Castizo

Common card · No. 279861

Castizo (fem. Castiza) is a racial category used in Spanish America to refer to people who are three-quarters Spanish and one-quarter Amerindian. The category of castizo was widely recognized by the 18th century in colonial Mexico and was a standard category portrayed in eighteenth-century casta paintings. A castizo is a person of predominantly European (usually Spanish) ancestry with a smaller proportion of Indigenous ancestry—typically three-quarters Spanish and one-quarter Amerindian. This term is widely used in colonial Spanish America to describe individuals who, despite some Indigenous ancestry, often appeared and were socially treated as white. Physical traits of castizos often reflect strong Mediterranean features, such as: Olive to light skin tones, sometimes with warm or golden undertones. Straight or wavy dark brown hair, occasionally with lighter streaks. Facial structure that is typically European: straight or aquiline nose, angular jawline, medium to high cheekbones. Eyes...

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