Talk:Demographics of Guatemala
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[edit] Replacing the term "mestizo" by "ladino"
In this article, the term "mestizo" is defined as "mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino". However, "ladino" is not just a racial mix as the term also includes racially indigenous people that consider themselves to be non-indigenous or "westenized" in a cultural sense. In the second place, in Guatemala the term "ladino" has been officially recognized as an ethnic group by government institutions. The population census of 2002 reflects this, and lets respondents determine to which ethnic group they belong. The census does only use the term "ladino" and makes NO use of the term "mestizo" as an ethnic group. The Guatemalan Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) defines the Ladino population as follows: "Pueblo Ladino - La población ladina ha sido caracterizada como una población heterogénea que se expresa en idioma español como idioma materno, que posee determinadas características culturales de arraigo hispano matizadas con elementos culturales indígenas y viste a la usanza comúnmente llamada occidental." See for references: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladino_%28poblaci%C3%B3n%29
In short, in my view the term "mestizo" should be replaced by the "ladino", and the term ladino should briefly be defined, and linked to the related wiki article: ladino people . Arjuno 03:40, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
