mestizos

Mestizos are people of mixed Indigenous American and European ancestry, a demographic and social category that emerged under Spanish and Portuguese colonial rule in the Americas and is still used in various forms in some countries today. The term comes from the Spanish mestizo, meaning mixed; its exact linguistic origins are debated, but it has long denoted mixed parentage of Indigenous and European descent.

In the colonial caste system, mestizos occupied an intermediate position between Europeans and Indigenous peoples. Social status, legal rights, and economic opportunities varied by region and era, influenced by local policies, church rules, and economic needs. Intermarriage and reproduction among groups produced diverse families and evolving identities.

Geographically, the concept was especially prominent in present-day Mexico, Central America, the Andean and Amazonian regions, and other parts of Latin America. In the Philippines, a similar framework applied under Spanish rule, where mestizo referred to people of mixed Indigenous, Filipino, or Asian and European ancestry, reflecting the region’s long history of cross-cultural contact.

In contemporary usage, mestizo often denotes a broad phenotype or cultural identity rather than a fixed ancestry percentage. Many Latin American nations have promoted ideologies of mestizaje or mestizo nationalism as a foundation for national identity, particularly in Mexico and Peru. Critics argue that such terms can obscure Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and regional diversity, while supporters view mestizo heritage as a basis for inclusive national unity. Genetic research shows substantial regional variation, underscoring that social labels do not reliably indicate precise genetic ancestry.