Korean Mexican
Encyclopedia
Korean Mexicans are ethnic Koreans born in Mexico
. The majority of them reside in Baja California
, the state facing the U.S. state of California
, and there are smaller concentrations in northern Mexico.
Koreans first arrived in 1905 to the state of Yucatan
, where they were used as laborers in the henequen plantations. Over generations, Koreans in the Yucatan Peninsula have intermarried with Native Americans, such as the Maya, but their presence is still visible in cities such as Merida
. In Baja California
, the Korean Mexican population is also very large with the majority of the Korean descendants being mixed with Spanish and Amerindian ancestry (Mestizo). Mainly because when Korean immigrants arrived in Mexico many generations ago, they were not in enclaved ethnic communities as like in the U.S. and Canada, so intermarriage between Koreans and Mexicans were highly encouraged from the Korean Mexican society producing a unique and indistinguishable offspring of people mixed Korean, Spanish/European, and Amerindian ancestry.
, but a new wave of Korean Mexicans speak Spanish and/or English
. There are many English-learning Korean-Mexican schools (escuelas coreanas) for the recent Korean immigrants.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The majority of them reside in Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, the state facing the U.S. state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and there are smaller concentrations in northern Mexico.
Koreans first arrived in 1905 to the state of Yucatan
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
, where they were used as laborers in the henequen plantations. Over generations, Koreans in the Yucatan Peninsula have intermarried with Native Americans, such as the Maya, but their presence is still visible in cities such as Merida
Merida
Places of the world named Mérida or Merida include:*Mérida, Spain, capital city of the Spanish Community of Extremadura*Mérida, Yucatán, capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatán*Merida, Leyte, a municipality in Leyte province in the Philippines...
. In Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, the Korean Mexican population is also very large with the majority of the Korean descendants being mixed with Spanish and Amerindian ancestry (Mestizo). Mainly because when Korean immigrants arrived in Mexico many generations ago, they were not in enclaved ethnic communities as like in the U.S. and Canada, so intermarriage between Koreans and Mexicans were highly encouraged from the Korean Mexican society producing a unique and indistinguishable offspring of people mixed Korean, Spanish/European, and Amerindian ancestry.
Language
The language of the assimilated Korean Mexicans is predominantly SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, but a new wave of Korean Mexicans speak Spanish and/or English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. There are many English-learning Korean-Mexican schools (escuelas coreanas) for the recent Korean immigrants.