Talk:Ladino people

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[edit] Ladino

It's in Guatemala that the term "Ladino" is most commonly used, isn't it? I believe that the article restricts the meaning of the term too much and too closely identifies it with people in power.

The term refers to those who combine Hispanic culture but Mayan ancestry. From what I've read, Ladino is most often used to apply to people whose ancestry is largely or exclusively indigenous but who themselves speak Spanish as a native language and who do not identify themselves as being indigenous in culture. I'm not sure how far, in ordinary practice, Guatemalans refer to people who combine Hispanic culture and mestizo or European ancestry. I think that in general this is the unmarked ethnic term and such people are not commonly given a special name. I think the four ethnic divisions most used are those represented by the following terms:indigena/Mayan/Indian (this latter is often considered insulting), Ladino, mestizo/Guatemalan (this is, I think, the unmarked or default category), blanco, Garifuna/negro. Interlingua ^{talk email} 02:59, 17 September 2006 (UTC)