Spanish) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Total population | |
| White ancestry predominates 1,366,931 (2017 census)[1] 5.89% of the Peruvian population | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Principally inLa Libertad •Cajamarca •Piura,Lima •Lambayeque •Oxapampa andArequipa | |
| Languages | |
| Spanish • OtherEuropean languages | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyChristian (Roman Catholic, followed byProtestantism andOrthodox) minoritiesJudaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| White Latin Americans •European diaspora •European people |
White Peruvians (Spanish:Peruanos blancos) arePeruvians of completely or predominantlyEuropean ancestry (formerly calledCriollos). In a more official sense, the census by theNational Institute of Statistics and Informatics, which collects demographic data on Peruvians, uses the term "white".The 2017 census where ethnic self-identification was used, white people make up 5.9% or 1,366,931 of the population aged 12 years and above.[2] Traditionally, this group had been more dominant in the political, commercial, and diplomatic sectors of Peruvian society.
The 2025 census will use the same terminology.[3]
European immigration to Peru began with theSpanish colonization of the Americas and continued during the Republic of Peru in the 19th century with the immigration of people from other countries of Europe (especially, Spain, Italy,[4] Portugal,[5][6] France,[7] England and Germany, among others).[8]
Spanish settlement of Peru began in the early 1530s (continuing until 1821 as aviceroyalty of Spain) and continues to the present day. SpanishexplorerFrancisco Pizarro founded the first Spanish settlement in Peru,San Miguel de Piura in July 1532.[9]: 27 [10] According to historian Napoleón Cieza Burga, theconquistadorDiego de Almagro founded the second Spanish settlement ofTrujillo in November 1534 and one of the first modern cities in the Americas founded by theSpanish conquistadors.[11]: 125 calling it "Villa Trujillo de Nueva Castilla"(Trujillo ofNew Castile) afterTrujillo, the birthplace of Francisco Pizarro.[12]
Spanish cultural influence is the most notable of all European cultural groups inPeruvian culture. Spanish heritage has left an indelible mark with signs of this cultural exchange found everywhere, from theofficial language, the dominantRoman Catholic religion,bullfighting,musical genres to the localculinary styles.[13]
Among Peruvians of European descent, Italians were the second largest group of immigrants to settle in the country.[14] Italian immigration in Peru began in the colonial era, during the SpanishViceroyalty of Peru.[15] However, the peak of Italian immigrants occurred after Peruvian independence, between 1840 and 1880, with theguano export boom.[16]
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One cultural influence isInca Kola, asoft drink that was created in Peru in 1935 by anEnglish immigrant Joseph Robinson Lindley. In 1911, inRímac, one ofLima's oldest and most traditional neighborhoods, an English family began a small bottling company under their family name, Lindley. In 1928, the company was formally chartered in Peru asCorporación José R. Lindley S.A., whereupon Joseph R. Lindley became its first General Manager.[17][18][19][20] Today it is still a family business with the great-grandson Johnny Lindley Suarez being the current president.[21]
ManyDanes migrated to South America, mostly to Argentina but also to chile and Peru. Many Danes were residing in Peru during the immigrants census of 1922. One of the first Danes in the country was Jorgen Rasmussen (entered the country in 1864). His contributions to the building of the electrical system in Peru were commemorated with a plaque in the electricity museum.[22]
According to the2017 census 5.9% or 1.3 million (1,336,931) people 12 years of age and above self-identified as white.[2] There were 619,402 (5.5%) males and 747,528 (6.3%) females. This was the first time a question for ethnic origins had been asked.
The regions with the highest proportion of self-identified whites were inLa Libertad Region (10.5%),Tumbes Region andLambayeque Region (9.0% each),Piura Region (8.1%),Callao (7.7%),Cajamarca Region (7.5%),Lima Province (7.2%),Lima Region (6.0%),Ica Region andAncash Region (5.8% each), andArequipa Region (4.9%).[2][24]
| Population by region, 2017[2] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Population | % | |||
 | La Libertad | 144,606 | 10.5% | ||
 | Tumbes | 15,383 | 9.0% | ||
 | Lambayeque | 83,908 | 9.0% | ||
 | Piura | 114,682 | 8.1% | ||
 | Callao | 61,576 | 7.7% | ||
 | Cajamarca | 76,953 | 7.5% | ||
 | Lima Province | 507,039 | 7.2% | ||
 | Lima | 43,074 | 6.0% | ||
 | Ica | 38,119 | 5.8% | ||
 | Ancash | 49,175 | 5.8% | ||
 | Arequipa | 55,093 | 4.9% | ||
 | Amazonas | 12,470 | 4.4% | ||
 | Huánuco | 24,130 | 4.4% | ||
 | San Martín | 24,516 | 4.0% | ||
 | Moquegua | 5,703 | 4.0% | ||
 | Pasco | 7,448 | 3.8% | ||
 | Junín | 34,700 | 3.6% | ||
 | Madre de Dios | 3,444 | 3.3% | ||
 | Tacna | 8,678 | 3.2% | ||
 | Ucayali | 8,283 | 2.3% | ||
 | Ayacucho | 9,516 | 2.0% | ||
.png) | Huancavelica | 5,222 | 2.0% | ||
 | Loreto | 11,884 | 1.9% | ||
.svg) | Cusco | 12,458 | 1.3% | ||
 | Apurímac | 3,034 | 1.0% | ||
 | Puno | 5,837 | 0.6% | ||
 | Republic of Peru | 1,336,931 | 5.9% | ||
The following European ethnic backgrounds form the majority of white Peruvians:Spanish,Italian,German (includesPoles due to thepartitions of Poland),French,British,Croatian,Irish,Danish andRomanian Peruvian. Peru is also home to some 1,600Jews, whose ancestors came (mainly) fromthe Russian Empire and later theUSSR (modern dayLatvia,Lithuania,Ukraine,Moldova andRussia), with others coming fromGermany,Poland, andHungary; withsmaller population fromTurkey,Greece, andSyria. Almost all of these Jews live inLima[25]
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| Negative stereotypes of Whites | |||||||||||
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