Mestizo

Mestizo

A casta painting of a Spanish man and an Indigenous woman with a Mestizo child
Regions with significant populations
Latin America, United States, Spain, Philippines, Micronesia
Languages
Spanish (mainly) and Indigenous Indigenous languages of the Americas and Austronesian languages
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic; religious minorities including Protestants and syncretism with Indigenous beliefs exist
Related ethnic groups
European peoples Indigenous peoples of the Americas Métis[1][2][3][4] * African diaspora in the Americas

Mestizo (meh-STEE-tzo) is a Spanish term for a person who is of mixed European (usually Spanish) and Amerindian ancestry.

Mestizos have existed since Spain controlled much of what is now Latin America. A mestizo was usually the son of a Spanish father and a Native American mother. Mestizos form the largest part of the population in some Latin American nations. A large minority of mestizos makes up most of the population in Mexico, the Spanish-speaking nation with the largest population in the world.

During the colonial era, many Native Americans were converted to Roman Catholicism and began using Spanish instead of their traditional language. This was because of the concept that existed in the Spanish colonies, which gave more "value" to European people over Native Americans and Africans. Because of this, many Native Americans gained better social status by calling themselves "mestizos" instead of "Indios."

1. ↑ "Mestizos - Atlantic History". Oxford Bibliographies. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
2. ↑ "Métis, Mestizo, and Mixed-Blood - Jesuit Online Bibliography". Jesuitonlinebibliography.bc.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
3. ↑ Hill, Samantha (2001). Race and nation building : a comparison of Canadian Métis and Mexican Mestizos - UBC Library Open Collections (Thesis). Open.library.ubc.ca. doi:10.14288/1.0099597. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
4. ↑ "Métis, Mestizo, and Mixed‐Blood | Request PDF". Retrieved 2022-05-01.