Is that your last name? If yes, your ancestors are from America

Today, October 12, is a national holiday in Spain, the date commemorates the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492. This event marked the beginning of a deep and very complex relationship between the Spanish Crown and the territories of the Americas.

Among the many legacies left by this relationship, one of the most notable and lasting is the distribution of Hispanic surnames throughout the American continent. Although, The fact of sharing a surname does not necessarily indicate direct ancestry, but rather reflects a historical process of miscegenation, cultural imposition, and colonial organization.

Nickname in America

When the Spanish arrived in America, one of the first tasks they did was the organization of new colonial territories. Governors and Crown officials assigned surnames to natives, slaves, and mestizos as a way to distinguish them and, in many cases, to facilitate administration. These surnames come from the states of Castile, Aragon, Galicia and other regions of the Iberian Peninsula, They became a central part of the identity of people in the “New World”.On several occasions, names of indigenous origin were replaced with Spanish surnames, thus reflecting colonial power.

This phenomenon explains why many Latin Americans today have Spanish surnames.“Garcia”, “Rodriguez”, “Lopez” or “Martinez”, although their ancestry may be mostly indigenous. The imposition of these names was not only a matter of cultural dominance, but also a strategy of social and territorial organization that persists to this day.

Spanish inhabitants and regional distribution of surnames

During the colonial period, Spanish authorities also sought to colonize certain areas of the Americas with inhabitants from specific areas of the Iberian Peninsula, thus creating homogeneous colonies. A clear example of this policy can be seen in the case of Mexico, where the west of the country was known as the “Kingdom of New Galicia”, and the majority of the inhabitants were Galician. Even today, in Guadalajara and its surrounding cities, you can find surnames such as “Coutino” or “Morino” of Galician origin.

The northwest of Mexico, in the area known as “Nueva Vizcaya”, is dominated by Basque immigrants, and that is why surnames such as “Zumarraga”, “Lizaraga” or “Vidauri” are still abundant today. . This phenomenon was not limited to Mexico, but was also repeated in other parts of the continent, contributing to the regional distribution of surnames that can be traced to this day.

Like Mexico, in parts of Argentina and Chile, we find a high concentration of surnames such as “Echeverría”, “Iturralde”, “Ugarte”, “Urquiza”, “Castinera” and “Alberdi”. While having a Galician or Basque surname in Latin America does not guarantee direct ancestry from these regions, it does indicate a strong migratory and cultural influence dating back to the early colonial period.

Similar case of Philippines: Spanish surnames in Asia

The presence of Spanish surnames is not limited to Latin America, but can also be seen in the Philippines, A former Spanish colony in Southeast Asia. Unlike what happened in the Americas, where surnames continued to be assigned for several centuries, in the Philippines the process was more sudden. In 1849, Governor General Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa promulgated a decree that Those Filipinos who did not already have a surname were required to adopt one from the official list, known as the “List of Surnames”. Although the list included names of Filipino origin, most of the surnames were Spanish. so, Many Filipinos adopted surnames such as “Garcia”, “Santos” or “Reyes”, even though their ancestors were not necessarily Spanish.

Diversification and diversity of surnames in Latin America

The adoption of Spanish surnames does not mean that all Latin Americans have direct ancestry from Iberian settlers. Although miscegenation was a stable condition in many regions, in other regions, miscegenation was not linked to biological descent. This explains why in countries such as Peru, Spanish surnames such as “Flores” or “Sánchez” coexisted with indigenous surnames such as “Quispe” or “Human”, reflecting the mixing of cultures that characterized colonial society. .

This cultural and biological mixing also occurred in other areas of the continent. For example, in Paraguay, there is a predominance of surnames such as “González” or “Pérez” with Guarani heritage very present in the population, while In Costa Rica, in addition to Spanish surnames, we also find Italian, Portuguese and even English surnames, Reflects a more diverse migration history.

Spanish Surnames in Modern Spain: A Reflection of America?

In contemporary Spain, Common surnames such as “Garcia”, “Rodriguez” or “Fernandez” are less likely to indicate direct Latin American ancestry.Although some Latin Americans, especially the elite, traveled to Spain during the colonial era, The genetic impact of these immigrants was minimal. However, the situation has been changing since then Currently, the percentage of the population that is Latin American is increasing, meaning that the genetic heritage of Latin America will be more visible in the peninsula in future generations.