Why Is Welsh Spoken in Some Parts of Argentina?

Spanish is the de facto official language of Argentina, with nearly all 45 million inhabitants of South America’s third-most-populous country speaking it. Other languages spoken in Argentina include English, Italian, over a dozen Indigenous languages, and, in one particular region, Welsh. If you find that last one surprising, there’s a good reason: Wales is a small country that’s nearly 8,000 miles and an ocean apart from Argentina. Discover the surprising history of Argentina’s Welsh-speaking communities.

The Origins of Y Wladfa

Welsh, sometimes called the “language of heaven,” came to be spoken in southern Argentina well over a century and a half ago. During the Industrial Revolution in the mid-19th century, many in Wales felt political pressure to assimilate with the dominant English culture of the United Kingdom. Some were inspired to move abroad and establish Welsh-speaking colonies — including ones in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Utica, New York.

The idea for Argentina’s Welsh colony — known as Y Wladfa (“The Colony”) or Y Wladychfa Gymreig (“The Welsh Colony”) — was born at an 1861 meeting at the home of one Michael D. Jones. 

The group that met there wanted to establish a settlement outside of the United States, with Vancouver being discussed as one possibility before they ultimately decided on the Patagonia region of Argentina. This wasn’t a random choice: Jones had been in contact with Argentina’s government, which was happy to allow him and his cohort to retain their language and customs in an area of the lower Chubut Valley known as Bahia Blanca, because they believed it would help them settle a land dispute with Chile.

After publishing Llawlyfr y Wladfa (Colony Handbook) to inform their countrymen of the idea, some 150 people joined Jones. They paid £12 per adult (equivalent to over $1,500 USD today) and £6 per child to secure a spot aboard the Mimosa, which set sail from Liverpool in May 1865. 

Life in the New World

After an eight-week journey that met little inclement weather, they reached port in what’s now Puerto Madryn on July 27. Once there, the settlers came to the same realization that many people moving to the New World in search of a better life did: It was nothing like they imagined it to be. They arrived to a mostly barren, windswept land with little food or water, rather than a paradisiacal utopia of milk and honey. 

Harsh years followed, but so did assistance from the native Tehuelche peoples. Thanks to clever irrigation techniques and water management, the Chubut Valley became a fertile agricultural area.

By 1875, the first settlement (called Rawson) had a population of 270 — as well as the official title to the land granted by Argentina’s government, inspiring more than 500 others to arrive from Wales. The colony soon became home to Welsh-speaking churches, schools, and even a Welsh local government.

The colonists were victims of their own success, however. By so successfully transforming the Chubut Valley, the Welsh settlers inspired groups from other areas to migrate there as well. The population had ballooned to over 20,000 by 1915, and the government took away most of the autonomy it had initially granted them — including the official use of Welsh in schools and in government. It remained in use at home and the church, however, which is still the case to this day.

A Language at Risk

Considering that Welsh is spoken by only around 850,000 people in Wales itself, or 28% of the population, the fact that approximately 5,000 still speak it in Chubut isn’t insignificant.

Wales’ government has said it is “absolutely committed” to raising the number of native speakers to 1 million and “doubling the daily use of Welsh” in the coming years. The language is considered vulnerable by UNESCO’s Endangered Languages Project, largely because English is the dominant language in Wales and young people are emigrating from Welsh-speaking communities.

To combat this, the British Council established the Welsh Language Project in 1997 to promote and develop its use in Chubut. Two teachers are sent from Wales every year and divide their efforts among three bilingual primary schools, one secondary school, and Welsh for Adults Centres. 

Today, it’s estimated there are 50,000 to 70,000 people in Argentina who descended from the original Welsh settlers, with the Welsh Argentine community mainly residing in the towns of Gaiman, Dolavon, Trelew, and Trevelin.

These towns are located near the Valdés Peninsula — named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its importance as a breeding area for the endangered southern right whale, southern elephant seals, and southern sea lions. If you visit, be sure to embark on a whale-watching or wildlife tour after taking in the unique Welsh culture of the area.