Cuban immigration to Mexico

Cuban Mexican
cubano-mexicano

Cuban musicians in Coyoacán, Mexico City.
Total population
17,653 Cuba-born residents (2015) Unknown number of Mexicans of Cuban descent
Regions with significant populations
Mexico City • Quintana Roo • Veracruz • Yucatan
Languages
Mexican Spanish and Cuban Spanish
Religion
Roman Catholicism • Santeria
Related ethnic groups
Cuban diaspora

There is a significant Cuban diaspora in Mexico. As of 2012, there were 14,637 Cuban-born individuals registered with the Mexican government as living in Mexico. However, the number is likely larger as not all Cubans in the country are legal residents.

Migration history

Pedro de Ampudia, prominent military officer and politician that served as Governor of Tabasco, Yucatán, and Nuevo León.

Hernan Cortez and his crew of soldiers and sailors used Cuba as a launching point for the conquest of the Aztec Empire. Cuba-born individuals began arriving during the colonial era and have continued into the post-independence era. Many arrived fleeing from the chaos caused by the Cuban War of Independence. Fidel Castro and his followers used Mexico as a launching point for the Cuban Revolution. The majority of modern Cuban migrants have been exiles or refugees fleeing from the Communist regime in Cuba. Both countries share the Spanish language; their historical origins are common (part of the Spanish Empire).

Culture

The danzón arrived with traders and refugees of the Ten Years' War through the ports in Veracruz and Yucatan. While the genre has gone out of style in Cuba, it continues to be popular in Mexico. It reached its peak in popularity in the ballrooms of Mexico City in the 1940s, then went through a decline and afterwards entered a renaissance in the late 20th century. The most famous Mexican danzón piece is Danzón No. 2.

See also

• Cuba–Mexico relations
• Mexicans in Cuba