Mestizo
Mestizo (
Portuguese,
Mestiço;
French,
Métis: from
Late Latin mixticius, from
Latin mixtus, past participle of
miscere, "to mix") is a term of
Spanish origin used to designate the people of mixed
European and indigenous non-European ancestry. The term has traditionally been applied mostly to those of mixed European and indigenous
Amerindian ancestry who inhabit the region spanning the
Americas; from the
Canadian prairies in the north to
Argentina and
Chile's
Patagonia in the south.
In the other regions and countries previously under Spanish, Portuguese or French colonial rule, variants of the term may also be in usage for people of other colonial European and indigenous non-European (
Asian,
African, and
Oceanianic, etc.) mixtures. In the
Philippines, the term
Mestiso, or
Mistiso, is a broad reference to individuals of any non-specific foreign admixture to an ethnic
Filipino base stock.
Since the late nineties, the term is also used for a new musical genre. Artists like
Manu Chao,
Amparanoia, and many other bands and solo artists create a blend of
Urban Spanish music,
Latin,
Salsa,
Reggae,
Punk,
Ska and
Rock.
Hispanic America and Brazil
The Mestizo/Mestiço |
A representation of Mestizos in "Pintura de Castas" during the Latin American colonial period. "De español e india, produce mestizo" (Of a Spaniard and an Amerindian, produces a Mestizo). |
Under the
caste system of colonial
Latin America and
Spain, the term originally applied only to the children resulting from the union of one
European and one
Amerindian parent, or the children of two mestizo parents. During this era a myriad of other terms (
castizo, cuarterón de indio,
cholo, etc.) were in use to denote other individuals of European/Amerindian ancestry in ratios smaller or greater than the 50:50 of mestizos. Today, mestizo refers to all people with discernible amounts of both European and Amerindian ancestry.
Mestizos are thought to make up the majority of the populations of
Chile1 (65%),
Colombia (58%),
Ecuador (65%),
El Salvador (90%),
Honduras2 (90%),
Mexico2 (70%),
Nicaragua (69%),
Panama2 (70%),
Paraguay (95%) and
Venezuela (67%).
In other Latin American countries where mestizos do not constitute a majority, they nonetheless represent a significant portion of their populations;
Argentina3 (approx. 13%),
Belize (44%),
Bolivia (30%),
Peru (37%), and
Uruguay3 (8%). In
Brazil, the word "mestiço" is used to describe individuals born from any mixture of different ethnicities, not only Amerindian and European; individuals that fit this specific case are commonly known as
caboclos or, more commonly in the past,
mamelucos, and they comprise approximately 12% of the population. In
Costa Rica mestizos are combined with
whites and accounted for as a single figure; together they are estimated at 94% of the population.
Hispanic nations of the Caribbean are a peculiar case with respect to ancestry. In
Puerto Rico - where broad
U.S. census categories historically disallowed people of mixed ancestry from being officially acknowledged - the population was recorded in the
2000 Census as being 80.5% white and 8% black, with most of the rest selecting two or more races. However, recent genetic research has revealed matrilineal Native American ancestry in roughly 61% of the population and patrilineal European ancestry in 75%, thus technically deeming most to be mestizos.
In Mexico and Peru, mestizo has also come to be used as a cultural label. In a cultural context, people are considered
indÃgena (Amerindian) if they live following their traditional ways of life (clothing, customs and indigenous languages), otherwise they are also deemed
mestizo, or what in
Central America would be called a
ladino. Additionally in the Mexican case, most of the
Afro-Mexican minority would also simply identify as
mestizo by virtue of their cultural traits, rather than as black,
mulatto or
zambo by their ancestry. These cultural implications of "mestizo" can result in an overcount of the population - in the Mexican case, as high as 80% according to some sources - which would otherwise be mestizo on a racial level. Also, race is not recorded by the Mexican nor Peruvian census, so that any calculations performed by government bodies or independent agencies are always estimates.
Furthermore, though
Cuba and the
Dominican Republic are recorded as predominantly mulatto nations, evidence of Amerindian bloodlines exists and traces of indigenous
Taino culture are ubiquitous.
Mestizos from Hispanic America in Europe
The first mestizos of whom there is verified evidence of having set foot on
European soil are the grandchildren of
Moctezuma II,
Aztec emperor of Mexico, whose royal descent the Spanish crown acknowledged. Of this family, the most infamous descendants are the Counts of Miravalle, in
AndalucÃa,
Spain, who even today demand the payment of the so called "Moctezuma pensions" by the Mexican government. The
interest alone of said pensions it is said would suffice for every single one of Moctezuma's modern descendants to live comfortable and luxurious lives.
MartÃn Cortés, son of the
Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and of the
Náhuatl-
Maya indigenous Mexican interpreter
Malinche, in fact arrived first, however, he was exiled to Spain as punishment for leading a rebellion.
From Peru also arrived the mestizo historian known as
"El Inca" Garcilaso de la Vega, son of conquistador Sebastián Garcilaso de la Vega and of the
inca princess Isabel Chimpo Oclloun. He lived in the town of
Montilla, in
AndalucÃa, where he died in
1616.
Starting from the early
1970s and throughout all of the
1980s, Europe saw the arrival of thousands of Chilean, whites and mestizos seeking political refuge during the dictatorial government of
Augusto Pinochet. Today, there is a growing number of mestizo immigrants in
Western Europe, primarily from Ecuador and Colombia.
Canada
The MétisIn Canada, the
Métis are regarded as an independent ethnic group. This community of descent consists of individuals descended from marriages of
First Nation womenâ€"specifically
Cree,
Ojibway and
Saulteauxâ€"to
French Canadian and
British employees of the
Hudson's Bay Company. Their history dates to the mid-seventeenth century, and they have been recognized as a people since the early eighteenth.
Their territory roughly includes the three
Prairie Provinces (
Manitoba,
Alberta and
Saskatchewan), parts of
Ontario,
British Columbia and the
Northwest Territories, as well as parts of the northern
United States (including
North Dakota and
Montana).
Traditionally, the Métis spoke a mixed language called
Michif (with various regional dialects). Michif (a phonetic spelling of the Métis pronunciation of
Métif, a variant of
Métis) is also used as the name of the Métis people. The name is most commonly applied to descendants of communities in what is now southern
Manitoba. The name is also applied to the descendants of similar communities in what are now
Ontario,
Quebec,
Labrador and the
Northwest Territories, although these groups' histories are different from that of the western Métis.
Estimates of the number of Métis vary from 300,000 to 700,000 or more. In September
2002, the Métis people adopted a national definition of Métis for citizenship within the "Métis Nation". Based on this definition, it is estimated that there are 350,000 to 400,000 Métis Nation citizens in Canada , although many Métis classify anyoneas Métis that can prove that an ancestor applied for money scrip or land scrip as part of nineteenth-century treaties with the Canadian government.
The Métis are not recognized as a First Nation by the Canadian government and do not receive the benefits granted to First Nation peoples (see
Indian Act). However, the new Canadian constitution of 1982 recognizes the Métis as an
Aboriginal people and has enabled individual Métis to sue successfully for recognition of their traditional rights, such as rights to hunt and trap. In
2003, a court ruling in
Ontario found that the Métis deserve the same rights as other aboriginal communities in Canada.
The United States
Mestizos'
In the
United States the term "mixed-blood" is more often employed for non-Hispanic individuals of mixed European and Native American ancestry, while
mestizo is the term of choice for
Hispanic individuals (whether U.S.-born or immigrant) of that same mixed ancestry.
Of the
Mexican Americans who have lived in the
Southwestern United States for several generations prior to annexation and incorporation of that region into the United States - previously a part of
Mexico - many classify themselves as mestizo, particularly those who also identify as
Chicano.
See also Tejanos.
Of the over 35 million Hispanics counted in the the
Federal 2000 Census, the overwhelming majority of the 48.2% who identified "some other race" are believed to be mestizos. Of the 48.6% of Hispanics who identified as "White Hispanic", many are thought to possess at least some Amerindian ancestry. (The remaining 3.2% of Hispanics identified as "Black Hispanic".)
Renowned
mixed-blooded persons in United States' history are many. One such example is
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, who guided the
Mormon Battalion from
New Mexico to the city of
San Diego in
California in
1846, and then accepted an appointment there as
alcalde of
Mission San Luis Rey. His father,
Toussaint Charbonneau, was a French Canadian interpreter, and his mother
Sacagawea was the
Shoshone guide of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition. He can be found depicted on the
United States dollar coin along with his mother, Sacagawea.
A more contemporary
mixed-blood U.S personality includes internationally acclaimed actor
Johnny Depp. Depp is of
Cherokee,
English and
German ancestry. Meanwhile, an internationally known U.S.
mestizo is boxing champion
Oscar de la Hoya.
The group of Americans in the
Appalachia region known as
Melungeons are another mixed-race population.
See also Passing.The Philippines
The Mestiso
During the early colonial period of the
Philippines, the term originally referred only to those of mixed
Filipino and
Spanish or
Mexican ancestry. However, the term soon became generic and
synonymous for "mixed race". With the Chinese presence in the Philippines always being numerically greater than that of Spaniards or Mexicans, individuals of mixed
Filipino and
Chinese ancestry became more prevalent than those of Filipino and Spanish/Mexican descent.
The term has since been freely used to refer to all Filipinos of mixed ancestry, irrespective of racial combination or ratio, but typically including an ethnic
Filipino base stock. A recent
genetic study by
Stanford University, however, indicates that 3.6% of the population has at least some European ancestry, most likely Spanish.
See also Demographics of the Philippines and Ethnic groups of the Philippines.
Modern categories of Filipino mestisos include the already mentioned Spanish-mestisos and Chinese-mestisos, as well as Japanese-mestisos (those of mixed
Filipino and
Japanese descent) and American-mestisos (those of mixed
Filipino and
American4 descent),
et cetera. Those of a mixture of Filipino with another
North Asian ancestry may also be commonly referred to as "Chinito/a" (diminutive of
Chino/a; Chinese), though this would more correctly be applied only to those mestisos of Chinese descent. Other terms denoting Chinese-mestisos include
Sangley and the vernacular "Tsinoy".
Furthermore, in Filipino usage, the term is often regarded a synonym of
"beauty", and may also be employed to denote any unmixed Filipino of a lighter skin complexion, especially when used in its vernacular form of "Tisoy", a backformation of [
mes]TISO
Y.
Mestiso ascendancy
In contrast to Latin America, where mestizos (
European/
Amerindian) quickly came to comprise the majority of the population, in the Philippines the combined number of all types of Filipino-mestisos never accounted for more than 2% of a population which - apart from a Chinese and Spanish minority which numbered fewer than the mestisos - was mainly and predominantly native Filipino. Upon the retreat of Spain and Mexico at the end of colonial occupation, people of mestiso ancestry were able to position themselves at the top of a caste-based
social structure which the Spanish had previously established and dominated. As a result, mestisos held the greatest governing influence in the country, almost absolute control of commerce and industry, and an excessively disproportionate share of wealth.
Conversely, their
Latino mestizo counterparts - who by then comprised the
common majority of Latin America - possessed little governing influence, lived at subsistence levels, and were ruled by a well-established
Criollo population (locally-born people of pure Spanish ancestry) that was to remain in power. In essence, the absence of a post-colonial Spanish Creole presence in the Philippines allowed the small minority of Filipino-mestizos to fill the roles vacated by the Spanish Creoles â€" unlike the situation in Latin America, where the Spanish Creoles had by that time formed a relatively large population.
During the late
19th century, Filipino mestisos initiated most movements and revolts against Spain. One such movement lead by the national hero of the Philippines, Chinese-mestiso
José Rizal, was the Propaganda Movement. Although these movements failed to achieve their intended goals, Filipino mestisos also initiated the calls for Filipino revolt and, with the aid of the
Spanish-American War and the
Philippine-American War, subsequently achieved independence. In the
1899 Constitution of Malolos, they instituted
Spanish as the official language of the Philippines despite it never being spoken by more than 10% of the total population. However, it was scrapped as an official language in the
1973 Constitution under the
Marcos administration, and as a college requirement in
1987 during the
Aquino administration.
By the time the Philippines had gained independence from Spain, Filipino mestisos had placed themselves as the fundamental role players in the founding of the modern Philippine government, and in the majority of its key positions. The first president of the First Philippine Republic,
Emilio Aguinaldo, was a Chinese-mestiso, while the next and first president of the Philippine Commonwealth,
Manuel L. Quezón, was a Spanish-mestiso, and the next president,
Sergio Osmeña, was another Chinese-mestiso, etc. Today, despite constituting one of the smallest minorities, mestisos continue to hold a monopoly over the country's economic and corrupt
oligarchic political systems.
Spanish-mestisos have long constituted the great majority of the upper class and rarely intermingle with those outside their ethnic group. Today, a great majority are either in politics or are high-ranking executives of commerce and industry and hold great control over the country's economy. An almost equally large number are also members of the entertainment industry, which they have saturated disproportionately. The biased favouritism responsible for their overwhelming presence in film and television is deeply-rooted on established Filipino "ideals of beauty" that stem from colonial concepts, and which are determined based on the possession of partial European ancestry.
See also: Colonial mentality.
Chinese-mestisos also form part of both the upper and middle classes. Most are successful and prosperous business people, and also highly involved in the running of the country. Some are also in the entertainment industry.
Two famous Spanish-mestisas residing outside of the
Philippines are
Isabel Preysler, in her youth a stunningly beautiful model in Spain, mother of pop singer
Enrique Iglesias and ex-wife of Spanish music legend
Julio Iglesias; and
Lalaine Vergara, more commonly known for playing "Miranda Sánchez" (a
Mexican-American character) on
Disney Channel's highly-rated show,
Lizzie McGuire.
East Timor
In the former Portuguese colony of
East Timor, the term
mestiço applied to those of mixed native
East Timorese and
Portuguese ancestry. They form a tiny (>1%) but economically and politically important minority.
Current prominent East Timorese mestiços include Prime Minister
José Ramos Horta, and
Mario Viegas Carrascalão, former
Indonesian-appointed Governor, and leader of the Social Democratic party (PSD).
China
Macau
In the former Portuguese colony of
Macau - a small territory on the southern coast of
China, previously the oldest
European
colony in China, dating to the
16th century - the name
mestiço was applied to those of mixed
Portuguese and
Chinese ancestry. They form a small but relatively affluent minority of Macau's population (<5%), and are also known locally as
Macanese.
Broadly, "Macanese"refers to all permanent residents of Macau, more narrowly it refers to the mixed-race community, the
Macanese people. Macanese may also refer to their
Macanese language (
Patuá or
Macaista Chapado), which is almost extinct. They are typically a prosperous class.
Many Macanese
mestiços immigrated to Portugal when
sovereignty over Macau was transferred to the
People's Republic of China in
1999, and Macau became a
Special Administrative Region of the PRC. Some also immigrated to the
United States (
California),
Australia,
Brazil,
Canada, and
Peru.
India
Goa
In
Goa - formely
Portuguese India - mestiço was applied to those of mixed
Portuguese and
Indian ancestry. Though their European lineage is not English, they are often called
Anglo Indians, as a result of the legal definition of that latter term encompassing persons "whose father or any of whose other male progenitors in the male line is or was of European descent..."
Portuguese-speaking Africa
=São Tomé & PrÃncipe and Cape Verde
=
Prior to
Portuguese exploration and settlemenment of both
São Tomé and PrÃncipe and
Cape Verde, these islands were all uninhabited.
In both countries, the great majority of their current populations descend from the mixing of the Portuguese that initially settled the islands from the 1400's onwards and the black Africans brought from the
African mainland to work as slaves - mostly from
Benin,
Gabon, and the
Congo.
Of São Tomé & PrÃcipe's 137,500 inhabitants, seventy-one percent are defined as
mestiços, and another 71 % of the population of Cape Verde is also classified as such.
Currently, the most prominent and internationally known mestiço of São Tomé and PrÃncipe is president
Fradique de Menezes.
=Angola and Mozambique
=In the other two
Portuguese-speaking African countries -
Angola and
Mozambique -
mestiço is also used to describe people of mixed European and native African ancestry (
Mulatto).
In both countries they constitue small, but important minorities under 2 %.
French-speaking Africa
Métis (feminine
Métisse) in
French-speaking Africa is used to describe people of mixed European and native African ancestry.
In any French-speaking Africa country in which métis may be found, they constitute tiny minorities (<1%).
The sixth book of the popular
Harry Potter series, "
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was supposed to be titled
"Harry Potter y el PrÃncipe Mestizo" in Spanish speaking countries, a translation which introduces connotations beyond the original meaning of the title in English.
It finally will be titled
"Harry Potter y el misterio del Principe", or "Harry Potter and Mystery of the Prince" attending to the publisher Company last minute decision.
The term "Mezzy" can be used as a derogatory term for Mestizos.
*
Pilita Corrales,
Filipina folk singer
*
Porfirio DÃaz,
Mexican president and dictator
*
"El Inca" Garcilaso de la Vega,
Peruvian poet, writer and historian
*
Benjamin Bratt,
American actor, indigenous
Peruvian mother and
Anglo-
German father
*
Xanana Gusmão, president of
East Timor*
Enrique Iglesias,
Spanish actor and singer, Spanish father and
Filipina (
Spanish-mestiza) mother
*
Julio Jaramillo,
Ecuadorian folk singer
*
Jennifer Lopez,
Puerto Rican-
American actress, singer, dancer and entrepeneur
*
Diego Maradona,
Argentinian football (soccer) player
*
Mario Moreno (aka
Cantinflas), renowned
Mexican comedian and actor
*
Isabel Preysler,
Filipina journalist
*
Selena Quintanilla Pérez,
Mexican American, singer
*
Manuel L. Quezon, president of the
Philippines*
Marcelo RÃos,
Chilean tennis player
*
José Rizal,
Filipino national hero
*
Jon Seda,
Puerto Rican hollywood actor
*
Mercedes Sosa,
Argentinian folk singer
*
Danny Trejo,
Mexican American hollywood actor
#
In Chile, the Amerindian genetic legacy is present in almost the entirety of the population, however, individuals whose ratio of Spanish ancestry is relatively high, or almost intact, are not uncommon. Only 65% of the population would be classified as having a discernable mestizo appearance, though even among these the degree of admixture varies. See also Demographics of Chile #
In Honduras, Panama, and to a considerably smaller and less prominent degree in Mexico, the mestizo population has absorbed some African ancestry, either in the form of Mulattos, Zambos, or directly via the African slaves who were taken there during the colonial era.#
In Argentina, according to genetic research, 56% of all Argentinians have Amerindian ancestors. Of these, 90% inherited that Amerindian genetic legacy in the form of an admixture, and only 10% as their only racial element (51% and 5% of the population's total respectively). Of those who inherited the legacy in the form of an admixture, those whose ratio of Spanish (or other European) ancestry is almost intact are by far the norm. Those whose mestizo ascendancy is discernible are approximately 13% of all Argentinians. A similar case is to be found in Uruguay. See also Demographics of Argentina#
In the American-mestisos of the Philippines, the American element may be of any race; White American, Hispanic American or African American.*
GENIZARO*
Mischling*
Mestiços (Sri Lanka)*
Creole*
List of terms for multiraciality*
/ GENIZARO*
Mestizos.net
