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 peoples of mixed European and Amerindian racial strain inhabiting the region spanning the Americas, from the Canadian prairies in the north to Argentina and Chile's Patagonia in the south.

Asia

The Philippines

The Mestiso

During the early colonial period of the Philippines, the term originally referred only to those of mixed Malay 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 with Malay and Chinese ethnicity became more prevalent than those with Malay/Spanish or Malay/Mexican descent.

Related Topics:
Philippines - Malay - Spanish - Mexican - Synonymous - Chinese

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With the scope of the term being expanded, it has since been freely used to refer to all individuals of mixed race irrespective of racial combination or ratio, but typically including an ethnic Malay base stock.

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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. See also Ethnic Groups of the Philippines.

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Modern categories of Filipino mestisos include the already mentioned Spanish-mestisos and Chinese-mestisos, as well as Japanese-mestisos (those of mixed Malay and Japanese descent) and American-mestisos (those of mixed Malay and American2 descent), et cetera. Those of a mixture of Malay 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".

Related Topics:
Malay - Japanese - American - 2 - North Asia - Sangley

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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 TISOY.

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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 exclusively native Malay. 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.

Related Topics:
European - Amerindian - Social structure

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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 Spanish creole population that was to remain in power. Often times, the only factor distinguishing the living conditions of Latino mestizos from those of the downtrodden Amerindians was merely their higher position in caste due to their Spanish ancestry. In essence, the absence of a post-colonial Spanish creole presence in the Philippines allowed the small minority of Filipino-mestisos to fill roles vacated by Spanish creoles, who had by that time formed a relatively large population in Latin America.

Related Topics:
Latino - Spanish creole

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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, 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 (although 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).

Related Topics:
19th century - José Rizal - Spanish-American War - 1899 - Spanish as the official language of the Philippines - 1973 - Marcos administration - 1987 - Aquino administration

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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.

Related Topics:
Emilio Aguinaldo - Manuel L. Quezón - Sergio Osmeña - Oligarchic

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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 are determined based on the possession of partial European ancestry, and which stem from colonial concepts (See also: Colonial mentality).

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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.

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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" on Disney Channel's highly-rated show, Lizzie McGuire.

Related Topics:
Philippines - Isabel Preysler - Enrique Iglesias - Julio Iglesias - Lalaine Vergara - Disney Channel - Lizzie McGuire

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East Timor

The Mestiço

In the former Portuguese colony of East Timor, the term mestiço applied to those of mixed ethnic Malay (native East Timorese) and Portuguese ancestry. They form a tiny (>1%) but economically and politically important minority.

Related Topics:
East Timor - Malay - Portuguese

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Mestiço ascendancy

Much like the mestiso minority in the Philippines, the East Timorese mestiço minority typically conforms most of the small privileged upper and upper-middle classes, sorrounded by a mass of impoverished unmixed natives.

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From Indonesia's invasion of the country on December 7th, 1975 - just a week after East Timor's unilateral declaration of independence from Portugal on November 28 - movements for independence from Indonesia were also largely headed by Portuguese-speaking mestiço activists.

Related Topics:
Indonesia - December 7th - 1975 - Unilateral declaration of independence - November 28

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Mirroring history as written by mestisos in the Philippines, following Indonesia's withdrawal and East Timor's independence in 1999, many of the mestiço independence activists moved in to form much of the East Timorese government. Portuguese was also instituted as the nation's official language despite being spoken by less than 10% of the population.

Related Topics:
1999 - Portuguese

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Current prominent East Timorese mestiços include president Xanana Gusmão and foreign minister José Ramos Horta, among many others.

Related Topics:
Xanana Gusmão - José Ramos Horta

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India

In the former Portuguese colony of Goa in modern-day India, mestiço was applied to those of mixed Indian and Portuguese ancestry. See also Anglo Indian

Related Topics:
Goa - India - Anglo Indian

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