Armenian Mexicans

History

The earliest known record, from 1632, recorded the arrival to Mexico of an Armenian national by the name of Francisco Martín. In 1723, Armenian national Don Pedro de Zárate arrived to Mexico on a Spanish galleon from China to Acapulco. In 1897, Mexican President Porfirio Díaz planned a project to establish an agricultural community with Armenian settlers in Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas (in northern Mexico); the project, however, was never materialized. Soon after the Armenian genocide, committed by Ottoman forces in April 1915, many Armenians began to immigrate to the American continent. From 1921-1928, Mexico had an open immigration policy for most foreigners. During that time, close to 300 Armenians immigrated to Mexico.

Once in Mexico, most of the Armenian community decided to head north to the United States. The majority of those who stayed in the country, settled in La Merced neighborhood of Mexico City, where many started working as peddlers, shoemakers and shop owners. Due to its relatively small size (when compared to the larger communities in Canada and United States), the Armenian community in Mexico never established a school or community center, which in turn did allow for the community to assimilate quickly into the larger Mexican population.