Ladino people

Ladino is a Spanish term used to describe various socio-ethnic categories in Latin America, principally in Central America.

The term Ladino is derived from "latino" and usually refers to the mestizo or hispanicized population." [http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?LEMA=ladino&TIPO_HTML=2&FORMATO=ampliado#0_2 Ladino] " en el Diccionario de la Real Academia Española (DRAE)] The demonym Ladino came into use during the colonial era and referred to the Spanish speaking population that didn't belong to the colonial elite of Peninsulares or Criollos, nor to the indigenous peoples. [cite web |url=http://ress.afehc.apinc.org/_articles/portada_afehc_articulos29.pdf |title=Reflexiones sobre el mestizaje y la identidad nacional en Centroamérica: de la colonia a las Républicas liberales |accessdate= |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear= |author=Soto-Quiros, Ronald |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year=2006 |month= |format=PDF |work=Boletín No. 25. AFEHC. Asociación para el Fomento de los Estudios en Centroamérica, "Mestizaje, Raza y Nación en Centroamérica: identidades tras conceptos, 1524-1950". Octubre 2006. |publisher= |pages= |language=Spanish |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

This term should not be confused with the Sephardi Jews whose traditional language is known as "Ladino".

Guatemala

The ladino population in Guatemala is officially recognized as a distinct ethnic group, and the Ministry of Education of Guatemala uses the following definition: "The ladino population has been characterized as a heterogenous population which expresses itself in the Spanish language as a maternal language, which possesses specific cultural traits of Hispanic origin mixed with indigenous cultural elements, and dresses in a style commonly considered as western." [cite web |url=http://www.mineduc.gob.gt/administracion/dependencias/centrales/ccre/ccre_interculturalidad.htm |title=Reflexiones sobre el mestizaje y la identidad nacional en Centroamérica: de la colonia a las Républicas liberales |accessdate= |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear=2008 |author=Ministerio de Educación (MINEDUC) |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year=2008 |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language=Spanish |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] Consequently, the population censes include the ladino population as one of the different ethnic groups in Guatemala. [cite web |url=http://www.ine.gob.gt/Nesstar/Censo2002/survey0/dataSet/dataFiles/dataFile1/var26.html |title=XI Censo Nacional de Poblacion y VI de Habitación (Censo 2002) - Pertenencia de grupo étnico |accessdate= |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear=2008 |author=Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year=2002 |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language=Spanish |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] [cite web |url=http://ccp.ucr.ac.cr/noticias/conferencia/pdf/rodrigue.pdf |title=LA DETERMINACIÓN ESTADÍSTICA DE LOS GRUPOS ÉTNICOS, EL INDIGENISMO, LA SITUACIÓN DE LA POBREZA Y LA EXCLUSIÓN SOCIAL. Los Censos Integrados del 2002 y la inclusión social de los grupos étnicos. Perfil nacional del desarrollo sociodemográfico. |accessdate= |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear=2008 |author=Rodríguez L, Lic. Carlos Antonio |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format=pdf |work= |publisher= |pages= |language=Spanish |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

In popular use, the term "ladino" commonly refers to non-indigenous Guatemalans, as well as mestizos and westernized amerindians.

It is sometimes also used to refer to the mestizo middle class, or also to the population of Amerindian peoples who have attained some level of upward social mobility above the largely impoverished indigenous masses, especially with regard to material wealth and imitating the North American lifestyle as much as possible. At times it can be used in a wider sense, meaning "any Guatemalan whose primary language is Spanish".

The second of these definitions is often used in indigenist rhetoric as a derogatory term for indigenous peoples who are seen as having betrayed their community to be part of the middle class, people who may go as far as to literally deny their Amerindian heritage. Rigoberta Menchú's famous memoir uses the term in such a way, which illustrates the use of the term in Guatemala in both a derogatory way (Amerindian to mestizo/ladino) and in the general mestizo/ladino community to define one's ethnic heritage.

ee also

*Demographics of Guatemala

References

Further reading

* Adams, Richard N. "Guatemalan Ladinization and History". In: The Americas, Vol. 50, No. 4 (Apr., 1994), pp. 527-543. Academy of American Franciscan History.
* Falla, Ricardo (translated by Phillip Berryman). "Quiché rebelde: religious conversion, politics, and ethnic identity in Guatemala". University of Texas Press, 2001. ISBN:0292725329 [http://books.google.com/books?q=0292725329 in Google books]

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