The "Hispanic" ethnic group in San Antonio (Roma: moving to, horse)

[metalfish]

As a side note... Many Mestizos can look very much white... Eg. Christina Aguilera. But some do show physical features which are quite distinct which would give evidence of admixture... However not everyone from Latin America is infact Mestizo/Indian as others noted... Argentians are mostly European of Spanish and Italian ancestry. Northern Mexico is predominately more Caucasoid than anything else aside from Tarahumaras in Chihuahua.

christina aguilera is not mestizo. lol her mom is irish and her dad is from somewhere in south america. he could be white too for all we know.

[Merovee]

This thread is very interesting. The 'Hispanic' population of San Antonio is varied with many different admixtures occurring, some being more purer than others on the indigenous or European side. As some have stated even those are admixtures. There is much mixture though with everything from Sephardic Jews to Basque from Mayan to Nahua.

Hispanic is a term based solely on language and is such an umbrella term and totally ignores the indigenous roots of many classified under it as well as the fact that the ancestors of those this term might apply to spoke many other languages. Spanish itself being mainly a mixture of Latin and Arabic.

Mestizo is a racial term and what most 'Hispanics' in San Antonio and Texas are even though many a varied groups fall under it, from the descendants of Spanish Conquistadors, who initially settled the Americas without bringing any of their own women, and the indigenous women, all the way to the very common German-Mexicans of Texas.

Mexican, Mexican-American, Chicano, and Tejano are all ethnic and cultural terms that can be applied to the local population. In the end it all comes down to what one is more comfortable with.

With recent immigration trends all this might change but it is becoming clear that there is a vast cultural difference between those whose primary language is English and whom those whose primary language is Spanish.

Here is a list of the 16 castas the Spanish once used in Mexico for social stratification to classify all those not considered pure Spanish:

1. Mestizo: Spanish father and Indian mother
2. Castizo: Spanish father and Mestizo mother
3. Espomolo: Spanish mother and Castizo father
4. Mulatto: Spanish and black African
5. Moor: Spanish and Mulatto
6. Albino: Spanish father and Moor mother
7. Throwback: Spanish father and Albino mother
8. Wolf: Throwback father and Indian mother
9. Zambiago: Wolf father and Indian mother
10. Cambujo: Zambiago father and Indian mother
11. Alvarazado: Cambujo father and Mulatto mother
12. Borquino: Alvarazado father and Mulatto mother
13. Coyote: Borquino father and Mulatto mother
14. Chamizo: Coyote father and Mulatto mother
15. Coyote-Mestizo: Cahmizo father and Mestizo mother
16. Ahi Tan Estas: Coyote-Mestizo father and Mulatto mother

This is an example of Casta Painting:

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/colonial/racial-classiications.jpg (broken link)

[imthrowed94]

What many people don't know is that the spanish brought african slaves to mexico, and during slavery in america many slaves escaped into mexico and the seminoles and black seminoles once went to mexico. So that means that plenty of mexicans or so called mestizos have AFRICAN in thier dna this is real look it up.

[imaterry78259]

The four classes of Hispanic in Mexico are the following

Northern Spain and Euros mixed with Indians
African, Indians and Euros
Chino, Indian and Euros
Euros immigrants

The majority of Mexicans have the African blood via Morrocco and Northern Africa but since a racist society exist in some Hispanic today they want to dismiss it. There is a lot of Asian blood there also. Its a shame that the darker skin people are not respected in Mexico.

[imthrowed94]

Yeah the problem is though that alot of mexicans look down on BLACK PEOPLE and think they better than them when alot of them could have AFRICAN dna in thier genes. I once read a story where they check the dna of some mexican people in Texas and the dna of percentage of AFRICAN in thier genes was from 3 to 8 percent and that real.

[metalfish]

Yeah the problem is though that alot of mexicans look down on BLACK PEOPLE and think they better than them when alot of them could have AFRICAN dna in thier genes. I once read a story where they check the dna of some mexican people in Texas and the dna of percentage of AFRICAN in thier genes was from 3 to 8 percent and that real.

Well thats the case anywhere. White americans have plenty of african and that real too.

[texasoasis]

Not sure but i think my husband must be Aztec or native indian mixed.
I find most of his known ancestors came from New Mexico, Arizona territories.

My husbands family is Hispanic with an Italian?! surname, he is beautifully Latin with a small straight nose most of us Caucasians would have to spend thousands on plastic surgery to have.
His skin tone is extremely fine, not pimples or abnormalities and his eye lashes would make any model or woman jealous, me included as I have natural tiny thin wimpy eye lashes.

My family came as European immigrants to America in the late 1600's where as his family tree seems to be vague but still traceable to the late 1800's originating in the New Mexico land area.

I have no idea if he is traceable into Mexico, but I do assume that at least some of his bloodline might have come up from Columbia through Mexico as some of his Italian surname is also oddly enough also found in some Columbian tribes.

Who knows, I think we are all so mixed up now that only the history matters.
I myself have some Native American ancestors before the Trail of Tears people were swept away that I can not trace now due to the tight restrictions and scriptural errors on the Indian rolls.
I can only feel the government stole part of my identity on purpose to avoid future Native American reparations.

Our family genealogy would be much easier if Hispanic's had kept better birth and church records over the last decades.

[texasoasis]

Originally Posted by Merovee

Here is a list of the 16 castas the Spanish once used in Mexico for social stratification to classify all those not considered pure Spanish:

Oh my goodness I would absolutely LOVE to get a big copy of that poster to frame!
Not many realize the true diversity!
That is so neat! Where did you find it? Are there larger print copies to be had?

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by texasoasis

Oh my goodness I would absolutely LOVE to get a big copy of that poster to frame!
Not many realize the true diversity!
That is so neat! Where did you find it? Are there larger print copies to be had?

listen to this:

NPR: Casta Paintings: Inventing Race Through Art

this was an exhibit at the los angeles cty museum of art a few years ago. unfortunately, i missed it. maybe if you phone them (it's the one near wilshire & fairfax), they can tell you where you can buy a poster like this?

[imaterry78259]

Originally Posted by imthrowed94

Yeah the problem is though that alot of mexicans look down on BLACK PEOPLE and think they better than them when alot of them could have AFRICAN dna in thier genes. I once read a story where they check the dna of some mexican people in Texas and the dna of percentage of AFRICAN in thier genes was from 3 to 8 percent and that real.

I think the reverse is true here in America. Blacks tend to look down on Mexicans here. Believe me just by listening to my Black friends around the country. Mexico is just a racist country. look at Henry Cisneros, no doibt the brothers has predominately Indian blood