French Guatemalan
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Guatemala City, Antigua Guatemala and Quetzaltenango | |
| Languages | |
| Spanish and French | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism and Protestantism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| French people, White Guatemalan, Guatemalans |
A French Guatemalan is a citizen of Guatemala who has French ancestry. Guatemalans of French descent make up the third largest European descended group in Guatemala, after the German Guatemalans and Spanish Guatemalans. According to the French embassy, as of 31 December 2010, there are 803 French citizens in Guatemala.
The history of the French in Guatemala is divided into three periods of migratory waves.
After the French Revolution, capitalists and entrepreneurs came to create coffee plantations in several countries of America, in Guatemala spanned throughout the altiplano. Between 1789 and 1917, European policies fought for or against of the principles of 1789. In this regard France bring to the vocabulary programs, and liberal parties, the radical democratic most of the world and also in Guatemala. France brought influence to the next revolutionary movements in Hispanic America.
French former soldiers of the Napoleonic War and South American independence wars (Nicolas Raoul, Isidoro Saget, Henri Terralonge, Aluard, Courbal, Duplessis, Gibourdel and Goudot) offered their services during the independence wars. Initial diplomatic contact between France and Central America began in 1827; full diplomatic relations were established in 1830. Later some French politicians moved to Guatemala City during the wars between liberals and conservatives. When the Federal Republic of Central America was divided, some French migrated to Costa Rica and Nicaragua although the majority remained in Guatemala. Since then began to arrive politicians, scientists, artists, builders, traders, doctors, and singers plus some families, many of them was married with Guatemalan women, which caused an increase of Guatemalan people of French descent (both direct and mixed).
Towards a census in 1900, there were 8,000 French people in Mesoamerica, Three quarters parts in Mexico and nearly a fifth in Guatemala. With the arrival of the Guatemalan presidency of General José María Reina Barrios, who was educated in Paris, began a revival of diplomatic relations between France and Central America. In 1920, after the triumph of the Unionist movement, is founded in Guatemala City the Alliance Francaise, for initiative of several Guatemalan families of French origin.
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