Spencer Miles Wertheimer
From Arrival to Adversity: The History of Chinese Migration
in Mexico
Since the 19th century, Mexico began to
receive a considerable number of Chinese people as migrants. They were people
who participated and involved in the socioeconomic development of various areas
of the country. However, there are conflicts and struggles faced by Chinese migrators.
Keep reading to walk through some historical facts!
Early
Records of Chinese Migrants
In the General Archive of the Nation, the country's central repository for historical documents and records, information about individuals of Chinese origin who entered Mexican territory during the second half of the 19th century is preserved.
Within the Maritime Movement fund, a specific collection containing records related to maritime activities, the oldest record dates back to 1874 and includes the names of six people originally from China who entered Mexico through the Port of Guaymas, Sonora.
Intensification
of Chinese Migration
Entry
from the United States
Another important consideration of Chinese
migration was that a large number of them entered from the United States, since
at that time in the southern states of that country, such as California and
Arizona, free migration of Chinese had been promoted since 1868 with the Treaty
of Burlingame.
Therefore, a large part of the North
American industry that developed in the north of Mexico hired workers of
Chinese origin. For example, in 1880 the US capital company that financed the
construction of the Sonora Railway employed Chinese workers to build the
tracks.
Exploitation
in the Railway Industry
The Sonora Railway company was not the only
one that used Chinese workers for the works, since the Inter-Ocean Railroad
Company, which was in charge of the Tehuantepec Railway works, also used
Chinese labor.
Adoption
of Exploitation Practices in Other Sectors
This system of exploitation that the North
American railway companies used on Chinese migrants began to be adopted in
other sectors of the country. Such was the case of the farms and haciendas of
the Yucatan region where a greater number of workers began to be demanded. They
added the labor force of North American Chinese as a solution.
In 1880, a group of landowners from that area of Mexico hired a hundred Chinese settlers, who under contract would work for three years for a payment of 8 pesos per month and 20 pounds of rice.
Additionally, 2 pesos would be deducted each month until the amount of 55 pesos corresponding to the costs of the ticket was covered, plus additional expenses.
Labor
Exploitation and Discrimination
The Chinese community that settled in Mexico
fell prey to the terrible conditions of labor exploitation, similar to what
they suffered in the United States, where they also began to experience acts of
discrimination and xenophobia.
Between 1880 and 1882, the first
anti-immigration laws were created in the United States, with people from China
being the first to be historically added to the list of immigrants restricted
by the country with the Chinese Exclusion Act, decreed in 1882
by then-President Chester A. Arthur.
Justifications
for the Chinese Exclusion Act
One of the main justifications that the
North American government expressed for ending the Treaty of Burlingame was
that people of Chinese origin “were stealing jobs from Americans” by charging
very low wages. This sentiment contributed to the development of Chinese
Exclusion Act in 1882.
The political class did not punish or
regulate the exploitation to which people of Chinese origin were subjected for
being migrants. Instead, they simply looked for a "scapegoat" to
justify the lack of work and the low salaries available to workers in that
area.
Xenophobia
in Mexico
The situation was not more favorable in
Mexico for the Chinese. The reason was the same North American discourse of
xenophobia and discrimination towards Chinese workers was taken up by a sector
of Mexican society, especially the upper class. This sector considered it more
appropriate to exploit the labor force of the indigenous people, as it would
not involve the costs of moving or hiring Chinese migrants.
The person in charge of finding the Chinese
workers received money proportional to the number of people he delivered in the
end.
Xenophobia
Among Mexican Workers
This type of discourse of xenophobia and
discrimination was also present within the Mexican working class, who, faced
with the precarious economic and labor situation they suffered at the hands of
the capitalist and dictatorial system of those years, began to consider people
of Chinese origin as taking the little work available. This sentiment can be
seen in a letter from a worker preserved in the General Archive of the Nation
in the Francisco I. Madero fund, box 099, file 2.
Rejection
of Xenophobia by Mexican Governments
However, both the government of Porfirio
Díaz and the government of Francisco I. Madero rejected this speech of
xenophobia and discrimination towards workers of Chinese origin.
Impact
of Xenophobia and Discrimination
Despite this, the discourse of xenophobia
and discrimination expressed by some Mexicans towards people of Chinese origin
caused significant harm, such as the regrettable massacre perpetuated between
May 15 and 16, 1911, towards the Chinese community of Torreón, resulting in
hundreds of deaths and injuries.
Resilience
of the Chinese Community
Despite the adversities and working
conditions that Chinese migrants suffered in Mexico at that time, they managed
to establish their own communities where they maintained their culture, ideas,
beliefs, and lifestyles. At the same time, they contributed to the development
of the country.
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