SoFarfromAllah,SoClosetoMexico THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK So Far from Allah, So Close to Mexico Middle Eastern Immigrants in Modern Mexico by theresa alfaro-velcamp UniversityofTexasPress Austin CoverPhoto:GiriusIbrahimMartinosAbraham(naturalizedinTorreónasJorge MartínezAbraham),left,andEstefanauninthemountainsofLebanonduringWorld WarI,circa1916.CourtesyArchivoHistóricoJuanAgustíndeEspinoza,S.J., UniversidadIberoamericana,Laguna,Torreón. MapsareoriginalartworkpreparedforthemanuscriptbyRobertH.McLaughlin. Copyright©2007bytheUniversityofTexasPress Allrightsreserved PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica Firstedition,2007 Requestsforpermissiontoreproducematerialfromthisworkshouldbesentto: Permissions UniversityofTexasPress P.O.Box7819 Austin,TX78713-7819 www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html (cid:10)Thepaperusedinthisbookmeetstheminimumrequirementsofansi/niso z39.48-1992(r1997)(PermanenceofPaper). LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Alfaro-Velcamp,Theresa,1967– SofarfromAllah,soclosetoMexico:MiddleEasternimmigrantsinmodern Mexico/byTheresaAlfaro-Velcamp.—1sted. p.cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. isbn978-0-292-71640-7((cl.):alk.paper) isbn978-0-292-71641-4((pbk.):alk.paper) 1.Arabs—Mexico—History. 2.Immigrants—Mexico—History. 3.Mexico— Emigrationandimmigration. 4.Arabcountries—Emigrationandimmigration. I.Title. f1392.a7a442007 972'.0004927—dc22 2007004251 ThisbookisdedicatedtoMustafa(Roman)IttAlfaroand MagdalenaAlfaro-McLaughlin. THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction:LookingforAntonioAychurIttand FindingHamudSaid(cid:13)Eid 1 1. AmplifyingMexicanidad 9 2. LocatingMiddleEasternersinNationalandTransnational Histories 25 3. TurcoSojournersCometoPorfirianMexico 45 4. BorderlandMerchantsinRevolutionaryMexico 70 5. MiddleEasternImmigrantsandForeignersin Post-RevolutionaryMexico 110 6. Peddling,Positioning,andProsperity 133 7. Conclusion:MeaningsofMulticulturalism 158 Appendix:Tables 165 Notes 181 SelectedBibliography 225 Index 257 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Acknowledgments ThisprojectbeganmorethanadecadeagoatGeorgetownUniversitywith John Tutino as my mentor. He guided me through studying, research- ing, writing, revising, and publishing in Mexican history. I cannot ade- quatelyexpressmygratitudetohimforhisnumerousreadingsofthetext and his invaluable suggestions. It has been a privilege to work with him and many other scholars. Yvonne Haddad, Charles Keely, James Bren- nan,andEvelynHu-DeHarthelpedmefinishadissertationinhistoryand offeredinsightstotransformingtheearlyresearchintoanaccessiblebook. At Georgetown University, I also would like to thank Dorothy Brown, JohnVoll,JohnEsposito,AmiraSonbol,JamesCollins,andSoniaJacobson fortheircontinuedsupport.MyGeorgetowncolleaguesMichaelSocolow, JenniferHullDorsey,ElyseSemerdjian,KathrynCoughlin,NadyaSbaiti, andDanielBrynehavebeengreatfriendsandcritics.TheInstituteofWorld PoliticsinWashington,D.C.,andtheGeorgetownUniversityHistoryDe- partment,MexicoProject,andCenterforLatinAmericanStudiesprovided fundingforbothresearchandwriting. WayneCorneliusandEricVanYounggenerouslyofferedmeahomeat the University of California, San Diego, at the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies and the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies in 2001– 2002.Asajointfellowinbothcenters,Ihadtheopportunitytoworkwith aterrificgroupofcolleagues.Thehistorians’groupofAntonioIbarra,Kelly LytleHernandez,MarkMairot,ArielRodríguezdeKuri,andDanielaTraf- fanohelpedmegrowmorethantheyrealize.AtSonomaStateUniversity, Judy Abbott, Steve Bittner, Randy Dodgen, Steve Estes, Mary Halavais, Michelle Jolly, Elizabeth Martínez, Kathleen Noonan, Bill Poe, and Tony Whitehaveprovidedengagingseminarstotestmanyofmyideas.Iwould alsoliketothankSonomaStateProvostEduardoOchoaandDeanofSo-