Argentinians take the road back to their Galician roots

1m Number of people who emigrated from Galicia between 1857 and 1960

- Stephen Burgen

Galicia has long been one of Spain’s poorest regions, and since the mid-19th century Galicians have emigrated in their tens of thousands to seek a brighter future in the Americas. But now they’re coming back.

The Galician regional government says that returnees – the majority are Argentinians – are settling in the area at a rate of three a day.

After more than 150 years of steady depopulation, in 2019 more people arrived than left, while, for the first time in its history, the reverse was true for Argentina.

Far from discouraging immigration, the Galician government has set up offices offering the returnees help with jobs, schools and housing, as well as financial support.

“For us, these new arrivals are a boon,