Manitoba Colony, Mexico facts for kids
The Manitoba Colony is a big community of Mennonites in Mexico. It is located mostly north of a city called Ciudad Cuauhtémoc in the state of Chihuahua. This colony was started in 1922 by Old Colony Mennonites who came from Manitoba, Canada. When it first began, it had 47 villages. Today, it is the largest and oldest Mennonite colony in Mexico.
How the Colony Grew
When the Manitoba Colony was founded in 1922, many people moved there. In 1926, about 3,340 people lived in the settlement. The community kept growing over the years. By 1949, the number of residents had increased to 7,706. Just a few years later, in 1953, there were 8,768 people living there. The population continued to grow, reaching around 12,500 people in 1987. By 2006, the Manitoba Colony had about 17,000 residents.
Neighboring Colonies
The Manitoba Colony is part of a larger group of Mennonite settlements. Right next to it is the Swift Current Colony. Further north, you can find the Ojo de la Yegua Colony, also known as Nordkolonie. There are also the Santa Rita Colony and the Santa Clara Colony in that area. To the west of Santa Rita Colony is the Los Jagueyes Colony, also called Quellenkolonie. All these Mennonite colonies together cover more than 100 kilometers. In 2015, about 50,000 Mennonite people lived in these combined areas.
