The Canary Islands
Spain and Portugal fought over the Canary Islands with the Spanish eventually possessing the archipelago. However, the Portuguese migrated to the Canary Islands in such large numbers that their DNA became part of the island’s. People from the Canary Islands have been migrating to Puerto Rico for centuries.
Canary Island Migration to Puerto Rico
Thousands of Canarians moved to Puerto Rico where the Spanish monarchy felt that Canarians would adapt to island life better than other immigrants from the mainland of Spain. Deeply entrenched traditions, such as the Mascaras Festival in the town of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, are an example of Canarian culture still preserved in Puerto Rico. The Canary Islands of Spain has had the most influence on Puerto Rico, and is where most Puerto Ricans can trace their ancestry. It is estimated up to 82% of persons in certain parts of Puerto Rico descend in part from Canarian people. (Source: Wikipedia.)
In 1695, 20 families numbering 100 members were sent to Puerto Rico from the Canary Islands by request of the Governor. This event marked the beginning of subsequent migration waves from the Canary Islands that lasted for the next two centuries. Between 1720 and 1730, Puerto Rico received a group of 176 families from the Canary Islands, each formed by a minimum of five individuals. Additional influxes of Canary Islanders occurred between 1855 and 1860, when the Spanish government promoted their migration to Puerto Rico after the island suffered a cholera epidemic which resulted in the death of 26,820 people. [Source: Díaz-Zabala, Héctor J.; Nieves-Colón, María A.; and Martínez-Cruzado, Juan C., "A Mainly Circum-Mediterranean Origin for West Eurasian and North African mtDNAs in Puerto Rico with Strong Contributions from the Canary Islands and West Africa" (2016).]
Even after the Spanish–American War of 1898, Canarian immigration to the Americas was ongoing. Successive waves of Canarian immigration continued to arrive in Puerto Rico, where entire villages were founded by relocated islanders. In the 1860s, Canarian immigration to America took place at the rate of over 2,000 per year, at a time when the total island population was 237,036. (Source: Wikipedia.)
Between 1891 and 1895, Canary emigration to Puerto Rico was officially over 600 immigrants; if unrecorded or concealed immigration were taken into account, the number would be much larger. Canarian emigration to Puerto Rico in the 19th century is estimated at 2,733 people, mostly peasants desiring to farm their own land, who tended to settle in Puerto Rico in families or groups of families related to each other. A group of geneticists from Puerto Rican universities conducted a study of mitochondrial DNA, which is passed through the mother. They found that the present population of Puerto Rico has in its genome a substantial component of genes from the Guanches, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands, especially those from the island of Tenerife. (Source: Wikipedia.)
Portuguese Migration to the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands were once conquered by the Portuguese. During the fifteenth century, sovereignty over the Canary Islands was contested between Portugal and Castile (Spain) until the dispute was finally resolved in favor of Castile in 1479. By that time a considerable number of Portuguese had settled on the islands. (Source: Emigration and the Sea: An Alternative History of Portugal and the Portuguese, by Malyn Newitt)
Between the 1490s and the 1520s, the Portuguese (along with other Europeans) immigrated to the Canary Islands. Modern-day Canarian culture is Spanish with some aboriginal Guanche and Portuguese roots. The Portuguese heritage is noteworthy in family names (such as Brito, Acosta, Almeida, Santos, Abreu, etc.) and in the Canarian dialect (mojo, tupir, arveja, millo, etc.) Moreover, many elements in traditional architecture, music and folklore show clear links to the Portuguese. (Source: Wikipedia.)
According to a 2012 report, ("Portuguese migration to the Canary Islands: an analysis based on surnames" by J. Roman-Busto, V. Fuster, and S.E. Colantonio) the long term pattern of Portuguese immigration to the Canary Islands was studied by means of the frequency of Portuguese surnames. A database of 1,995,833 individuals was obtained from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (2006). Among the 826 most frequent surnames to appear, 79 surnames of Portuguese origin. Thus, the Canary Islands reveal a high frequency and diversity of Portuguese surnames, which provides clear genetic evidence of the historic Portuguese influence on the Canary Islands.
Therefore, Puerto Ricans may have higher percentages of Portuguese DNA because of the Canary Island migration to Puerto Rico.
Canary Island Migration to Puerto Rico
Thousands of Canarians moved to Puerto Rico where the Spanish monarchy felt that Canarians would adapt to island life better than other immigrants from the mainland of Spain. Deeply entrenched traditions, such as the Mascaras Festival in the town of Hatillo, Puerto Rico, are an example of Canarian culture still preserved in Puerto Rico. The Canary Islands of Spain has had the most influence on Puerto Rico, and is where most Puerto Ricans can trace their ancestry. It is estimated up to 82% of persons in certain parts of Puerto Rico descend in part from Canarian people. (Source: Wikipedia.)
In 1695, 20 families numbering 100 members were sent to Puerto Rico from the Canary Islands by request of the Governor. This event marked the beginning of subsequent migration waves from the Canary Islands that lasted for the next two centuries. Between 1720 and 1730, Puerto Rico received a group of 176 families from the Canary Islands, each formed by a minimum of five individuals. Additional influxes of Canary Islanders occurred between 1855 and 1860, when the Spanish government promoted their migration to Puerto Rico after the island suffered a cholera epidemic which resulted in the death of 26,820 people. [Source: Díaz-Zabala, Héctor J.; Nieves-Colón, María A.; and Martínez-Cruzado, Juan C., "A Mainly Circum-Mediterranean Origin for West Eurasian and North African mtDNAs in Puerto Rico with Strong Contributions from the Canary Islands and West Africa" (2016).]
Even after the Spanish–American War of 1898, Canarian immigration to the Americas was ongoing. Successive waves of Canarian immigration continued to arrive in Puerto Rico, where entire villages were founded by relocated islanders. In the 1860s, Canarian immigration to America took place at the rate of over 2,000 per year, at a time when the total island population was 237,036. (Source: Wikipedia.)
Between 1891 and 1895, Canary emigration to Puerto Rico was officially over 600 immigrants; if unrecorded or concealed immigration were taken into account, the number would be much larger. Canarian emigration to Puerto Rico in the 19th century is estimated at 2,733 people, mostly peasants desiring to farm their own land, who tended to settle in Puerto Rico in families or groups of families related to each other. A group of geneticists from Puerto Rican universities conducted a study of mitochondrial DNA, which is passed through the mother. They found that the present population of Puerto Rico has in its genome a substantial component of genes from the Guanches, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands, especially those from the island of Tenerife. (Source: Wikipedia.)
Portuguese Migration to the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands were once conquered by the Portuguese. During the fifteenth century, sovereignty over the Canary Islands was contested between Portugal and Castile (Spain) until the dispute was finally resolved in favor of Castile in 1479. By that time a considerable number of Portuguese had settled on the islands. (Source: Emigration and the Sea: An Alternative History of Portugal and the Portuguese, by Malyn Newitt)
Between the 1490s and the 1520s, the Portuguese (along with other Europeans) immigrated to the Canary Islands. Modern-day Canarian culture is Spanish with some aboriginal Guanche and Portuguese roots. The Portuguese heritage is noteworthy in family names (such as Brito, Acosta, Almeida, Santos, Abreu, etc.) and in the Canarian dialect (mojo, tupir, arveja, millo, etc.) Moreover, many elements in traditional architecture, music and folklore show clear links to the Portuguese. (Source: Wikipedia.)
According to a 2012 report, ("Portuguese migration to the Canary Islands: an analysis based on surnames" by J. Roman-Busto, V. Fuster, and S.E. Colantonio) the long term pattern of Portuguese immigration to the Canary Islands was studied by means of the frequency of Portuguese surnames. A database of 1,995,833 individuals was obtained from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (2006). Among the 826 most frequent surnames to appear, 79 surnames of Portuguese origin. Thus, the Canary Islands reveal a high frequency and diversity of Portuguese surnames, which provides clear genetic evidence of the historic Portuguese influence on the Canary Islands.
Therefore, Puerto Ricans may have higher percentages of Portuguese DNA because of the Canary Island migration to Puerto Rico.
