Essay On Mestizo

879 Words4 Pages

Diversity and inclusion are some of the factors that make teams, organizations, and institutions meet their maximum potential. The most successful nations all over the world celebrate diversity and realize the value it brings to our society at large. Latin America at large today celebrates the ‘Mestizo’ and all the history associated with the word. With roots tracing back to the Spanish colonial period, Mestisaje has redefined categorization of race and has further reinforced social constructs. Hierarchy and structure serve useful purposes in many of humanity’s pursuits, but it also has been used as a tool to dominate and exclude. During the Spanish colonization of the Aztec Empire the Spanish created an entire system to further divide people based on their blood. During the Spanish conquests, interpretations of the bible defined how groups of people should be classified. The Spaniards based these interoperation on astrology and the natural …show more content…

Jose Marti managed to rally the diverse power of racial groups to combat the common struggle of colonial power. Marti managed to use the concept of “our mestizo America” to unite Latin Americans against expansionist ideals. This has been a massive departure from the term’s geographical origins. The term ‘mestizo’ became a symbol of Latin American resilience. It was a cry against materialism and exclusion from the United States and Europe. Despite the general acceptance of the term in modern times, Mestizo still carries the weight of another way to categorize people and further divide humanity. Race is a culturally constructed label that coarsely describes differences between individuals. This definition falls in line with modern day racialists, since they believe that every race has an essence that can be individually interpreted and studied. Racism on the other hand, negatively reinforces and makes race categories