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RACIAL TERMINOLOGY

RACIAL TERMINOLOGY

The following list of racial terms is illustrative of Spanish colonial usage, but is by no means definitive. Spaniards in striving
for bureaucratic exactness and perfection were in disagreement. Terminology varied greatly between New Spain and South
America; it varied even within New Spain itself. This list, then, represents only the Spanish inclination for a detailed
classification of different racial mixtures in New Spain. It should prove helpful in reading colonial documents or secondary
sources by giving an approximation of racial definitions.
In many instances in the following list a term is defined by more than one racial combination. While this may be
disconcerting to those looking for precision, it is unavoidable because the Spaniards themselves compiled these multiple,
racial derivations in their own pursuit of exactness.

peninsular
gauchupín
chapetón European-born Spanish
creole/criollo American-born Spanish
gente blanca Spanish and requinterón de mulato
cuasi limpios de origen Child of Spanish and gente blanca
limpios de origen Spanish and child of cuasi limpios
mestizo Spanish and Indian
mestizo blanco Spanish and Indian (also called coyote]
mestizo castizo Spanish and mestizo blanco (also called castizo)

cuarterón de mestizo Spanish and castiza

quinterón de mestizo
puchuela Spanish and cuarterón de mestizo
requinterón de mestizo Spanish and quinterón de mestizo or puchuela
mestizo prieto mestizo blanco and negro (also called mestizo amestizado]

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mestizo pardo mestizo blanco and mulato pardo (also called mestizo amulatado
and coyote)
mestindio mestizo blanco and Indian
castizo Spanish and mestizo
torna a Español Spanish and castizo
mulato Spanish and negro
mulato blanco Spanish and negro (also called mulato claro)
mulato morisco Spanish and mulato blanco
cuarterón de mulato
tercerón cuatralbo Spanish and mulato
quinterón de mulato
octavón Spanish and cuarterón de mulato
requinterón de mulato
puchuela de negro Spanish and quinterón de mulato
mulato prieto negro and mulato pardo
galfarro negro and mulato
mulato pardo negro and Indian (also called: color pardo,
color de rapadura, color champurrado, color

amarillito, color de membrillo, color quebrado, color cocho, color

zambaigo, color
loro) (geographically labeled: cochos in Michoacán, cambujos in
Oaxaca, chinos in Puebla, Jarochos in Veracruz, loros in Chiapas,
zambos in Guerrero)
mulato obscuro Indian and mulato
mulato lobo mulato pardo and Indian
indio alobado mulato alobado and Indian (alobado being a mulato lobo with few
negro characteristics)
tercerón Spanish and mulato, with Spanish dominant
cuarterón Spanish and tercerón
Spanish and mulato Spanish and mestizo
mulato and mestizo
quinterón Spanish and quarterón (passed for white
in some areas)
morisco Spanish and mulato
bozal non-Christian, non-Spanish speaking
negro from Africa
negro criollo negro born in New World
zambo negro or mulato and Indian
negro and cuarterón
zambo de negro negro and quinterón

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zambo de mulato mulato and quinterón

zambo de tercerón tercerón and quinterón
zambo cabra mulato and negro
zambo grifo mulato and negro
zambo retorno mulato and negro
zambaigo (zambahaigo) negro and Indian
Indian and chino (oriental) lobo and Indian
barnocino and Indian
cambujo and Indian
zambo prieto negro and zambo
tente en el aire lobo and Indian
Spanish and torna atrás
calpo mulato and cambujo cuarterón and mulato
jíbaro and albarazado
cambujo and Indian Spanish and requinterón albarazado and salta
atrás
salta atrás quarterón or quinterón and mulato or tercerón
chino and Indian
used interchangeably with torna atrás
torna atrás Spanish and albino no te entiende and Indian
lobo Indian and torna atrás
cambujo and Indian
salta atrás and mulato Indian and negro
chino and mulato
lobo torna atrás lobo and Indian
cambujo (ja) zambaigo and Indian
albarazado and negro zambaigo and chino

lobo and Indian

mulato and zambaigo
negro and Indian
Indian and chino
albarazado and Indian
albarazado cambujo and mulato
cambujo and Spanish
lobo and Indian
tente en el aire and mulato
jíbaro and mulato
cambujo and Indian
chino and jenízaro
coyote and morisco

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jíbaro and Indian

barcino albarazado and mulato
albarazado and Indian
albarazado and Spanish
jíbaro and lobo
coyote barcino and mulato
mestizo and Indian
mulato and Indian
cuarterón and mestizo
albino Spanish and morisco
chamiso coyote and Indian
mestizo and castizo
Indian and salta atrás
Indian and mulato
coyote mestizo chamiso and mestizo
Indian and coyote
ahí de estás coyote mestizo and mulato
coyote and mestizo
Indian and no te entiende
Indian and coyote
barnocino albarazado and mestizo
chino oriental
Spanish and morisco
Indian and lobo
quarterón de chino Spanish and chino
jíbaro (gíbaro) lobo and chino
albarazado and calpamulato
calpamulato and Indian
lobo and mulato
campomulato and Indian
calpamulato zambaigo and lobo
albarazado and negro
barcino and Indian
mulato and mestizo
Indian and mulato
calpamuto negro and albarazado
campomulato Indian and barcino
mestizo and mulato
lobo and zambaigo
no te entiende tente en el aire and mulato

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cholo applied to mestizos

jenízaro cambujo and chino
pardo Spanish and negro
harnizo coyote and Spanish
cambujo and chino
tresalbo Indian and mestizo

cuatralbo Spanish and mestizo

tercerón cuatralbo Spanish and mulato

Racial terms with literal definitions

amarillito little yellow one
barcina large load of straw
barcino animal with black and white skin
bozal simple, ignorant, stupid, wild,
untamed, a muzzle
cabra a goat
cafre barbaric, cruel
camgujo (a) person of dark color who is strong—animals with dark skin,
notably chickens and mules
casta derogatory term for persons of mixed blood
chapetón recently arrived European—to have a bad or dangerous time—
greenhorn
champurrar/champurrado to mix one liquor with another
cocho vulgar name for a parrot
galfarro hateful, spiteful individual
gachupín spur
gibar molest
grifo spigot, drugged or intoxicated person
jarocho gruff, insolent—peasant of Veracruz
jenízaro spider
loro dark
membrillo quince
mulato derivative of mulo, meaning the hybrid offspring of a horse and
mule
mulecón male slave between ages seven and twelve
mulecona female slave between ages seven and twelve
muleque male slave between ages twelve and sixteen
muleca female slave between ages twelve and sixteen
negro amembrillado/amulatado light-colored negroes
negro atezado/retinto dark negroes

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pardo brown, applied to various classes of mulatos in a derogatory

manner
prieto dark color, nearly black—dangerous, miserable

quebrado broken or interrupted

rapadura action of cutting beard or hair
salta atrás/torna atrás retrograde in a moral or physical sense
tresalbo a horse with three white feet
zambo American monkey. Ferocious, lascivious. Person with bad
configuration, knock-kneed with splayed feet.

Miscellaneous terms found either in the names of various groups, in a description of them, or as labels which are too
tentative to identify.
cuarterón de salta atrás
quinterón de salta atrás
quinterón de negro
castizo cuatralbo
españolo
lunarejo
meqimistos
merino

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