Spanish Colonial Caste System in the Philippines
When Spain came to the Philippines they instituted a racial caste system. Similar to what they instituted in Latin America.
The history of racial mixture in Filipinas (the Philippines) occurred mostly during the Spanish colonial era from the 16th to 19th century.
The same Spanish racial caste system enforced in Latin America existed in the Philippines, with a few differences.
The indigenous Malay population of the Philippines were referred to as Indios
Term- Definition:
Indio- persons of pure Filipino ancestry[/bW
Negrito- persons of pure Aeta ancestry
Sangley- person of pure Chinese ancestry
Mestizo de Sangley- person of mixed Chinese and Malay ancestry; also called chino and/or chino- mestizo
Mestizo de Bombay- person of mixed Indian and Malay ancestry
Mestizo de Espanol- person of mixed Spanish and Malay ancestry
Tornatrás- person of mixed Spanish, Malay, and Chinese ancestry
Filipinos- persons of pure Spanish descent born in the Philippines ("from Las Filipinas"); also called Insulares ("from the islands") or Criollos (Creoles)
Americanos- persons of pure Spanish descent born in Spanish America ("from the Americas")
Peninsulares- persons of pure Spanish descent born in Spain ("from the peninsula")
Mulato-50% spanish and 50% black Morisco-25%black and 75 percent spanish Albino- white pigmented black
Negro-full blooded black person
Persons classified as 'blancos' (whites) were the filipinos (persons born in the Philippines of pure Spanish descent), peninsulares (persons born in Spain of pure Spanish descent), Español mestizos (persons born in the Philippines of mixed Malay and Spanish ancestry), and tornatrás (persons born in the Philippines of mixed Malay, Chinese, and Spanish ancestry). Manila was racially segregated, with blancos living in the walled city Intramuros, un-Christianized sangleys in Parían, Christianized sangleys and mestizos de sangley in Binondo, and the rest of the 7,000 islands for the indios, with the exception of Cebu and several other Spanish posts. Only mestizos de sangley were allowed to enter Intramuros to work for whites (including mestizos de espanol) as servants and various occupations needed for the colony.