Racism in Mexico refers to the
social phenomenon
Social phenomena or social phenomenon (singular) are any behaviours, actions, or events that takes place because of social influence, including from contemporary as well as historical societal influences. They are often a result of multifaceted pr ...
in which behaviors of
discrimination
Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...
, prejudice, and any form of antagonism are directed against people in that country due to their
race
Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to:
* Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species
* Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
,
ethnicity
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
, skin color, language, or physical complexion. It may also refer to the treatment and sense of superiority of one race over another.
Racism in Mexico has a long history.
It is understood to be inherited from the
caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
system of the
colonial period.
However, this was not a rigid system, nor explicitly about race. In general today, people who are darker-skinned and
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
make up nearly all of the
peasantry
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...
and
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
es, while lighter-skinned Mexicans – many being
criollo
Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to:
People
* Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish race-based colonial caste system (the European descendants)
Animals
* Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South Ameri ...
, directly of Spanish descent – are in the ruling elite. "According to
INEGI
The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI by its name in es, Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática) is an autonomous agency of the Mexican Government dedicated to coordinate the National System of Stat ...
, skin color continues to be a factor in social stratification... with lighter skin color,
here are
Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to:
Software
* Here Technologies, a mapping company
* Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here
Television
* Here TV (formerly "here!"), a TV ...
more opportunities to have better paid jobs and better managerial positions."
Additionally, racism and xenophobia are closely linked in Mexico. There are a number of historic and recent examples that include legally barring certain nationalities and ethnicities entry into the country, insensitive treatment and stereotyping of other races, and the notorious 1903
Torreón massacre
The Torreón massacre ( es, Matanza de chinos de Torreón) was a racially motivated massacre that took place on 13–15 May 1911 in the Mexican city of Torreón, Coahuila. Over 300 Asian Mexicans were killed by a local mob and the revolutionary fo ...
of a Chinese community.
History
Colonial Mexico
![Casta painting all](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Casta_painting_all.jpg)
For many, the
Spanish caste system is the main antecedent of the phenomenon of discrimination in Mexico. The different colonial institutions established exclusion protocols based on blood purity. Spanish blood was considered the most dignified, while African blood was the least valuable.
According to Federico Navarrete, doctor in Mesoamerican Studies from the
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...
(UNAM), the indigenous people were the great population base of America and therefore they were the base of the economic system, the white Spaniards occupied the privileged positions of the political and economic structure, while the Indians had to work and pay tributes and taxes to the crown, and at the lowest level were the blacks, who only lived to work as slaves. Mestizos held a position below the Spanish, but above Indians and Blacks. The caste system grew from that and took on its own nomenclature to refer to the different mixtures of European, indigenous, and African blood.
For Navarrete, the use of all these distinctions actually had more to do with practical purposes and social standing, more than with the modern conception of racism (which only emerged in the early nineteenth century) so the terms 'caste' should not be confused with 'race'. After several centuries of colonialism, constant
miscegenation
Miscegenation ( ) is the interbreeding of people who are considered to be members of different races. The word, now usually considered pejorative, is derived from a combination of the Latin terms ''miscere'' ("to mix") and ''genus'' ("race") ...
reached the point that it was not possible to distinguish between 'pure bloods' and mestizos. The legacy of this is that "associations between socioeconomic status and racialized traits" are imbedded into Mexican society and culture to this day.
Racism in the Porfiriato
The Porfiriato was a period in the history of Mexico in which the general and politician
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...
was president of the country. This period was between 1877 and 1911 and was characterized by the Porfirian policies called "order and progress" and "bread or stick". It was a period of overall economic growth. However, this was at the cost of the exploitation of indigenous and other marginalized groups. In this period, the
hacienda
An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...
s had their peak. The peasants were mostly indigenous and black. The landowners were generally white, wealthy, foreigners. Due to the exploitation of workers and peasants, several strikes occurred throughout the country at that time, but the most important were those in Río Blanco and Cananea. The social consequence that had the most impact on racism during that time was perhaps the
Caste War
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
, in which the
Mayan
Mayan most commonly refers to:
* Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America
* Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America
* Mayan languages, language family spoken ...
indigenous people rebelled against the white and mestizo population of
Yucatán
Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the political divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. I ...
. There was also the exile of the
Yaquis Indians from their native
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
, in the northwest of the country, to the state of Yucatán, in the Mexican southeast, which caused the
Battle of Mazocoba
The Battle of Mazocoba, or the Mazocoba massacre, was a major engagement of the Yaqui Wars that was fought in Sonora, Mexico. On January 18, 1900, a Mexican Army expedition encountered hundreds of Yaqui renegades about twenty miles east of Guaym ...
. Some authors suggest that racism during the Porfiriato was due to an exacerbated Mexican nationalist sentiment and to the Europeanization of Mexican culture, especially a systematic Frenchification.
The constant exploitation of indigenous people, the seizure of their lands, the long dictatorial period of General Porfirio Díaz, and the general discontent led to the outbreak of the 1910
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
. (Barbarian Mexico')'' was an extensive series of articles published by ''
The American Magazine
''The American Magazine'' was a periodical publication founded in June 1906, a continuation of failed publications purchased a few years earlier from publishing mogul Miriam Leslie. It succeeded ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904), ' ...
'' to publicize the human
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
that was practiced during the final years of the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz in places like Yucatán and
Valle Nacional in Mexico.
Contemporary Mexico
![Encara el racismo cartel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Encara_el_racismo_cartel.jpg)
After the
Independence of Mexico in 1821, and after the proclamation of the
Constitution of 1824
The Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1824 ( es, Constitución Federal de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos de 1824) was enacted on October 4 of 1824, after the overthrow of the Mexican Empire of Agustin de Iturbide. In the new Fr ...
, "indigenous peoples lost their special colonial status, and accompanying protections, as wards of the government."
According to the
National Council to Prevent Discrimination
The National Council to Prevent Discrimination ( es, Consejo Nacional para Prevenir La Discriminación; CONAPRED) is a Mexican government agency created in 2003 by Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination and to promote policies and mea ...
(CONAPRED), indigenous people, homosexuals and blacks, are the most discriminated groups in Mexico.
In the words of the researcher Alexandra Haas, "in Mexico, unlike what happens in other countries such as the United States, racism affects a population majority instead of a privileged minority."
The
National Council to Prevent Discrimination
The National Council to Prevent Discrimination ( es, Consejo Nacional para Prevenir La Discriminación; CONAPRED) is a Mexican government agency created in 2003 by Federal Law to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination and to promote policies and mea ...
is a Mexican government agency only created in 2003.
According to the
National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (CONEVAL), 71% of indigenous people live in poverty. While CONAPRED confirms that the majority of people who consider themselves Afro-descendants live in situations of marginalization and poverty. According to the census, the Afro-Mexican population is made up of 1,300,000 people. Only in 2019 was this identity, Afro-Mexicans, constitutionally recognized; its first official count was done for the 2020 census.
According to
INEGI
The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI by its name in es, Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática) is an autonomous agency of the Mexican Government dedicated to coordinate the National System of Stat ...
, skin color continues to be a factor in social stratification. According to the results of the first Intergenerational Social Mobility Module, the lighter the skin color, the more opportunities there are to get better paying jobs and managerial positions. The national discrimination survey conducted by INEGI in 2017 shows that 3 out of 10 respondents believe that the country's indigenous population is poor due to their culture. In addition, five out of 10 people belonging to an ethnic group declared that, in the past five years, they were denied access to health services.
These premises can be applied to different categories, such as schooling, employment and wealth. With which it can be concluded that in Mexico ethnic origin functions as a social and economic determinant, despite the fact that there is no longer an institution that regulates it.
However, there are notable exceptions as most of the poor in the
rural north of Mexico are White (called "güeros de rancho", something akin to
white trash
White trash is a derogatory racial and class-related slur used in American English to refer to poor white people, especially in the rural southern United States. The label signifies a social class inside the white population and especially a ...
), whilst in Southern Mexico – particularly in the states of
Yucatán
Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the political divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. I ...
and
Chiapas
Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
–
Amerindians
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples.
Many Indigenous peoples of the Ame ...
and
Mestizos
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturally European even though their ...
make up a large part of the upper class.
In 2020, after
George Floyd
George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd may have used a counterfeit twe ...
's murder in the United States, actor
Tenoch Huerta
José Tenoch Huerta Mejía (; born 29 January 1981) is a Mexican actor. He has appeared in a number of movies in Latin America and Spain, starring in both feature films, short films, and '' Narcos: Mexico'', credited as Tenoch Huerta. He is fe ...
brought the issue of racism in Mexico to the table through social networks, which caused a controversy with actor
Mauricio Martínez, who was accused of misogyny and racism.
Racism against indigenous people
In Mexico, around 25 million people consider themselves indigenous, although only 7 million people speak indigenous languages. Nevertheless, in Mexico you can see racism and discrimination against the different indigenous peoples who live mainly in rural areas of the country. They are commonly depicted as poor, or backwards, or 'lower' than the rest of the population due to their skin tone, physical features, ways of dressing, language, and their traditions and customs.
40.3% of the indigenous population have felt discriminated against,
2.9 million indigenous people have expressed that they have been denied rights and services. Among these are medical services and the delivery of medicines, followed by the denial of social services, lack of attention in government offices and job opportunities. 20.3% of the indigenous population feel that they have been discriminated against at work or school, as well as on the streets and public transportation.
24% of the indigenous population affirms that they have been excluded in social activities; forms of exclusion range from insults and looks of contempt, to threats and shoves.
The indigenous population suffers from more precarious conditions than the rest of the population. 71% of the indigenous population is in a state of poverty. The two states with the largest indigenous population in the country;
Chiapas
Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
and
Oaxaca
Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...
are the two states with the most poverty, with 76.4% and 66.4% of the poor population respectively,
indigenous people are four times more likely to be poor.
Likewise,
illiteracy
Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...
in the indigenous population is higher than the rest, 76.7% of the indigenous population can read and write, compared to 93.6% of the non-indigenous population,
Furthermore, the education of the indigenous population is lower, 21.3% of the indigenous population has no education, compared to 5% of the rest of the population,
only 4.9% of the entire indigenous population receives higher education, with the likelihood of achieving that level of schooling is six times lower for the indigenous population.
Job opportunities are fewer, and the indigenous population has less relevant jobs.
They are paid less and around 14.8% of the indigenous working population does not receive a salary, and only 1.7% are the employers.
Anti-Asian racism
There has been a history of Anti-Chinese ('')'' racism and policy in Mexico. Jason Chang authored the 2017 book titled ''Chino: Anti-Chinese Racism in Mexico, 1880-1940'', which discusses in detail. After a lead up of racist attacks, again under Porfirio, in 1911 there was a massacre of 303 Chinese in
Torreón
Torreón () is a city and seat of Torreón Municipality in the Mexican state of Coahuila. As of 2021, the city's population was 735,340. The metropolitan population as of 2015 was 1,497,734, making it the ninth-biggest metropolitan area in the ...
.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Japanese residents were put under surveillance, movement was restricted, and some were expelled.
There is a 2009 book on the topic titled ''The War Against the Japanese in Mexico'' ('')'' by Galindo Sergio Hernández. Asians in Mexico regularly deal with petty stereotypes and mocking. During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
an upswing in racial abuse has been documented against Chinese and all Asians in Mexico.
Afro-Mexicans
Mexico was a major trading point in the
Atlantic Slave Trade
The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
. Small populations of Afro-Mexicans still exist today in Mexico. In
Southern Mexican towns near
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
, where the Afro-Mexican population is larger, there is a general negative attitude towards people of
African descent
Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...
.
[Los Angeles Times: "Roots of Latino/black anger" by Tanya K. Hernandez](_blank)
January 7, 2007
Racism and immigration
Beginning in the late 1800s and continuing into the first decades of the 20th century – before and after the 1910 Revolution –
xenophobic
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
resentment towards immigrants manifested itself in different ways in official legislation. After the brutal treatment of the indigenous during the Porfiriato, a new nationalism rose on the basis of a majority ethnic composition, the
Mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
race. Fundamentally, this was an anti-colonial project to create national unity.
Measures to preserve the ethnic composition of Mexico aimed to curtail an influx of migrants of the "fundamentally different" Western and Chinese peoples.
There were limits put on immigration despite the very low total numbers of immigrants living in Mexico at that time. Boats were inspected before leaving China to prevent the "dregs of humanity" from being sent over.
There were huge numbers of European immigrants at the time of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, but most Europeans did not come to Mexico, normally opting for the US, also
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
or
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
Those that did migrate to Mexico – along with the Chinese – were considered infectious, degenerate, and poisonous to the Mestizo race, and therefore the nation.
In 1924
African-Americans
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
and
Afro-Cubans
Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ele ...
were explicitly restricted from immigrating, and in 1927 Eastern Europeans, Turkish, and Middle Eastern people were also considered "undesirable". Later in the 1930s prohibitions on "undesirable races" like "black, yellow, Malaysian and Hindu" people, as well as against
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, and
gypsies
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...
, were implemented.
Xenophobia against Central American migrant caravans
At the end of 2018, a series of
migrant caravans of Central Americans, made up mostly of
Honduran migrants and to a lesser extent South Americans, crossed the southern border of Mexico, heading for the United States. The government of Mexico repressed a large part of the migrants through the use of force, after which
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
congratulated the Mexican government, while many others succeeded in their mission and entered Mexican territory. Those who managed to cross the border were given support, asylum, visas, and work for those immigrants who stayed in Mexico. However, this generated a wave of xenophobic comments, especially through social networks, by Mexicans who disagreed with the empathatic measures that had been taken, arguing things such as "I am not racist but ... first you have to help ours", "there is no work for everyone", "they are not going to cross, they are going to stay and they are only going to bring more violence", and more.
In a march called to protest against the policies of the incoming government of President
Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican politician who has been serving as the 65th president of Mexico since 1 December 2018. He previously served as Head of Government of Mexico ...
, the attendees also protested against migration. Photos of people carrying banners that said: "No more undesirable immigrants" were circulated online. There are also political parties in Mexico using racist and anti-immigrant slogans and speeches against foreigners, to reinforce the sentiment of Mexican nationalism.
The most extreme xenophobic expressions were made by the (Mexican Nationalist Movement), a group that linked immigrants with criminals from the
Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, in the 1970s and 1980s. Originally, the gang was set up to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs in the Los Ange ...
.
In 2020, the border with
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
was closed. On the same topic, one academic shares that: "in Latin America there is
pigmentocracy, if you are a
ight skinnedyou are on the side of prosperity... and even goodness. Many of the
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
ns are Afro-descendants and that makes them undesirable. Otherwise they would be very well received."
Other instances
Spanish immigrants were common from the late 19th century until 1950 and experienced xenophobia and
hispanophobia
Hispanophobia (from Latin ''Hispanus'', "Spanish" and Greek φοβία (''phobia''), "fear") or anti-Spanish sentiment is a fear, distrust, hatred of; aversion to, or discrimination against the Spanish language, Hispanic, Latino and/or Span ...
. They were blamed for many of the problems in Mexico from the late 1800s on, and they were equated with being rich, or as landlords, while also being seen as benefiting from "privileged immigration".
Besides obviously
La conquista, this was directly related to the earlier 'open door' policies for European investment of Porfirio Díaz.
Stereotypes, both positive and negative, about foreigners persist in Mexico. There are a number of cases of the "rejection" of white foreigners, yet it is downplayed because they are seen as symbolic representatives of countries Mexico has a colonial or military history with.
White people, especially tourists, regularly experience overcharging, or what is known as the white tax.
Racist language used in Mexico
The use of racist terms and phrases in Mexico is common, but due to how accepted the expressions are, many do not realize they are rooted in racist thinking. For example, it is often said when a
Mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
person of a darker-skinned tone marries a Mestizo person of a lighter skinned-tone, they are “making the race better" ("''.''"). The term (or
Malinchism
Malinchism ( es, malinchismo) or malinchist () (sometimes simply Malinche) is a form of attraction that a person from one culture develops for another culture, a particular case of cultural cringe. The term is used in Latin America, and especial ...
o) is used when a Mexican woman likes or dates a white man. As a reference to
La Malinche
Marina or Malintzin ( 1500 – 1529), more popularly known as La Malinche , a Nahua peoples , Nahua woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast, became known for contributing to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire (1519–1521), by acting as an in ...
, a
Nahua
The Nahuas () are a group of the indigenous people of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They comprise the largest indigenous group in Mexico and second largest in El Salvador. The Mexica (Aztecs) were of Nahua ethnicity, a ...
woman who translated for and aided
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca (; ; 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of w ...
, its meaning in this context is
traitor
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
.
There are a number of common Mexican phrases that reflect negative beliefs about black people, such as "getting black" (meaning getting angry), a "supper of blacks" or (meaning a group of people getting together to cause trouble),
[Consejo Para Prevenir y Eliminar La Discriminación De La Ciudad De Mexico: "Personas Afrodescendientes"](_blank)
retrieved September 24, 2015 , "the little black boy in the rice" or (meaning an unpleasant dark skin tone), and work like a black or (which refers to work as a
slave
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
).
* : term used to disparagingly refer to people with black complexions.
* : according to the ''
Royal Spanish Academy
The Royal Spanish Academy ( es, Real Academia Española, generally abbreviated as RAE) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with ...
Dictionary'', is synonymous with 'indigenous peoples'. According to the , the word defines something or someone that is perceived as vulgar, in bad taste, without civility, a person of indigenous origin, or low income.
However, the term is most frequently used to refer disparagingly to poor people or those "with little culture."
* : its use is similar to the previous term, .
* : term used primarily by light-skinned Mexicans to refer disparagingly to a dark, indigenous, or low-income person.
* ''
Gringo
''Gringo'' (, , ) (masculine) (or ''gringa'' (feminine)) is a term in Spanish and Portuguese for a foreigner, usually an English-speaking Anglo-American. There are differences in meaning depending on region and country. In Latin America, it is ge ...
'': a term used widely in Latin-American to refer to white foreigners, especially those from the USA. Its usage originates from describing speakers of European languages unintelligible to Spanish speakers.
* ''
Cholo
''Cholo'' () is a loosely defined Spanish term that has had various meanings. Its origin is a somewhat derogatory term for people of mixed-blood heritage in the Spanish Empire in Latin America and its successor states as part of '' castas'' ...
'': A term normally used inoffensively to describe
Chicano
Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American ident ...
gang culture, but was originally used for people of mixed-blood heritage in the Spanish Empire in Latin America and its successor states as part of , the informal ranking of society by heritage.
* or : almost exclusively used inoffensively, it is used primarily by brown people to refer to a white, blonde or light-skinned person.
* : a pejorative term used for native Spanish who live in Mexico. It is an old word, derived from the period of
Nueva España
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Amer ...
.
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
Don (honorific), Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader ...
mentioned the word in the ''
Grito de Dolores
A ''grito'' or ''grito mexicano'' (, Spanish for "shout") is a common Mexican interjection, used as an expression.
Characteristics
This interjection is similar to the ''yahoo'' or '' yeehaw'' of the American cowboy during a hoedown, with added ...
'': "" (Death to the !).
In popular culture
![Memín Pinguin mural (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Mem%C3%ADn_Pinguin_mural_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The Mexican comic strip created by
Yolanda Vargas, ''
Memín Pinguín
Memín Pinguín was a Mexican comic book character. He was created in 1943 by writer Yolanda Vargas Dulché. Alberto Cabrera (comics), Alberto Cabrera took over drawing from 1953 until 1962, followed by Sixto Valencia Burgos.
The original series ...
'', used racist stereotypes of black people.
Reproductions of Nazi regalia are found regularly in Mexico City markets.
See also
*
Classism
Class discrimination, also known as classism, is prejudice or discrimination on the basis of social class. It includes individual attitudes, behaviors, systems of policies and practices that are set up to benefit the upper class at the expense of ...
*
Stereotyping
In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
*
White Mexicans
White Mexicans ( es, Mexicanos blancos) are Mexicans who are considered or identify as white, typically due to their physical appearance and/or self-identification with their European ancestry. While the Mexican government does conduct ethnic ce ...
*
Xenophobia
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Racism
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...