Today about 25 million Brazilians of Italian descent influence daily life everywhere. Like Brazilian pizza and wine. Sao Paulo’s famed soccer club ‘Palmeiras’ was founded by Italian-Brazilians. And even that traditional Brazilian ‘goodbye’ tchao has that Italian flair.
Famous Brazilians like singer Marisa Monte, Brazilian American actress Morena Baccarin (The Endgame, NBC), and Chicago Bears field goal kicker Cairo Santos all have Italian roots.
More Italian descendants live in Brazil than in any other county outside of Italy. That’s why Sao Paulo’s ‘Italian Immigrants Day’ on February 21st is always a special occasion. " Read more here.
Argentina
According to "Italians & La Dolce Vita in Argentina" on WanderArgentina.com, "With several waves of immigrants arriving from the boot-shaped nation since Argentina won independence from Spain, it seems every second person here has an Italian surname, and of those who don’t, most will have an uncle or a grandmother hailing from Genoa, Sicily, Friuli or thereabouts.
An estimated 30 million Argentines out of the population of 45 million have at least one Italian ancestor. Visitors will notice the family resemblance as they try to avoid the flailing arms of an animated conversation on any of the narrow sidewalks of downtown Buenos Aires.
These Italian descendants refer to themselves proudly as ‘tanos,’ Lunfardo slang for Italians.
Even Argentina’s beloved Pope Frances’ father was from Italy and he grew up speaking Italian.
Argentina may have been colonized by the Spanish originally, but it is fair to say that the Italians had an equal, if not even greater influence, over many areas of Argentine life, such as politics, food, fashion and language.." Read more here.
And according to Italian-Argentinean culture: that’s amore! on SouthAmericaWineGuide.com, "There’s no other South American country that is quite so… Italian. Clorrie Yeomans explores the Italian connection in Argentina, and discovers how Italian culture has influenced the language, cuisine and customs of Argentina.
"If you have been to Argentina, then you might have wondered, ‘Why do Argentineans eat so much pizza and pasta?’ Or ‘Why are there so many Argentinean words which don’t exist in standard Spanish?’ Argentina is commonly considered to be the most European country in Latin America, due to mass immigration during the late 19th and 20th century. However, there is a common preconception that Argentinean culture is primarily influenced by Spanish culture. In reality, if you visit Argentina, then you will notice that there is a huge Italian influence which has enriched their national identity." Read more here.
Mexico and the American Southwest
As said above, many of the explorers, missionaries, and colonizers of the Americas were of Italian descent, though they worked under the flags of other nations, most notably France and Spain. One was Fr Eusebio Kino, a priest born in modern day Trentino-Alto-Adige that set up missions across northern Mexico and what is now Arizona. He is famous for defending the Indigenous peoples from being enslaved in the Spanish mines. There are statues of Fr. Kino in Washington, DC, Tucson, Arizona, and Tijuana, Mexico. Not to mention in other parts of Mexico and back in Italy itself. You can learn more about Fr. Eusebio Kino in the following links:
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In California, there were Italians in Los Angeles even when it was a Spanish colony. Like Giovanni Battista Leandri who owned Rancho Los Coyotes in present-day Buena Park, and the neighboring Rancho Cañada de la Habra, and married Maria Francesca Uribe, the daughter of a prominent Californio family. (The Californios were Spanish-speaking people of Latin American ancestry who were born in California during the era of Mexican and Spanish rule. During this era, Italians and Mexicans intermarried more frequently than any other group, according to the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles at IAMLA.org and at their permanent online exhibit here.) Leandri changed his name to Juan Leandry to better fit in among the Californios.
Pepino and The Mexican Revolution
To be continued....
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