Racial Classifications

Historical Archives
1 
I just found an answer as to why, when my husband and I have roots in 
Mexico going back to the early 1700's, he and I look so different.  
In message #277 Steven Francisco Hernandez Lopez says "most people 
will eiher have a lot of Inidan, Mestizo, or Mulato line, or very 
little to one at all---all the surnames and families that I have so 
far posted----were of the Spanish Hidalgo class".

I recall some of these names being in my husband’s family, and his

aunt in Mexico City told me that his family on both sides, had never

mixed with Indians.  To furter quote Steven: "Intermarriage was very

uncommon—to do so would be to kill all chances of opportunity for

your children and descendants for all time".  My husband’s ancestors

were always merchants, business owners or government officials."

Mine were always "farmers" or "laborers".


So now there is a new term for me to wonder about;  The Hidalgo

Class.  Is this where the term "Don" came from?  Many of my ancestors

in the Juarez area on my mother’s side had the title Dn. or Da., and

they were always described as Espanol.  I just thought the Dn. and

Da. described a landowner, a hacienda owner who didn’t work, only

managed his properties. Were they of the Hidalgo Class?  I see

entries in records for children born in their homes that had "padres

incognitos" but were "expuesto en la casa de Dn–y–Da.X".  I guess

there was a never-ending supply of servants and workers that way.


Emilie Garcia

Port Orchard, WA

2 
Here is another link:

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/guide/WLSpanis19.asp#racial_te

rminology


So…according to the link above:

Coyote = Spanish (1/2), Indian (3/8), and Negro (1/8)


I doubt the science was ever that accurate.  As someone mentioned

earlier, I imagine, it had more to do with your complexion and your

parents complexion.  Besides someone who is a farmer is going to get

more sun then someone who owns a hacienda.  They might have the same

amount of Spanish and Indian blood but one is going to be classified as

Espanol and the other will be classified as Mestizo.  Plus who could

keep up when someone who was Coyote married someone who was mestizo or

lobo, etc…


Just my two cents…

Angie