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mestizaje

racial mixing

noun mehs-tee-SAH-heh Rare
People & Society Values

Origin: From Greek ana- (back, again) + khronos (time).

Also means

miscegenation

Usage Note

Mestizaje refers historically to the biological and cultural blending of European colonisers with Indigenous and African peoples in Latin America. Today it is used more broadly — and often positively — to describe cultural hybridity and mixed heritage. The word is sensitive in some contexts: 'miscegenation' carries a more negative historical charge in English than mestizaje typically does in Spanish.

Examples

"El mestizaje enriqueció la cultura latinoamericana."

Natural Translation

Racial mixing enriched Latin American culture.

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