Mestizo
Mestizo (Portuguese. Mestiço) is a term of Spanish origin describing peoples of mixed European and Amerindian racial descent. The feminine form is mestiza. It is also used in the Philippines (Filipino, mestiso) to describe those of mixed native Filipino and any other racial descent.
Latin American Mestizo
Under the Caste System of colonial Latin America and Spain, the term mestizo originally applied only to the children resulting from the union of one European and one Amerindian parent, or the children of two mestizo parents. The term didn't apply to those born to one mestizo and one European parent, nor did it apply to those born to one mestizo and one Amerindian parent. Those latter mixes were known as "castizo" and "cuaterón de indio" respectively. Today, however, mestizo applies to all people with significant amounts of both European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin America.
Mestizos officially make up the majority of the populations of Chile (90%), Colombia (58%), Ecuador (65%), El Salvador (94%), Honduras1 (90%), Mexico1 (60%), Nicaragua (69%), Panama1 (70%), Paraguay (95%) and Venezuela (67%).
For other American countries where mestizos don't constitute a majority, they nonetheless represent a significant portion of their populations; Argentina (13%), Belize (44%), Bolivia (30%), Brazil (aprox. 12%), Uruguay (8%) and Peru (37%). The possible exceptions for this would be Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Although some Mestizos and full-blooded American Indians, did once represent a portion of the population in the latter two countries, they were absorbed by the mulatto populations there.
Many Americans of Hispanic and/or Latino origin identify themselves as mestizos as well, particularly those who identify as Chicano.
Filipino Mestiso
During the early colonial period of the Philippines, the term mestiso originally refered only to those of mixed Malay and Spanish or Mexican ancestry. However, since the Chinese presence in the Philippines had always been numerically greater than that of Spaniards or Mexicans, individuals of a Malay/Chinese mixture became much more prevalent than the mixture to which the definition was originally intended for. The term was then expanded and has since been freely used to refer to all individuals of mixed racial descent - regardless of race combination or ratio.
The combined number of all types of mestisos constitute no more than 2% of the entire Filipino population. Of that 2%, less than half are of the Spanish variety.
Modern categories of Filipino mestizos include the already mentioned Spanish-mestizos and Chinese-mestizos, as well as Japanese-mestizos (those of mixed Malay and Japanese descent) and American-mestizos (those of mixed Malay and American2 descent), et cetera. The feminine form is mestisa. Those of a mixture of Malay with another 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 mestizos of Chinese descent. Other terms denoting Chinese-mestizos include "Sangley" and the vernacular "Tsinoy". (For further information please see Demographics of the Philippines - Ethnic Groups.)
Furthermore to its Filipino usage, the term is often regarded a synonym of "beauty", and is also employed to denote any unmixed Filipino of a lighter skin complexion, especially when used in its vernacular form of "Tisoy", a backformation of [mes]TISOY.
Mestisos in Philippine History
During the late 19th century, Filipino mestizos initiated most movements and revolts against Spain. One such movement lead by Chinese-mestizo José Rizal, considered the national hero of the Philippines, was the Propaganda Movement. This movement called for legal equalization between Filipinos and Spaniards; for the Philippines to become a Spanish province; for Philippine representation in the Cortes (Spanish Parliament); Philippinization of the Philippine parishes and expulsion of the Spanish monk orders from the islands; and for Human rights for Filipinos. However, when these efforts and goals failed, Filipino mestizos also initiated the first movements of revolution and subsequent independence from Spain.
At the culmination of the Spanish-American War, when the Philippines gained independence from Spain, Filipino mestizos played an important role in the founding of the Philippine government. Today, despite constituting one of the smallest minorities, they continue to hold a monopoly over the country’s economy and political system.
Footnotes
- In Honduras and to some 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. Panama's mestizos have also absorbed some of the African strain present in that country.
- In the American-mestizos of the Philippines, the American element may be of any race; White American, Hispanic American or African American.