In 1902, a 14-year-old boy landed alone in Veracruz, unable to speak Spanish, fleeing forced conscription by the Ottoman Empire. That boy—Julián Slim Haddad—would become the starting point for one of the greatest fortunes on the planet. His story was repeated, under different names, thousands of times in ports throughout Latin America.

In this video, we explore 12 Lebanese surnames that are now borne by millions of Latin Americans—none of them of Spanish origin—and that arrived on the continent just over a century ago, fleeing religious persecution, Ottoman conscription, and a famine that killed 200,000 people in Mount Lebanon between 1915 and 1918.

📜 In this video, we explore:

The origin of surnames like Trabulse, Yunes, Nasser, and Haddad
How the Kuri family built its place in Carlos Slim's business circle
The Name and Char political dynasties on the Colombian Caribbean coast
The Bucaram family's dual presidential connection in Ecuador
How Paulo Maluf became one of Brazil's most controversial figures
The Lebanese heritage of Salma Hayek and Dominican President Luis Abinader
The story of Julián Slim Haddad, the immigrant who started Carlos Slim's fortune

⚠️ About this video: This content uses Audiovisual reconstructions generated using artificial intelligence (AI) for educational, historical, and informational purposes. The images are not photographs or actual recordings and should not be interpreted as direct visual evidence of the events described. The reconstruction aims to facilitate understanding of the historical context and does not accurately represent each individual, clothing, or specific situation. The content is based on historical accounts, genealogical research, and documented sources.

📚 Sources:

Royal Spanish Academy — profile of Elías Trabulse: https://www.rae.es/academico/elias-tr...
Mexican Banking Association — Board of Directors of Banco Inbursa (José Kuri Harfush): https://www.abm.org.mx/anuario/anuari...
Visible Congress, University of the Andes — profile of José Name Terán: https://web.archive.org/web/201203132...
Semana Magazine — history of the Char family and the Olímpica Group: https://www.semana.com/nacion/articul...
El Comercio (Ecuador) — Abdalá Bucaram's impeachment: https://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad...
Congresso em Foco (Brazil) — Paulo Maluf and Interpol: https://www.congressoemfoco.com.br/no...
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International) — Salma Hayek's Lebanese origins in Baabdat: https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/211328/s...
Bloomberg Linea — Biography of Luis Abinader and his grandfather José S. Abinader: https://www.bloomberglinea.com/latino...
ABC News (with data from Forbes) — Carlos Slim as the richest man in the world: https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business...

Tell us in the comments if you have one of these surnames in your family, and subscribe for the next installment of this series on the hidden origins of Latin American surnames.

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