From Lebanon to Mexico: Creating a Diaspora
This report was prepared by LevantX team members Mariana Diaz and Karam el Masri.
Image credit: World Lebanese Cultural Union
“This government is not going to help us, we need to help ourselves.”
This is the thought that ran through the minds of most Arabic-speaking immigrants after they had arrived in Latin America, and tried to obtain the proper resources needed to smoothly transition into this foreign land.
United by a common desire to start anew, these Arabs turned to their communities to initiate change and develop a culture of support and solidarity.
Their legacy remains deeply ingrained in the region but is often overlooked.
A History of Self-Reliance
A casual stroll through Mexico City center shows the cultural influence of the Lebanese diaspora. The buildings that housed newly arriving immigrants now act as historical artifacts.
From the Ottoman clock, given as a gift from the Lebanese to Mexico in 1910, to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Valvanera filled with Maronite saints, the city is littered with silent tributes to Arabic culture and history.
Cultural diversity in Mexico is complicated, and has been defined by various migration flows and the integration of different communities. As far back as the late 1890s, immigrants from the Southwest Asia and North Africa region arrived in the country, establishing themselves in large metropolitan areas such as Guadalajara and Mexico City.
Lebanese Maronite Christians constituted the majority of these newcomers. Lebanese and Syrian immigrants in the Americas began actively growing and nurturing a sprawling support network.
Mutual aid societies, business bureaus, and cultural and religious societies all became pillars of Arab-Latin American communities. High levels of migration continued until Mexico passed the Immigration Act 1926, clamping down on immigration.
By creating and developing their own organizations, these Arab communities paved the way for support that was not yet available or achievable by the government in that era.
By way of example, aid societies would teach Portuguese and Spanish to fellow immigrants upon arrival in these new continents. Fast forward a few generations later and you find this same network attempting to preserve Middle Eastern culture in the diaspora by teaching Arabic to the children and grandchildren of these first arrivals.
Originally, these aid organizations weren’t solely focused on providing language education; this included food support, medical care, religious services, and even small business loans to support newly arrived Arab Immigrants to Latin America.
Wherever there was a gap that local governments could not or did not want to fill, these communities would step in to fill this breach. As of today, in the 21st century, many of these organizations are still present and are being run by Latin Americans of Palestinian, Syrian, or Lebanese descent.
A Family Business
The consolidation of the Lebanese diaspora in Mexico was deeply affected by the formation of Lebanon as a state in 1946. This allowed immigrants to consolidate an identity beyond the initial ethnic character, to a Lebanese nationality around the world.
Οn a national level, the Lebanese in Mexico began to build their community and structure different relationship types between the internal community and the society in general. The academic Ramírez Carrillo wrote on the aspects that influenced the growth and strengthening of the Lebanese community in Mexico.
Generations of marriages within the Arabic community created a tight-knit network of families, each controlled by a strong male figure and usually formed around a family business.
This business would remain in the family for generations and likely not be passed down to younger members during the lifetime of the patriarch, thus ensuring that the assets would be kept together for decades to come.
Business has always been a family affair in these communities and that shows today. The economic history of Latin America cannot be written without including the names of prominent Latin-Arabs.
Entrepreneurs of Lebanese descent include Carlos Slim Helú, his cousins Alfredo y Carlos Harp Helú, Alfredo Elías Ayub and the brothers José y Antonio Abed to name a few. Over time, the Arab-Latin American grew beyond mere businessmen and began to assert their influence on Latin American culture at large.
Outside of finances, the Levantine effect can be seen further in the backgrounds of a variety of famous personalities such as the political analyst Alfredo Jalife-Rahme Barrios, actress Salma Hayek, and former president Plutarco Elías Calles.
As the diaspora grew in power and influence, their political clout grew.
Beyond mere local concerns, elders maintained a close eye on the Levant and the happenings in the countries they left behind. This can be clearly seen, from the responses of Latin American Governments to the recent Beirut explosion.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro posted a tweet the evening after the explosion stating that he is “deeply saddened by the scenes of the explosion in Beirut... Brazil is home to the largest community of Lebanese in the world and, therefore, we feel this tragedy as if it were in our territory.”
Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and the foreign ministries of Panama and Ecuador were also quick to put out their own shows of solidarity, partly to appeal to this voting block.
In a time where turmoil is widespread in the MENA region and when many take the difficult decision to leave and start over in a new country, these networks and organizations offer some degree of security.
The often forgotten Levantine history in Latin America is rich in both pride and hope, a legacy created by those who carried their heritage in their suitcases.
By remembering and rediscovering this legacy, hopefully a new generation can lift themselves out of the ashes of war and build a new cultural history to rival that of their ancestors.
References:
Competition Law and Policy in Mexico Pol de eco - OECD https://www.oecd.org/mexico/31430869.pdf
Latin American countries react to Beirut explosion – CNN
Latin America & the Arab World: One Hundred Years of Migration – NC State University
