University of Arizona Press

Chapter Title: RACIAL TERMINOLOGY

Book Title: Northern New Spain

Book Subtitle: A Research Guide
Book Author(s): Thomas C. Barnes, Thomas H. Naylor and Charles W. Polzer
Published by: University of Arizona Press. (1981)
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1mq848r.16

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 RACIAL TERMINOLOGY

RACIAL TERMINOLOGY

The following list of racial terms is illustrative of ful in reading colonial documents or secondary
Spanish colonial usage, but is by no means de- sources by giving an approximation of racial defini-
finitive. Spaniards in striving for bureaucratic tions.
exactness and perfection were in disagreement. In many instances in the following list a term is
Terminology varied greatly between New Spain and defined by more than one racial combination. While
South America; it varied even within New Spain this may be disconcerting to those looking for pre-
itself. This list, then, represents only the Spanish cision, it is unavoidable because the Spaniards
inclination for a detailed classification of different themselves compiled these multiple, racial deriva-
racial mixtures in New Spain. It should prove help- tions in their own pursuit of exactness.
peninsular
gauchupin
chapet6n European-born Spanish
creole/ criollo American-born Spanish
gente blanca Spanish and requinter6n 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)
cuarter6n de mestizo Spanish and castiza
quinter6n de mestizo
puchuela Spanish and cuarter6n de mestizo
requinter6n de mestizo Spanish and quinter6n de mestizo or puchuela
mestizo prieto mestizo blanco and negro (also called
mestizo amestizado}
mestizo pardo mestizo blanco and mulato pardo {also called
mestizo amulatado and coyote)
mestindio mestizo blanco and Indian
castizo Spanish and mestizo
torna a Espanol Spanish and castizo
mulato Spanish and negro
mulato blanco Spanish and negro (also called mulato claro)
mulato morisco Spanish and mulato blanco
cuarter6n de mulato
tercer6n cuatralbo Spanish and mulato
quinter6n de mulato
octav6n Spanish and cuarter6n de mulato
requinter6n de mulato
puchuela de negro Spanish and quinter6n 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

[ 90 ]

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 Racial Terminology 91

amarillito, color de membrillo, color

quebrado, color cocho, color zambaigo, color
loro) (geographically labeled: cochos in
Michoacan, cambujos in Oaxaca, chinos in
Puebla, jarochos in Veracruz, Ioros 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)
tercer6n Spanish and mulato, with Spanish dominant
cuarter6n Spanish and tercer6n
Spanish and mulato
Spanish and mestizo
mulato and mestizo
quinter6n Spanish and quarter6n (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 cuarter6n
zambo de negro negro and quinter6n
zambo de mulato mulato and quinter6n
zambo de tercer6n tercer6n and quinter6n
zambocabra mulato and negro
zambo grifo mulato and negro
zam ho 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 atras
calpo mulato and cambujo
cuarter6n and mulato
jibaro and albarazado
cambujo and Indian
Spanish and requinter6n
albarazado and salta atras
salta atras quarter6n or quinter6n and mulato or
tercer6n
chino and Indian
used interchangeably with torna atras
torna atras Spanish and albino
note entiende and Indian
lobo Indian and torna atras
cambujo and Indian
salta atras and mulato
Indian and negro
chino and mulato
lobo torna atras lobo and Indian
cambujo (ja) zambaigo and Indian
albarazado and negro
zambaigo and chino

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92 Racial Terminology

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
jibaro and mulato
cambujo and Indian
chino and j enizaro
coyote and morisco
jibaro and Indian
barcino albarazado and mulato
albarazado and Indian
albarazado and Spanish
jibaro and lobo
coyote barcino and mulato
mestizo and Indian
mulato and Indian
cuarter6n and mestizo
albino Spanish and morisco
chamiso coyote and Indian
mestizo and castizo
Indian and salta atras
Indian and mulato
coyote mestizo chamiso and mestizo
Indian and coyote
ahi de estas coyote mestizo and mulato
coyote and mestizo
Indian and note entiende
Indian and coyote
barnocino albarazado and mestizo
chino oriental
Spanish and morisco
Indian and lobo
quarter6n de chino Spanish and chino
jibaro (gibaro) 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
note entiende tente en el aire and mulato
cholo applied to mestizos
jenizaro cambujo and chino
pardo Spanish and negro
harnizo coyote and Spanish
cambujo and chino
tresalbo Indian and mestizo

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 Racial Terminology 93

cuatralbo Spanish and mestizo

tercer6n cua tralbo 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
chapet6n 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
gachupin spur
gibar molest
grifo spigot, drugged or intoxicated person
jarocho gruff, insolent-peasant of Veracruz
jenizaro spider
loro dark
membrillo quince
mulato derivative of muio, meaning the hybrid
off spring of a horse and mule
mulec6n 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/ light-colored negroes
amulatado
negro atezado/retinto dark negroes
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 atras/torna atras 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 descrip-

tion of them, or as labels which are too tentative to identify.
cuarter6n de salta atras
quinter6n de salta atras
quinter6n de negro
castizo cuatralbo
espafi.olo
lunarejo
meqimistos
merino

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