Arab Mexican

An Arab Mexican is a Mexican citizen that is Arab. Arab immigration to Mexico started as early as the 19th and 20th centuries. They came mostly from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq and are present in significant numbers in Puebla.

Immigration of Arabs in Mexico has influenced Mexican culture, in particular food. Where they have introduced Kibbeh, Tabbouleh and even created recipes such as Arab taquitos. The fusion between Arab and Latin food, has highly influenced the Yucatecan cuisine.

Another concentration of Arab-Mexicans is in Baja California facing the US-Mexican border, esp. in cities of Mexicali in the Imperial Valley US/Mexico, and Tijuana across from San Diego with a large Arab American community (about 280,000), some of those families have relatives in Mexico.

Regardless of whether their surnames are Arabic or Spanish, Arab Mexicans are sometimes considered Spanish Mexicans, since many Spaniards have Arab blood, as long as their religion is Christianity.

In religion, the majority of Arab-Mexicans are Christians whom belong to the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, but the rest are Muslims and a scant number are Jews of Middle Eastern origins.

Notable Arab Mexicans

• Carlos Slim Helú, businessman
• Capulina, actor
• Salma Hayek, actress born to a Mexican mother and Mexican father of Lebanese descent
• Mauricio Féres Yázbek (Garcés), actor
• José Murat Casab, politician and a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party also former Governor of Oaxaca
• Mohammed Yussuf, footballer
• Victor Nacif, Vice President of Design Business Aspects for Nissan Design America
• Jeff Becerra, Heavy metal musician

See also

• Arab diaspora
• Immigration to Mexico
• Arab Brazilian
• Arab Argentine

External links

• Arab Mexican Chamber of Industry and Commerce http://www.camic.org/

References

Category:Arab Mexican