Is Mestizo Considered To Be Only A Race Or Ethnicity?
What classifies something as a race? It is largely defined by similarities between genetic makeup, phenotypic characteristics, or sometimes more broadly defined as a group of people who can be characterized by common traits or a distinctive culture. However, this is where the line blurs between race and ethnicity. There is a lot of overlap between what people view as ethnicity versus race, ethnicity being defined as cultural where race relies largely on physical characteristics. So, that raises the question on how to define Mestizo in both Mexico and beyond. Mestizaje is certainly characterized by similarities in culture and ancestry, many of whom are a mix of indigenous and European ancestry and the stereotypical mestizo ‘look’, the brown
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Despite all of the commonalities between these people, both cultural and ancestral, why is Mestizo considered to be only an ethnicity rather than a race? How long does an ethnicity have to exist and how much does it have to flourish in order to be granted racial status? This is the issue the Mestizos in both Mexico and greater Mexico run into in defining themselves. The interesting statistic is that, given only the racial choices on a census, Mexicans choose to define themselves differently depending on where they live, the percentages changing between Mestizos in Mexico and those living in the United States. I believe that Mestizos living in the United States predominantly choose white as their defining race due to assimilation into the broader culture that has occurred over time while concurrently maintaining their ethnic identification.
While people in the United States may see Mestizo as synonymous with biracial, many Mestizos do not see it this way. When forced to classify their race as such, they have limited options that truly fit their identity. In Mexico, about 30% of citizens identify themselves as “Unclassified” on official forms, another 47% calling themselves “White” and an additional 21.5% identifying as indigenous. These statistics change
Despite all of the commonalities between these people, both cultural and ancestral, why is Mestizo considered to be only an ethnicity rather than a race? How long does an ethnicity have to exist and how much does it have to flourish in order to be granted racial status? This is the issue the Mestizos in both Mexico and greater Mexico run into in defining themselves. The interesting statistic is that, given only the racial choices on a census, Mexicans choose to define themselves differently depending on where they live, the percentages changing between Mestizos in Mexico and those living in the United States. I believe that Mestizos living in the United States predominantly choose white as their defining race due to assimilation into the broader culture that has occurred over time while concurrently maintaining their ethnic identification.
While people in the United States may see Mestizo as synonymous with biracial, many Mestizos do not see it this way. When forced to classify their race as such, they have limited options that truly fit their identity. In Mexico, about 30% of citizens identify themselves as “Unclassified” on official forms, another 47% calling themselves “White” and an additional 21.5% identifying as indigenous. These statistics change