Canary Islander and Malagueño Immigration to Louisiana

Spanish-speaking immigrants including the Isleños from the Canary Islands and Malagueños from Andalusia settled in Louisiana, with the Isleños in St. Bernard Parish and Malagueños around New Iberia.

When this happened

Canary Islander and Malagueño Immigration to Louisiana occurred in between 1778 and 1783, during the revolutionary era period of American history. The event spanned from 1778 to 1783.

Where this happened

Canary Islander and Malagueño Immigration to Louisiana took place in Louisiana. Explore the full history of Louisiana and primary source records from this era.

The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) grew from colonial resistance to British taxation without parliamentary representation — a dispute that radicalized through the Stamp Act (1765), the Townshend Acts (1767), and the Boston Massacre (1770). Fighting began at Lexington and Concord in April 1775; the Continental Congress declared independence on July 4, 1776. The Continental Army under George Washington faced severe shortages of supplies and troops, enduring the brutal winter at Valley Forge (1777–1778) before French alliance and French financing turned the military balance. Major engagements included Bunker Hill (1775), Trenton (1776), Saratoga (1777) — which secured French intervention — and Yorktown (1781), where British General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington. An estimated 25,000 American soldiers died in service, from combat, disease, and captivity. The Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence and ceded British territory east of the Mississippi, though it left unresolved questions about Indigenous land rights and the status of Loyalists.

Content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia: Spanish interregnum (1763–1803).