Spanish Argentines

Hispano-argentinos (Spanish) Hispano-arxentinos (Galician) Hispano-argentinarrak (Basque) Hispano-argentins (Catalan)
Spanish community fromTrelew (Chubut) during a parade forMay 25.
Total population
68,748 (by birth, 2023)[1] + 20,000,000 (by ancestry, 2015)[2] 43.4% of Argentina's population
Regions with significant populations
Throughout Argentina (ThePampas, theNew Cuyo, theLittoral, theNorthwest andPatagonia)
Languages
Majority:Spanish Minority:Galician,Catalan, andBasque
Religion
Majority:Roman Catholicism Minority:Irreligion
Related ethnic groups
Spaniards,Galicians,Castilians,Catalans,Asturians,Cantabrians,Aragonese,Basques andSephardic Jews

Spanish Argentines (Spanish:hispano-argentinos) areArgentine-born citizens who are predominantly or totally of Spanish descent. The arrival ofSpanish emigrants inArgentina took place first in the period before Argentina's independence fromSpain, and again in large numbers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, theSpanish Empire was the sole colonial power in the territories that became Argentina after the 1816Argentine declaration of independence. Thus, before 1850, the vast majority ofEuropean settlers in Argentina were from Spain and they carried theSpanish colonial administration, including religious affairs, government, and commercial business. A substantial Spanish descendedCriollo population gradually built up in the new cities, while some mixed with theamerindians (Mestizos), with the slave populationsub-saharan descended (Mulattoes) or with other European immigrants. Currently, a large part of Argentines can be consideredCriollos orCastizos.

Since a great portion of the immigrants to Argentina before the mid-19th century were of Spanish descent, and a significant part of the late-19th century/early-20th century immigrants to Argentina were Spaniards, almost allArgentines are at least partly of Spanish ancestry. Indeed, the 20 most common surnames in Argentina are Spanish. The prevalence and the numerous shared cultural aspects between Argentina and Spain (theSpanish language,Roman Catholicism,Criollo/Hispanic traditions) has been mixed with other European and Latin Mediterranean cultures with theimmigration to Argentina during the 20th century. This has led to a hybridArgentine culture which is among the most distinct from traditionalSpanish culture in Latin America. Furthermore, a large proportion of Spanish immigration to Argentina during the 20th century was from the North Western region ofGalicia, which has a separate language and distinct culture from other parts of Spain.

The interplay betweenArgentine andSpanish culture has a long and complex history. Spanish settlements date back to 16th century, and from then on, manyCriollo Spaniards populated the area of Argentina, some of whom intermarried with non-Spaniards.Spain established a permanent colony on the site ofBuenos Aires in 1580, although initial settlement was primarily overland fromPeru. The Spanish further integratedArgentina into their vast empire by establishing the Vice Royalty of Rio de la Plata in 1776, andBuenos Aires became a flourishing port.Argentina would become a crucial part of theSpanish Empire inSouth America.

The Argentine independence movement drastically changed earlierArgentine-Spanish relations. The Argentine movement for independence fromSpain began in the powerful city ofBuenos Aires on May 25, 1810, and the whole new country formally declared independence fromSpain on July 9, 1816, in the city ofSan Miguel de Tucumán. Following the defeat of the Spanish, centralist and federalist groups engaged in a lengthy conflict to determine the future of the nation ofArgentina. Prior to its independence, Spaniards inArgentina who were against the rule of theSpanish Empire and desired their independence came to be known asArgentines, and those who were opposed to independence continued to be identified asSpaniards. But a few generations after independence, and particularly after recent immigration, most Argentines began to see themselves as purelyArgentine out of pride in their new developing nation.

In the post-colonial period (1832-1950), there would be a further influx of Spanish immigrants toArgentina from all over Spain during theGreat European immigration wave to Argentina, after the creation of the modern Argentine state. Between 1857 and 1960, 2.2 millionSpanish people emigrated toArgentina, mostly fromGalicia, theBasque Country,Cantabria, andCatalonia in northernSpain, while significantly smaller numbers of immigrants also arrived fromExtremadura in southernSpain.

Galicians make up 70% of the Spanish post-colonial immigrant population inArgentina.^{[citation needed]} The city with the world's second largest number ofGalician people isBuenos Aires.^{[citation needed]} Immigration from Galicia was so notable that today all Spaniards, regardless of their origin withinSpain, are referred to asgallegos (Galicians) inArgentina.^[3] The Argentine stereotype aboutgallegos is that they are dull, stubborn and stingy.^[4]

Roughly 10-15% of the Argentine population are descended fromBasque people, both Spanish andFrench, and are described asBasque Argentines. They gather in severalBasque cultural centers in most of the large cities in the country. A common practice among Argentines of Basque origin is to identify themselves "French-Basques". This is because of French culture being considered more "fashionable" than Spanish among the average Argentine.

In 2013, there were 92,453 Spanish citizens born in Spain living in Argentina and another 288,494 Spanish citizens born in Argentina.^[5]

Many of theArgentine migrants to Spain are the descendants of Spaniards or Italians who can easily acquire European citizenship underlaws of return.

While there continues to be strong interest among the population in European affairs and their European heritage, the Argentine culture today varies considerably from the Spanish much like the American or Australian cultures vary from the British.

Spanish culture has left a great mark on modern Argentine culture. Bilateral relations have always been of a privileged strategic nature. Meanwhile, prospective and all-round cooperation also experienced periods of acute disagreement. In recent years, Madrid diplomacy has been trying to regain its shaken prestige and influence over Argentina and its closest neighbors. The most significant preparations for this were made during the celebration of the500th anniversary of the discovery of America. However, despite some "warming" in relations between the countries, the former level of trust and contacts is not observed. Attempts at cultural cooperation face two significant obstacles. Firstly, Spain does not have a sufficient amount of free funds that must be invested in lending to the Argentine economy, and secondly, the “syndrome of betrayal” that Argentines feel in relation to Spain is not likely to be easily overcome.^[6]

Yale university report states that 2,080,000 Spanish immigrants entered Argentina between 1857 and 1940. Spain provided 31.4% (Italy 44.9%) of all immigrants in that period.^[7] Nevertheless, due to prior Spanish immigration occurring throughout the colonial period, around 20 million Argentines are descendants of Spanish to some degree, with the 20 most common surnames in the country being all from Spain.^[2]

Another report gives net migration data as follows:^{[citation needed]}

The 2010 Argentine census recorded 94,030 people born in Spain. The following table shows the distribution in the 23 provinces and thecapital:^[8]

Rank	Province	Born in Spain	%
1	Buenos Aires Province	48,019	51.06 %
2	Buenos Aires(CABA)	26,282	28.00 %
3	Mendoza	4,130	4.39 %
4	Santa Fe	3,292	3.50 %
5	Córdoba	3,256	3.46 %
6	Río Negro (Argentina)	1,247	1.32 %
7	San Juan	1,187	1.26 %
8	Chubut	1,052	1.12 %
9	Tucumán	736	0.78 %
10	Salta	732	0.77 %
11	Santa Cruz	695	0.74 %
12	Neuquén	555	0.59 %
13	Entre Ríos	437	0.46 %
14	Misiones	327	0.35 %
15	Chaco	326	0.34 %
16	San Luis	304	0.32 %
17	La Pampa	283	0.30 %
18	Santiago del Estero	249	0.26 %
19	Jujuy	232	0.24 %
20	Tierra del Fuego	227	0.24 %
21	Corrientes	204	0.21 %
22	Catamarca	97	0.10 %
23	La Rioja (Argentina)	94	0.10 %
24	Formosa	71	0.07 %
TOTAL	Argentina	94,030	100 %

• Argentina–Spain relations
• Argentines in Spain
• Criollo
• Castizo
• History of Argentine nationality
• European Argentines
• White Latin Americans

• Immigration to Argentina-Report-Yale
• Galicians in Argentina
• Basque Heritage in Argentina(in Spanish)

• Argentine people of Spanish descent
• Spanish diaspora in Argentina
• Argentina–Spain relations

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