Afro-Uruguayans

Afro-Uruguayans

Afrouruguayos
Cayetano Silva Rubén Rada Álvaro Pereira Egidio Arévalo
Total population
(302,460 10% (including mixed-race) of Uruguay's population)
Regions with significant populations
Montevideo
Languages
Rioplatense Spanish, Portuñol
Religion
Umbanda, Roman Catholicism, Pentecostalism
Related ethnic groups
Other Afro-Latin Americans

The term "Afro-Uruguayans" refers to Uruguayans of predominantly Black African descent. The majority of Afro-Uruguayans are in Montevideo.

History

For most of the colonial period, the port of Buenos Aires (see Afro-Argentines) served as the exclusive entry point for enslaved Africans in the Río de la Plata region. Slaves entering the port of Buenos Aires were then regularly shipped inland to Córdoba and the northwestern provinces of Salta and Tucumán in Argentina, across the Andes Mountains to Chile (see Afro-Chileans), and to the mines of Potosí in Alto Perú (see Afro-Bolivians).

In recent decades there has been an influx of sub-Saharan Africans to Uruguay, especially Nigerians.

Candombe

Candombe's origins lie in the "Kings of Congo" ceremonial processions from the period of African slavery in South America. Candombe is related to other musical forms of African origin found in the Americas such as Cuban son and tumba and Brazilian maracatu and congadas. The form evolved by the beginning of the 19th century.

Notable Afro-Uruguayans

• José Leandro Andrade, football player
• Egidio Arévalo Ríos, football player
• Víctor Diogo, football player
• Tina Ferreira, journalist and vedette
• Santiago García, football player
• Abel Hernández, football player
• José Holebas, football player
• Joaquín Lenzina, freed slave and poet
• Richard Morales, football player
• Nicolás Olivera, football player
• Álvaro Pereira, football player
• Rubén Rada, candombe singer
• Mario Regueiro, football player
• Alba Roballo, politician
• Déborah Rodríguez, Olympic athlete
• Víctor Rodríguez Andrade, football player
• Diego Rolán, football player
• Virginia Brindis de Salas, poet
• Cayetano Alberto Silva, musician
• Darío Silva, football player
• Paolo Suarez, football player
• Obdulio Varela, football player
• Marcelo Zalayeta, football player