Sikhism in Mexico

Sikhism in Mexico
*Sijismo en México*
	A Punjabi-Mexican American couple, Valentina Alvarez and Rullia Singh, posing for their wedding photo in 1917.
Total population
	1,000
Regions with significant populations
	Mexico City · Naucalpan
Religions
	Sikhism
Languages
	Mexican Spanish • Punjabi • Hindi • Urdu

Sikhs in Mexico are a religious minority in Mexico. There is estimated to be no more than 1,000 Sikhs living in Mexico, with most residing in Mexico City and the Naucalpan region.^[1]

History

1900s–1950

Sikh migration to Mexico started in the early 1900s from Punjab Province (British India). Sikhs were migrating in large numbers for economic opportunities in United States and Canada. However, due to the U.S. Immigration Act of 1917,^[2] some Sikhs ended up staying in Mexico.^[3]

As many Sikhs had difficulty with entry in the United States in the following decades, some Sikh farmers settled in Mexico and married Mexican women.^[4]

1950–2000

In the 1980s Yogi Bhajan visited Mexico City, introducing Kundalini yoga, which led to a large number of his students converting to Sikhism from Catholicism.^[4]^[5]

2000s–Present

In 2016, Sikh-American actor Waris Ahluwalia was initially barred from his Aeroméxico flight from Mexico City to New York because of his turban.^[6]

In 2022, the federal government of Mexico agreed to offer asylum to 141 Afghan Sikh refugees based humanitarian grounds.^[7]

Gurdwara

There is currently one fully functioning Gurdwara, which is located in Tecamachalco, State of Mexico, close to the border with Mexico City.^[8]^[9]

Mexican Sikh organisations

Sikh Dharma Mexico^[10]

Notable Sikhs from Mexico

Babaji Singh – Mexican Sikh credited with translating the Guru Granth Sahib into Spanish.^[11]

References

^ Jain, Ajit (15 May 2005). "SIKHS IN MEXICO". The Tribune. Ambassador Gill says of the 150 Indian families living in Mexico, a majority are Sikhs. He says a lot of Mexicans are converting to Sikhism and adopting the philosophy of a simple life and truthfulness.
^ Han, Yoonji (8 October 2022). "The early 20th Century was rife with anti-immigrant laws. They spurred a flourishing Punjabi-Mexican community in California". Business Insider. the Immigration Act of 1917 restricted the entry of Asians into the country, preventing the Punjabi workers from bringing their families to join them.
^ Pinksy, Mark (21 December 1987). "The Mexican-Hindu Connection : In a Search for Their Roots, Descendants Discover a Moving Tale of Loneliness and Racism". Los Angeles Times. One old Sikh man, who had taken a boat from Asia to Panama, then walked through Central America to the Mexican border after 1913, when legal immigration to the United States was shut off
^ ^a ^b Kahlon, Swaran (2012). "8 & 9". Sikhs in Latin America: Travels Among the Sikh Diaspora. Manohar Publishers. ISBN 9788173049385.
^ "Examining Latino and Punjabi Sikh Identity". Dartmouth Education.
^ "Waris Ahluwalia accepts airline's apology for turban incident". The Guardian. 9 February 2015.
^ "First batch of Afghan refugees from minority communities arrives in Mexico". Hindustan Times. 10 February 2022. At least 141 refugees from the Sikh and Hindu communities of Afghanistan were given asylum in Mexico on humanitarian grounds
^ "Gurudwara Mexico City". World Gurudwaras. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
^ Jain, Ajit (15 May 2005). "Sikhs in Mexico". Tribune India. There is only one gurdwara in Mexico City.
^ Khalsa, Gurujodha Singh (6 October 2015). "Seva in Mexico City". Sikh Dharma International.
^ Sikh Dharma International. "Spanish Translation of Siri Guru Granth Sahib gifted to Sikh Jathedars in Nanded | Sikh Dharma International". Sikhdharma.org. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012.

[1] Jain, Ajit (15 May 2005). "SIKHS IN MEXICO". The Tribune. Ambassador Gill says of the 150 Indian families living in Mexico, a majority are Sikhs. He says a lot of Mexicans are converting to Sikhism and adopting the philosophy of a simple life and truthfulness.

[2] Han, Yoonji (8 October 2022). "The early 20th Century was rife with anti-immigrant laws. They spurred a flourishing Punjabi-Mexican community in California". Business Insider. the Immigration Act of 1917 restricted the entry of Asians into the country, preventing the Punjabi workers from bringing their families to join them.

[3] Pinksy, Mark (21 December 1987). "The Mexican-Hindu Connection : In a Search for Their Roots, Descendants Discover a Moving Tale of Loneliness and Racism". Los Angeles Times. One old Sikh man, who had taken a boat from Asia to Panama, then walked through Central America to the Mexican border after 1913, when legal immigration to the United States was shut off

[:0-4] Kahlon, Swaran (2012). "8 & 9". Sikhs in Latin America: Travels Among the Sikh Diaspora. Manohar Publishers. ISBN 9788173049385.

[5] "Examining Latino and Punjabi Sikh Identity". Dartmouth Education.

[6] "Waris Ahluwalia accepts airline's apology for turban incident". The Guardian. 9 February 2015.

[7] "First batch of Afghan refugees from minority communities arrives in Mexico". Hindustan Times. 10 February 2022. At least 141 refugees from the Sikh and Hindu communities of Afghanistan were given asylum in Mexico on humanitarian grounds

[8] "Gurudwara Mexico City". World Gurudwaras. Retrieved 8 September 2024.

[9] Jain, Ajit (15 May 2005). "Sikhs in Mexico". Tribune India. There is only one gurdwara in Mexico City.

[10] Khalsa, Gurujodha Singh (6 October 2015). "Seva in Mexico City". Sikh Dharma International.

[11] Sikh Dharma International. "Spanish Translation of Siri Guru Granth Sahib gifted to Sikh Jathedars in Nanded | Sikh Dharma International". Sikhdharma.org. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012.

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