Italian Guatemalan

First migration

The Italian emigration to Guatemala began in the early Republican era of this Centro American country. One of the first Italians to come to Guatemala was Geronimo Mancinelli, an Italian coffee farmer who lived in San Marcos (Guatemala) in 1847^[4].

However, the first wave of Italian immigrants came in 1873, under the government of Justo Rufino Barrios, who made a trip to Europe. He was greatly interested in Italian families to bring to his country: these families had surnames as Bocaletti, Garzaro, Bonnato, Maselli, Comparini and were mostly farmers attracted by the wealth of natural and spacious highlands of Guatemala. Most of them settled in Quetzaltenango and Guatemala City.^[5] However there were also a few hundreds of Italians from Veneto and Tuscany, who were left without help by their immigration agents after their arrived in the Santo Tomás de Castilla port: some died of yellow fever and malaria, which were endemic to the region, but most moved away by 1878. ^[6]

Second and prosperous Italian colony

Italians in the central park of Guatemala City (1900).

As the first Italian colony failure for lack of incentives. In early 1880, came another wave of Italian immigrants, within the government of Justo Rufino Barrios. This wave of immigrants was different from the previous one, since they arrived in this scientific, writers, painters, sculptors, musicians and wealthy families.^[7]

When Barrios was killed on April 1885 in El Salvador, Alejandro Sinibaldi became President of Guatemala: his father was a wealthy Italian immigrant.

...the Italians in Guatemala were 61 in 1871, 626 in 1881 and 800 in 1888. In 1892 are officially registered (in the Italian Consulate of Guatemala city) 562 Italians, most of them male (355) older than 14 years old and a little less than half (236) analphabets, of whom 425 were born in Guatemala. Patrizia Spinato Bruschi (Universita di Milano)^[8]

By early 1900, there were more than 1,000 Italians in Guatemala, sculptors Italians (under the government of Manuel Estrada Cabrera), built many historical buildings in Guatemala. This occurred in certain areas of Quetzaltenango, Zacapa and Guatemala City was inhabited mostly by Italians, which was a growth of Italo-Guatemalan children, Among these years, prosperity was in the Italian colonies of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala City and Zacapa, for the years 1930, Guatemala reached its maximum number of Italian residents, the second country in Central America, behind Costa Rica. And according to historian Vittorio Capelli, also there were important immigrations in Panama and Nicaragua and some immigrations in El Salvador and Honduras.^[9]

The Italians were pioneers in bringing European technology in Guatemala (along with the Germans), the first driver throughout Guatemalan history was Dante Naninni, descendant of Italian drivers. He was also member of the Italian Air Force during The World War II. In the late 1890s, the first cars arrived in Guatemala were of Italian origin, besides the decades between 1870s and 1900s, the Italians built the railway (El Ferrocarril de los Altos).^[7]

During this migration, the Italian influence came to the Guatemalan literature, mainly in the late nineteenth century, many indigenous literature of the colonial period was translated by Italian writers. Other writings of Italians in Guatemala reflected the natural and tropical beauty of the country. The Italian editors Aliprandi and Martini painted a vivid picture of the Guatemala's Italian community in 1932.^[10]

By mid-1930, Italian immigrants were the second largest immigrant group in Guatemala after the Germans, however, unlike the Germans, the Italians never exceeded 10,000 immigrants in Guatemala, and the growing Nazi influence in Guatemala by the Germans,^[11] this rest importance to the Italian community by the government, which the prosperity of this colony came to an end.

Julio Bianchi, an Italian-Guatemalan doctor who was also a politician and ambassador/minister

The famous doctor Julio Bianchi, the son of an Italian immigrant, was one of the leaders of the Partido Unionista and was an important Minister & ambassador to the USA of the president Carlos Herrera y Luna in 1921^[12]. He wrote the "Carta 311" in 1944, that was partially responsible of the dictator Jorge Ubico renounce to power, and later in 1945 was minister again.

During the 1930s, in Guatemala was reached the maximum number of Italian residents: it was the second country for Italians in Central America, behind Costa Rica. According to historian Vittorio Capelli, there were also important immigrations in Panama and Nicaragua and some immigrations in El Salvador and Honduras.^[13]

The Italians were pioneers in bringing European technology in Guatemala (along with the Germans). In the late 1890s, the first cars that arrived in Guatemala were of Italian origin. The first pilot in Guatemala aviation history was Dante Naninni, descendant of Italian pilots. He was also a member of the Italian Air Force during The World War I.

Additionally during the decades between 1870s and 1900s, the Italians built the railway (El Ferrocarril de los Altos).^[7]

During this second migration, the Italian influence came to the Guatemalan literature, mainly in the late nineteenth century. Many indigenous literature of the colonial period was translated by Italian writers. Other writings of Italians in Guatemala reflected the natural and tropical beauty of the country. For example, the Italian editors Aliprandi and Martini painted a vivid picture of the Guatemala's Italian community in 1932.^[14]

From this period came the pioneers of the era that gave Guatemala a true socio-economic transformation: the decorators Lutti, Degrandi, Bernasconi, Carmennauti, Scoteti; the sculptor Andrew Gaileitti; the famous architect Porta, who left magnificent works in Quetzaltenango, such as the famous "Pasaje Enriquez"; the doctor Zagrini, a physician and surgeon; the lawyer Julio Drago; the engineers Vittorio Cottone, Enrico Invernizzio and Luigi Paiella, who plotted the Paseo de la Reforma Racetrack, Boulevard Aurora and Elena Avenue.

Third migration

The third wave of Italian immigration in Guatemala took place under President Manuel Estrada Cabrera, who wanted to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors and led a third emigration of Italian families to Guatemala. In part it succeeded because, by then, the country was a dictatorship. Many came in this period, while some Italians who had arrived under the presidency of Reyna Barrios Barrios left; however, fewer new contributions came from Italian blood, who put their work and skills at the service of the Guatemalan nation. Among these may be mentioned: Valentine Giordani, Juan Mini, Humberto and Luis Giordani, who worked in the construction of railways and the building of modern houses.^[7]

By mid-1930, Italian immigrants were the second largest immigrant group in Guatemala after the Germans; however, unlike the Germans, the Italians never exceeded 10,000 immigrants in Guatemala. But with the growing Nazi influence in Guatemala by the Germans^[15], the government started to reduce & limit the importance to the Italian community (linked partially to Fascism) and the huge prosperity & influence of this colony came to an end during WW2.

In the 1950s some emigration from Italy, mainly from Calabria and Sicily, was again arriving in Guatemala, but this migration was limited to a few hundreds.