Mixin' It Up: A little about the Mestizos
Week 15-17 Link
Mestizos of Latin America
The definition of a Mestizo is: a person of mixed blood, displays the arbitrary divisions placed between different segments of the population in order for the Spanish to maintain their power. (http://www2.truman.edu/~marc/webpages/andean2k/conquest/mestizo.html)
- The concept of a Mestizo was first created by Spanish conquistadors in order to create social distinctions between the races in their new founded society. They kept a flexible view so they could change peoples social standings to benefit themselves.
- “The origins of race, then, lie in history and not in biology” (Weismantel and Eisenman 122). The most common causes of racism is to allow those in high positions to keep their positions and power and to discriminate against "lower" people. The thing is, one might be considered a person with power in one place because of race, but might be similar to a serf in other places, since most don't hold the same ideals as to the perfect person. The Spanish, for instance,assumed the indians were similar to animals, stupid and barbaric, which allowed them to justify their treatment towards them and persuade others to do the same, no matter if it was a chief, a warrior, or a hunter.
- According to Lockhart, the first spanish- indian Mestizo children were not born until 1533, after the rebellion of many indians died down.
- The concept of Mestizos continued for many years, though the most promenant examples would be the Spanish reations to the Indians. It seems that it was replicated many years later with the issues of black rights and slavery.