Croatian Peruvians are Peruvians of Croatian descent. Mostly settled in the Peruvian capital, Lima, Croatian Peruvians have scattered throughout the vast metropolis, but are known to have established a strong community in the Miraflores District, where strong ties to the ethnic group still remain. Due to intermarriage, most Croatian Peruvians are of mixed ancestry. Actual conversations in Croatian are common only within first generation immigrants. Although Croatian speech in Peru has been generally lost. [citation needed]
Most Croatian Peruvians are Roman Catholic and either completely Croat or of mixed European origin.
Peru was the first South American country to receive immigrants from Croatia. Early settlers came from the Republic of Ragusa (modern-day Dubrovnik) in the 16th century. A more significant number of immigrants arrived in the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, mostly from the Dubrovnik area and the rest of the Croatian Adriatic coast. Some Croats were involved in the guano business that was flourishing in the late 19th century; others pursued copper, gold and silver mining in the Andes. By the end of the 19th century, Croats were the most prominent foreign community in the mining town of Cerro de Pasco.[1]
A group of approximately 1,000 political emigrants from Croatia arrived in the country in 1948. The new generation of immigrants differed significantly from the old one, and the two populations remained separate for a long time.[1]
