indiano
A dictionary of Spanish history and culture
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An emigrant or a descendant of an emigrant who returned to Spain after having made their fortune in the Americas, above all in Cuba, Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela and Mexico. The word is particularly associated with Northern Spain, from where hundreds of thousands of people were obliged to emigrate in the 19th and early 20th century, and although some made their money on the backs’ of slave labour, others did so through their own toil. Many indianos returned and built a house in their home village. The giveaway sign is the characteristic palm tree (palmera), growing in front of a colonial-style house (casona, palacete). There are probably thousands of casas de indiano across Northern Spain. Indianos were also famed for their generosity, building schools, hospitals, churches and other public services in their village. The phenomena of indianos is also seen in Catalonia.
what is an indiano, spanish returned immigrants, indiano en inglés? emmigration from Galicia, Spanish emmigrants in cuba, typical houses of asturias, palm trees.