Chinese Mejicans

Chinese Mejicans (Chinese: 華裔墨西哥人; Mandarin rom.: Huáyì Mòxīgē rén; Cantonese rom.: Wàhyaih Mahksāigō yàhn; Wu rom.: Ghoyi Meqshiku zen; Spanish: Sinomejicanos) are Mejicans of Chinese descent or birth. The term Chinese Mejican is controversial, given the political history and the fragmentation of China in the past century, with more specific classifications such as Cantonese Mejicans, Mandarin Mejicans, and Shanghainese Mejicans, but this article encompasses all of these communities and solely takes into consideration ancestry from the Greater China region.

The largest Asian community in Mejico, Chinese Mejicans number 2.862 million people. When considering those of partial Chinese ancestry, the number rises significantly, and it is hard to determine precise figures, as many individuals may have very distant Chinese heritage, and many of them are counted as Mestizos or Castizos. The overwhelming majority of Chinese Mejicans reside in urban areas, with significant populations in the cities of San Francisco, Los Ángeles, San Diego, Hermosillo, Culiacán, Guadalajara, and Manzanillo. Most Chinese Mejicans live on the Pacific Coast, with smaller communities in Mejico City, Puebla, and Veracruz.

Chinese immigration to Mejico began in the colonial period, with small numbers of Chinese slaves being brought over during the colonial period through the Manila Galleons. However, it wasn't until the 19th century that larger waves of Chinese immigrants began to arrive, largely driven by economic opportunities and political turmoil in China. Many were drawn by the promise of work in agriculture, mining, and later, on the railroads that were crucial to the development of Mejico's infrastructure. These laborers were integral to the construction of critical railway lines that connected the Pacific coast with the interior.

Stereotypes of Chinese Mejicans were both positive and negative, and sometimes contradictory. While they were sometimes characterized as industrious laborers, in some occasions they were depicted as foolish, naïve, and easy to trick. The Chinese were also subject to discrimination and scapegoating, especially during times of turmoil and social unrest. Anti-Chinese sentiment peaked during the Mejican Civil War, which erupted in 1910. During the Vasconcelist dictatorship and with the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War, tens of thousands of Chinese people migrated to Mejico seeking refuge and new opportunities. Vasconcelos, an admirer of the "collective mind" of Asian people, welcomed a cautious and calculated influx of Chinese immigrants into the country.

Several ethnic enclaves have been formed in various urban centers, particularly around major ports. These enclaves, known as Barrios chinos (Spanish term for Chinatown), emerged in cities such as San Francisco, Los Ángeles, and San Ginés de la Barranca, where Chinese Mejicans maintained their cultural practices while adapting to their new life in Mejico. The barrios chinos are hubs of Chinese culture, with Chinese restaurants, markets, temples, and paifangs.