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DictionarymestizoMixed European and Indigenous American heritage
noun / adjective

mestizo

meh-STEE-zoh/meˈstiːzəʊ/

A person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry, or relating to that heritage.

The daughter has mestizo ancestry through her Spanish father and Indigenous Mexican mother.

Warm contemporary family portrait: a young adult centered between her European Spanish father and Indigenous Mexican mother, all seated closely with easy familial affection.
Etymology
mestizoLatinmixed

Latin mixticius meant “mixed.” Applied to parentage, that idea became a designation for a person of combined European and Indigenous American ancestry.

In context

Anthropological Airwaves32:24
Just because I became half White, became a so called mestizo, you know, being a, you know, that doesn't mean I'm, I'm all of a sudden, not Indigenous anymore.
S04E01: "I'm Indigenous, Not Mestizo": The Art & Activism of Rapper Jaguar Arreola (Part 2)

More examples

  • The exhibit explores mestizo identity through family photographs.
  • As a mestizo, he values both sides of his family's heritage.
  • Several mestizos share their family histories in the documentary.

Forms

mestizo · mestizos · mestizoes

Similar words

mixed-race
Broader term covering ancestry from any combination of racial groups.
biracial
Refers to two racial backgrounds, not specifically European and Indigenous.