Departure to South America, migration stories

Brazilian samba, Argentine tango, the smell of empanadas and dulce de leche… wouldn’t you believe it?

The day before yesterday, we talked about the presence of the Bretons in Canada and the United States. Today, we take you to South America! 

Many French people have chosen to go to South America. Do some of your ancestors belong to this group? 

From France to South America

In general, South America experienced a strong wave of French immigration in the 19th century, particularly in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Venezuela. These French travelers departed from four main ports: Marseille, Bordeaux, Cherbourg, and Le Havre. 

French emigration to Argentina was considerable from the late 1800s until the mid-20th century. These French people mainly came from the Basque Country and Béarn, the Hautes-Pyrénées, and Aveyron. They settled mainly in the neighborhoods of San Miguel, Catedral al Sud y al Norte, Monserrat and Concepcion, as well as Balvanero and Socorro and did not hesitate to impose their know-how, especially in baking. 

For Brazil, over 100,000 French people arrived at the port of Rio de Janeiro to settle and become one of the largest French communities after Argentina. The French also went to Uruguay, always from the Basque Country and Béarn. Finally, Venezuela literally set up an immigration campaign to attract the French population to participate in the country's economic development. Many French people, especially at the end of the 19th century, will leave with their wives and children to make a fortune in the Caracas region. They generally worked in agriculture and commerce. 

We could not talk about South America without mentioning French Guiana, a French department adjacent to Brazil. After undergoing numerous colonization attempts between the 15th and 19th centuries, between slavery and the gold rush, French Guiana was also the land of deportation for French convicts. It was not until 1945 that the survivors could be repatriated to France. Then, from the mid-20th century, the space base in French Guiana replaced the Hammaguir base in the Sahara and enabled the launch of Ariane 4, Ariane 5, and soon Ariane 6 rockets... 

From France to South America

The French who emigrated to South America surely left traces of their passage. Today, there are nearly 7 million (out of 43 million) Argentines with French origins and about 1 million Brazilians and 300,000 Uruguayans of French descent.

This influence is strongly felt in culture. French is the second foreign language learned in South America after English, and its learning is even mandatory in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. France, on its side, attracts many students from Latin America. 

We also find French influence in the architectural style of many buildings in Buenos Aires, Rosario, and Córdoba. Even the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires pays homage to the French architectural model. In general, the French have left their mark on the culture, education, arts, and science on the South American continent. 

And since Geneafinder offers some useful leads (clues and links) to help you in your research, find here some starting points for South America:

Visa en Bordelais - Emigration from Bordeaux in the 19th century

GenFrancesa - Departure of passengers from France

WikiGenWeb - Emigration from a French port to South America

Guillaume Apheça's register, emigration agent

ANOM - Nominal database of convicts sent to penal colonies, imprisoned over 120 years ago