Uruguayans

{{Main|Demographics of Uruguay}}

Most Uruguayans descend from colonial-era settlers and immigrants from Europe with almost 88% of the population being of European descent.{{cite web|url= http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/portal/constituciones/pais.formato?pais=Uruguay&indice=datos |title= Constituciones hispanoamericanas - Constituciones - Uruguay - Datos estadísticos |trans-title= Hispano-American Constitutions - Constitutions - Uruguay - Statistical data |language= es |publisher= Cervantesvirtual.com |access-date= 26 June 2010 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080212063809/http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/portal/constituciones/pais.formato?pais=Uruguay&indice=datos |archive-date= 12 February 2008}} The majority of these are Spaniards and Italians, followed by the French, Portuguese, Germans, Romanians, Greeks, British (English or Scots), Irish, Poles,Wojciech Tyciński, Krzysztof Sawicki, Departament Współpracy z Polonią MSZ (Warsaw, 2009). "Raport o sytuacji Polonii i Polaków za granicą (The official report on the situation of Poles and Polonia abroad)" (PDF file, direct download 1.44 MB). Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland). pp. 1–466. Retrieved 14 June 2013 (Internet Archive). Swiss, Russians, Bulgarians, Arab (mainly Lebanese and Syrians), Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews and Armenians.

There are also smaller numbers of Japanese,{{cite book|last=Tanaka|first=Naoki|date=1990|script-title=ja:南米ウルグアイ東方共和国日本人移住史年表|language=ja|trans-title=Nanbei Uruguay Tōhō Kyōwakoku Nihon-jin Ijūshi Nenpyō / Chronological history of Japanese Immigration in South America's Eastern Republic of Uruguay|oclc=673507909}} as well as Amerindians, mainly Charrúa, Minuán, Chaná, Güenoa and Guaraní.{{cite web|url=http://www.ling.fi/Entradas%20diccionario/Dic=Pijao.pdf|title=Pijao Fabre, Alain (2005): Diccionario etnolingüístico y guía bibliográfica de los pueblos indígenas sudamericanos.|website=Ling.fi|access-date=14 January 2018}} Montevideo, like Buenos Aires in Argentina and Santos in Brazil,{{cite web |title=Maior porta de entrada de imigrantes do País, Santos tem diversidade de nações |url=https://www.santos.sp.gov.br/?q=noticia/maior-porta-de-entrada-de-imigrantes-do-pais-santos-tem-diversidade-de-nacoes}} was a major seaport to dock ships coming from Europe and elsewhere and European settlement greatly affected Uruguay to have a more western oriented culture.

Many colonies such as Nueva Helvecia-Colonia Suiza, a Swiss colony and Colonia Valdense, a Piedmontese Waldensian colony, are located in the department of Colonia. Also, there are towns founded by British settlers, like Conchillas and Barker. Two Russian colonies called San Javier and Colonia Ofir, are found in the department of Río Negro. Also there are Mennonite colonies in the department of Río Negro like Gartental and El Ombú, in Canelones Department called Colonia Nicolich, and in San José Department called Colonia Delta. El Ombú, is famous for its well-known Dulce de Leche "Claldy", and is located near the city of Young.

European immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries heavily influenced Uruguayan culture and lifestyle.{{Cite web |date=2014-08-22 |title=Uruguay, el país americano más europeo |url=https://www.nuevatribuna.es/articulo/mundo/uruguay-pais-americano-mas-europeo/20140818141201106240.html |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=Nuevatribuna |language=es}}{{Cite web |date=January 31, 2023 |first=Brian|last= Winter|title=Lo que Uruguay puede enseñarnos |url=https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/lo-que-uruguay-puede-ensenarnos/ |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=Americas Quarterly |language=en-US}} The large cities, including its capital Montevideo, have preserved European architecture, the latter being considered one of the greatest exponents of the art deco style.{{Cite web |last=Amorin |first=German |date=2020-08-26 |title=Montevideo: La capital del estilo Art Decó |url=https://marcapaisuruguay.gub.uy/montevideo-la-capital-del-estilo-art-deco/ |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=Uruguay Natural Marca Pais - Sitio Oficial |language=es-ES}}

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|title=Racial and ethnic composition in Uruguay (2023 census){{cite web |title= Ascendencia étnico-racial principal, por categoría, según departamento - Censo 2023 |url= https://www.gub.uy/instituto-nacional-estadistica/comunicacion/publicaciones/anuario-estadistico-nacional-2024-volumen-n-101/21-informacion-censal-2 |work=2024|publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística |page=|language=es|accessdate= January 22, 2025}}

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|left1= Primary ethnic-racial origin

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{{bar percent|White|Royalblue|85.2}}

{{bar percent|Black|Black|6.9}}

{{bar percent|Indigenous|Peru|2.4}}

{{bar percent|East Asian{{efn|group=note|name=note|The official racial term on the Uruguayan census is "amarilla" or "yellow" in English, which refers to people of East Asian descent.}}|Gold|0.2}}

{{bar percent|Other/none|DimGray|4.6}}

{{bar percent|Unspecified|Green|2.9}}

|caption= Self-identified primary ethnic-racial ancestry. Total adds up to more than 100% as people were allowed to choose more than one ancestral racial group

}}

The majority of Uruguayans or their ancestors immigrated within the past five centuries, with the exception of the Native American population.

{{Main|Spanish Uruguayans|Italian Uruguayans|French Uruguayans|German Uruguayans}}

File:Montevideo Shopping.jpg shopping mall.]]

According to the 2023 Uruguay census, 85.2% of the Uruguayan population chose "white" as their main ancestry, with 88.0% of the population identified as having some white racial origins.{{cite web|title=Censo 2023: Ascendencia étnico racial|language=es|publisher=National Institute of Statistics |url=https://www.gub.uy/instituto-nacional-estadistica/comunicacion/noticias/censo-2023-ascendencia-etnico-racial|date=18 December 2024|accessdate= 20 January 2025}} Early Uruguayans are descendants of colonists from Spain and Portugal during the colonial period prior to 1810. More recent immigrants from Europe, largely from Italy, Germany and France, arrived in the great migratory wave during the late 19th century and early 20th century. Today, Uruguay's culture is influenced heavily by its European roots which is evident in its language, food and other aspects of everyday life.{{cite web|url=http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/Uruguay.html|title=Culture of Uruguay - history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family|website=Everyculture.com|access-date=14 January 2018}}

{{Main|Mestizos|Indigenous peoples in Uruguay}}

Up to 2.4% of the population are of Mestizo (European-Amerindian) ancestry according to the 2011 census.{{cite web|title=Atlas Sociodemografico y de la Desigualdad en Uruguay, 2011: Ancestry |language=es|publisher=National Institute of Statistics |url= https://www.ine.gub.uy/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=1726c03f-aecd-4c78-b9be-f2c27dafba1d&groupId=10181|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908162439/http://www.ine.gub.uy/biblioteca/Atlas_Sociodemografico/Atlas_fasciculo_2_Afrouruguayos.pdf|archive-date=8 September 2014}} People with Amerindian ancestry can be found in the north of Uruguay, primarily in Tacuarembó Department, where the Amerindian ancestry accounts for 20% of the population.

A 1996 census identified that 12,600 people in Uruguay were Amerindian descendants. In 2006, a census confirmed that there were 115,118 Uruguayans that descended from one Amerindian ethnic group, the Charrúas, reaching up to 4% of the country's population. In 2005, Sinthia Pagano, M.D conducted a genetic study, detecting that 38% of Uruguayans may have expressed partial genetic influence from the Amerindian population.{{cite web|url=http://www.lr21.com.uy/comunidad/462619-en-uruguay-hay-115118-descendientes-de-indigenas|title=Dra. Sinthia Pagano. Un Estudio Detectó 38% de Sangre Aborigen en la Población Uruguaya - En Uruguay hay 115.118 descendientes de indígenas|first=Santiago Katriel|last=Da Silva Villarrubia|work=Mario Delgado Gérez|publisher=LaRed21 Comunidad|date=14 July 2011|access-date=6 February 2013|language=es}}{{cite web|url=http://www.lr21.com.uy/comunidad/469146-censo-afrodescendientes-e-indigenas-hacen-campana|title=Censo 2011. Organizaciones Sociales Llaman a Decir "Sí" Para Reconocer sus Etnias - Censo: afrodescendientes e indígenas hacen campaña|first=Santiago Katriel|last=Da Silva Villarrubia|work=Matías Rotulo|publisher=LaRed21 Comunidad|date=27 August 2011|access-date=6 February 2013|language=es}} Another study found that 34% of the population has Amerindian admixture.{{cite web | url=https://www.uypress.net/Secciones/En-Uruguay-un-34-de-la-poblacion-tiene-ascendencia-indigena-uc80899 | title=En Uruguay un 34% de la población tiene ascendencia indígena }}

{{Main|Afro-Uruguayans}}

File:Desfile de Llamadas 2020 - Barrio Sur - Montevideo - Uruguay 200214-0003580-jikatu (49543662292).jpg in Montevideo.]]

Africans, Blacks and Mulattos in Uruguay are more or less 209,662 and they are mostly found in Montevideo, Rivera Department, Artigas Department, Salto Department and Cerro Largo Department.{{cite web|url=http://www.afrolatinos.tv/index.php?root.display/270/Uruguay#lang2pag1 |title=Afrolatinos.tv Uruguay |website=Afrolatinos.tv |access-date=10 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127010152/http://www.afrolatinos.tv/index.php?root.display%2F270%2FUruguay#lang2pag1 |archive-date=27 January 2010 |url-status=dead}} A 2011 census marked that there are more than 300,000 African descendants and that 80% of Afro-Uruguayans are under the working class line.{{cite web|url=http://historico.elpais.com.uy/110828/pciuda-589557/ciudades/afros-e-indigenas-procuran-que-el-censo-haga-visibles-sus-realidades/|title=Afros e indígenas procuran que el censo "haga visibles" sus realidades|last=Da Silva Villarrubia|first=Santiago Katriel|access-date=6 February 2013|language=es}}

{{Main|Uruguayan Spanish|Uruguay#Language}}

Spanish is the de facto national language.{{Cite web |date=2020-07-29 |title=Proponen establecer por ley que el idioma oficial de Uruguay es el español |url=https://www.sarandi690.com.uy/2020/07/29/proponen-establecer-por-ley-que-el-idioma-oficial-de-uruguay-es-el-espanol/ |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=Radio Sarandí 690 AM |language=es}} The standard language, virtually spoken by the entire population is Uruguayan Spanish, which is a variant of Rioplatense Spanish.[https://www.cervantes.es/imagenes/file/biblioteca/situacion_espanol/uruguay_situacion_espanol.pdf Particularities of the Spanish language in Uruguay] It has a strong influence of the Italian language and its different dialects due to the number of immigrants that the country received.{{Cite web |date=2021-11-26 |title=Herencia italiana en Uruguay: pastas, pizzas y edificios emblemáticos |url=https://www.elpais.com.uy/domingo/herencia-italiana-en-uruguay-pastas-pizzas-y-edificios-emblematicos |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=EL PAIS |language=en}}

French and Italian have great relevance in society, having been part of the educational curriculum until the 2000s.{{Cite web |date=2007-09-17 |title=Secundaria estudia incorporación de los idiomas francés, alemán e italiano |url=https://www.lr21.com.uy/comunidad/275151-secundaria-estudia-incorporacion-de-los-idiomas-frances-aleman-e-italiano |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=LARED21 |language=es}}{{Cite web |last=diaria |first=la |date=2018-12-11 |title=500 niños aprenderán francés en la escuela |url=https://ladiaria.com.uy/educacion/articulo/2018/12/500-ninos-aprenderan-frances-en-la-escuela/ |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=la diaria |language=es-UY}} On the other hand, in the north-east of the country, the fronteiriço dialect is spoken, a mixture between Uruguayan Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese originated due to cultural exchange between the areas on both sides of the border.{{Cite web |title=Hacia el portuñol "patrimonio inmaterial de la humanidad" {{!}} Comisión Coordinadora del Interior |url=https://www.cci.edu.uy/node/95 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=www.cci.edu.uy}} English is the most widespread foreign language among the Uruguayan people.{{Cite web |last=diaria |first=la |date=2020-07-22 |title=56% de los uruguayos tienen conocimientos de inglés, aunque solo 13,6% tiene certificación oficial |url=https://ladiaria.com.uy/educacion/articulo/2020/7/56-de-los-uruguayos-tienen-conocimientos-de-ingles-aunque-solo-136-tiene-certificacion-oficial/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522074234/https://ladiaria.com.uy/educacion/articulo/2020/7/56-de-los-uruguayos-tienen-conocimientos-de-ingles-aunque-solo-136-tiene-certificacion-oficial/ |archive-date=2022-05-22 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=la diaria |language=es-UY}}

Contemporary Uruguayan culture comes from the contribution of its alternating early settlers from Spain and Portugal, and important influence of European immigrants – Italians, French, Portuguese, Romanians, and Greeks, among others- and traditions blended with Amerindian and African elements. Uruguay has Portuguese and Spanish colonial architectural heritage and many writers, artists, and musicians. Candombe is the most important example of African influence by slaves. Charrua and Guaraní traditions can be seen in mate, the national drink. Both Uruguay and Argentina share its traditional gaúcho roots (which originated in Andalusia).

{{Main|Religion in Uruguay}}

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|title=Religion in Uruguay (2010){{cite web|url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/uruguay#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010®ion_name=All%20Countries&restrictions_year=2013|title=Uruguay – Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project|access-date=10 August 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/|title=Religious Composition by Country, 2010–2050|date=2 April 2015|access-date=10 August 2020}}

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|left1=Religion

|right1=Percent

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|bars=

{{bar percent|Christianity|red|57.9}}

{{bar percent|Folk religion|yellow|0.8}}

{{bar percent|Judaism|blue|0.3}}

{{bar percent|Other religions|orange|0.3}}

{{bar percent|Unaffiliated|grey|40.7}}

}}

File:Iglesia de San Carlos 1.jpg in San Carlos is one of the oldest churches in Uruguay.]]

Uruguay has no official religion; church and state are officially separated,{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2091.htm|title= Background Note: Uruguay|author=Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs|publisher=US Department of State|access-date=23 February 2011}} and religious freedom is guaranteed.{{Cite book |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Uruguay_2004.pdf?lang=en |title=Uruguay's Constitution of 1966, Reinstated in 1985, with Amendments through 2004 |publisher=William S. Hein & Co., Inc |year=2012 |pages=5 |language=en}} A 2008 survey by the INE of Uruguay showed Catholicism as the main religion, with 45.7% of the population; 9.0% are non-Catholic Christians, 0.6% are Animists or Umbandists (an Afro-Brazilian religion), and 0.4% Jewish. 30.1% reported believing in a god, but not belonging to any religion, while 14% were atheist or agnostic.{{cite web|url=http://www.ine.gub.uy/anda/ddibrowser/?id=11§ion=variable&varid=V157 |title=Encuesta Continua de Hogares 2008 – Religion |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estadística |access-date=10 August 2020}}

Political observers consider Uruguay the most secular country in the Americas.{{cite web|url=http://www.morris.umn.edu/academic/laas/Uruguay.html|title=UMM | Latin American Area Studies – Countries|publisher=Morris.umn.edu|date=27 August 2009|access-date=10 August 2020}} Uruguay's secularization began with the relatively minor role of the church in the colonial era, compared with other parts of the Spanish Empire. The small numbers of Uruguay's indigenous peoples and their fierce resistance to proselytism reduced the influence of the ecclesiastical authorities.

In 1837 civil marriage was recognized, and in 1861 the state took over the running of public cemeteries. In 1907 divorce was legalized and, in 1909 all religious instruction was banned from state schools. Under the influence of the innovative Colorado reformer José Batlle y Ordóñez (1903–1911), complete separation of church and state was introduced with the new constitution of 1917.{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/uruguay/43.htm|title=Religion – Uruguay|publisher=Library of Congress Country Studies|access-date=10 August 2020}}

Uruguay's capital has 12 synagogues, and a community of 20,000 Jews by 2011. With a peak of 50,000 during the mid-1960s, Uruguay has the world's highest rate of aliyah as a percentage of the Jewish population.{{cite web|url=http://forward.com/articles/135932/touring-montevideo-s-jewish-quarters/|title=Touring Montevideo's Jewish Quarters|date=8 March 2011 |publisher=Forward.com|access-date=10 August 2020}}

The Baháʼí Faith{{cite web |url=http://www.lasociedadcivil.org/softis/directorio/1/91/ |title=La Sociedad Civil en línea |publisher=Lasociedadcivil.org |access-date=10 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321015511/http://www.lasociedadcivil.org/softis/directorio/1/91/ |archive-date=21 March 2012 |url-status=dead}} is also practiced, along with Afro-Brazilian religions such as Quimbanda, Candomblé, and Umbanda.

File:Desfile de Llamadas - Montevideo, Uruguay - February 2011 - (1).jpg

{{main|Music of Uruguay|Uruguayan Tango|Uruguayan Invasion}}

Music of Uruguay includes a number of local musical forms. The most distinctive ones are tango, murga, a form of musical theater, and candombe, an Afro-Uruguayan type of music which occur yearly during the Carnival period. There is also milonga, a folk guitar and song form deriving from Spanish traditions and related to similar forms found in many Hispanic-American countries. The famed tango singer Carlos Gardel was born in Toulouse, France, then raised in Buenos Aires, but as an adult he obtained legal papers saying he was born in Tacuarembó, probably to avoid French military authorities.{{cite web |url=http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1509532-fin-del-misterio-muestran-la-partida-de-nacimiento-de-gardel|title=Fin del misterio: muestran la partida de nacimiento de Gardel|trans-title=End of the mystery: they show Gardel's birth certificate|language=Spanish|author=Verónica Dema|date=20 September 2012|publisher=La Nación|accessdate=3 October 2012}}{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/lifemusictimesof00coll |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/lifemusictimesof00coll/page/5 5] |title=The Life, Music, and Times of Carlos Gardel |first=Simon |last=Collier |publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press |year=1986 |isbn=0822984989}}{{cite book |first1=Julián |last1=Barsky |first2=Osvaldo |last2=Barsky |title=Gardel: La biografía |publisher=Taurus |year=2004 |isbn=9870400132 |language=Spanish}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZVfIus_mXzAC&pg=PA31 |page=31 |title=La sonrisa de Gardel: Biografía, mito y ficción |first=Jorge |last=Ruffinelli |authorlink=Jorge Ruffinelli |publisher=Ediciones Trilce |year=2004 |isbn=9974323568 |language=Spanish}}

"La cumparsita" (little street procession, a grammatical diminutive of la comparsa) is a tango written in 1916 by the Uruguayan musician Gerardo Matos Rodríguez, It is among the most famous and recognizable tangos of all time.{{cite web|url=http://www.todotango.com/english/creadores/gmrodriguez.asp|title=Gerardo Matos Rodriguez|access-date=10 August 2020}}

The popular music of Uruguay, which focuses on rock, jazz, and many other forms, frequently makes reference to the distinctly Uruguayan sounds mentioned above. The group Los Shakers, similar to the Beatles, deserve a special mention as the band that kickstarted the Uruguayan rock scene.

File:Estantia (farm) on the River San Pedro - Emeric Essex Vidal - Picturesque illustrations of Buenos Ayres and Monte Video (1820).JPG (1820)]]

The gaucho is a national symbol in Uruguay and Argentina but is also a strong culture in Paraguay and southern Brazil. Gauchos became greatly admired and renowned in legends, folklore and literature and became an important part of their regional cultural tradition.{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/gaucho|title=Gaucho|website=Britannica|access-date=10 August 2020}}

{{main|Emigration from Uruguay}}

The rate of Uruguayan emigration to Europe is especially high in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France. In the Americas, emigration is mostly to the United States, Canada, Argentina, and other nearby Latin American countries such as Brazil and Chile. In Oceania, emigration is mainly to Australia, and to a lesser extent, New Zealand.

{{Portal|Uruguay}}

• List of Uruguayans
• Demographics of Uruguay
• Uruguayan diaspora
• Hispanics
• Criollo people
• Italic peoples
• Uruguayan Americans

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Uruguay topics}}

{{Ethnic groups in Uruguay}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uruguayan People}}

Category:Uruguayan people

Category:Demographics of Uruguay

Category:South American people by nationality

Category:Ethnic groups in Uruguay