Chinatowns in Latin America and the Caribbean

Chinatowns in Latin America (Spanish: barrios chinos, singular barrio chino / Portuguese: bairros chineses, singular bairro chinês) emerged during the rise of Chinese immigration to Latin America in the 19th century. Many immigrants arrived as contract laborers, often under indentured servitude, to work in the agricultural and fishing sectors. The majority came from Guangdong Province in southern China.

Since the 1970s, new waves of Chinese migrants have predominantly originated from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Latin American Chinatowns are typically composed of both the descendants of early migrants—many of whom are of mixed Chinese and Latino heritage—and more recent arrivals from East Asia. Most Asian Latin Americans trace their ancestry to Cantonese and Hakka communities.

While estimates vary, the number of people of Chinese descent in Latin America is believed to be at least 1.4 million, and likely significantly higher.

Unlike the Chinatowns of Anglo America and Europe, pure-blood ethnic Chinese were relatively few in number but now increasing rapidly due to generally lower levels of Chinese immigration to some parts of Latin America. Residents of Latin American Chinatowns tend to be multilingual. Latin America's Chinatowns include those of Mexico City, Havana, Buenos Aires, and Lima. Some of these Chinatowns mainly serve as tourist attractions and not as true, living ethnic communities. The Chinatown of Havana, Cuba's is largely multi-generation Spanish-speaking Chinese Cuban whereas the Chinatown of the Belgrano district of Buenos Aires, Argentina consists of many first-generation Holo- and Mandarin-speaking immigrants from Taiwan.

Politically, several nations of Latin America recognize the government of the Republic of China in Taiwan. A Chinese arch was presented as a gift to the Barrio Chino of Panama City, following the visit of Panama by the then Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui. After the major official visit by the Cuban Revolution's Fidel Castro to the People's Republic of China in 1995, materials were given for the new Chinese arch on Calle Dragone in Havana's Barrio Chino.