Mestizos
Definition
Mestizos are individuals of mixed racial ancestry, specifically of European (Spanish or Portuguese) and indigenous American descent.
Analogy
Think of Mestizos as a blend of coffee. If you mix Colombian beans with Ethiopian ones, you get a unique blend that has characteristics from both origins. Similarly, Mestizos have cultural and genetic traits from both their European and Indigenous American ancestors.
Related terms
Mulattoes: This term refers to people of mixed white (usually European) and black (African) ancestry.
Creoles: In colonial times, this term referred to individuals born in the Americas but of purely European descent.
Indigenous Peoples: These are ethnic groups who are the original inhabitants of a given region, in contrast to groups that have settled or colonized the area more recently.
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