Is it still correct to use the term "mestizo?"

[Botany]

thanx

[secondwind]

1. Don't see why not.

Mestizo means mixed. It relates to the mixture of Europeans and indigenous peoples.

[hlthe2b]

2. I see it in Spanish-language publications from (usually) Mexican academians to reflect

study participants of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry (as Mulatto of Mulato is still sometimes used to describe populations of mixed European and Black African ancestry). I have no idea if either is used in a societal context.

[secondwind]

4. Yes, it is still used. I'm Spanish.

It is not a derogatory word. It is descriptive.

It merely means indigenous and European mix, as opposed to, let’s say, mix of indigenous and African American

[Botany]

7. gracias

n/t

[secondwind]

8. You're welcome.

It comes from the word “mezclar”. Which means “mix”.

[Botany]

9. Yo soy tonto gringo.

I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't an offensive term now. Some friends
have been hosting some young people from Honduras* who had to flee their home-
land and got separated from their mother @ the US border and I have been helping
them out a little bit and they are going to have a party for them tonight and some
media will be there and I wanted to be sure of what I was saying.


* https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/04/26/columbus-family-fosters-unaccompanied-minors-honduras/7291959002/

[RegularJam]

3. Never heard it used in conversation.

But I’ve never spent time in Latin America.

[MineralMan]

5. Depends on the context, I think.

If you use it in a negative way or as an ethnic slur, then no. If you just use it in an academic way to describe people who are a mix of European and American indigenous people, then maybe not.

Personally, I would not use it unless it described myself, which it does not.

[secondwind]

6. I researched its origin. Wow, it dates back to 1582.

Imagine that.

[Binkie The Clown]

10. Spanish is a pretty stable language. They don't rotate terms into and out of fashion like English.

The lifespan of an English descriptive term takes it from descriptive, to derogatory, to taboo, and then back into fashion in a modified version. For example look at the full cycle of "colored people" --> "people of color". Same words, different order. Of course "people of color" will become derogatory too in a few years and some new term will be invented. That's how English works. When I was a kid "retarded" was a perfectly legitimate descriptive word. Now everyone cringes when they hear it. It's all fads and fashion.

Consider: The Clinical History of 'Moron,' 'Idiot,' and 'Imbecile'

[Botany]

11. I used to use the term "oriental" to discribe people from Asia

n/t