  | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Guatemala City,Quetzaltenango | |
| Languages | |
| Spanish andFrench(minority)German | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism andLutheranism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Swiss people,Swiss diaspora |
ASwiss Guatemalan is a Guatemalan ofSwiss heritage, hailing from the waves of immigration that began in the 19th century. The Swiss often came simultaneously with expatriates fromBelgium andGermany during the first period of immigration in the 1840s, with many arriving as chartered settlers.
The history of the Swiss in Guatemala dates back to the 19th century, with the first wave of immigration culminating in the Swiss government opening a consulate in 1891. The majority of immigrants from this first wave originated fromGeneva and settled primarily inGuatemala City, with some additional settlement in the surrounding highlands. Switzerland and Guatemala have sustained a committed trade partnership that began during this time period.[1] Guatemala drew a second wave of European immigrants to the city ofQuetzaltenango, many of them Swiss, following the construction of theFerrocarril de los Altos (Railway of the high lands) and the establishment of the coffee plantation system in the early 20th century.[2]
On July 24, 2014, the Swiss Ambassador toGuatemala, Jürg Benz, and the Swiss embassy in Guatemala, celebrated 123 years of diplomatic relations have as much as trade between the two countries, mentioned above the country opened its consul since 1891.[1] By the 19th century, the Swiss immigrants boosted the chocolate manufacture in Guatemala. Swiss immigrants have also left descendants in the nation, and living mostly inGuatemala City, inQuetzaltenango there are Native Indigenous Guatemalans with Swiss features due to a mixtures betweenKakchiquel Native Guatemalans and Swiss immigrants.
Ancestral background ofGuatemalan citizens | |
| Guatemalan native groups (Maya and others) | |
| Former and extinct | |
| Guatemalan mestizo | |
| Descendants of Europeans (white orCriollo) | |
| Descendants of Asians | |
| Afro-descendants | |
| Americas | |
| Some locations |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Related | ||
