Tornatrás
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tornatrás is an archaic term denoting a Eurasian person of mixed Spanish and Chinese descent in the Philippines, as well as persons of mixed Indio (Spanish-era term for Filipinos), Chinese, and Spanish ancestry. The said term comes from the Spanish words torna, meaning 'turn', and atrás, meaning back. Although the term was used in the Spanish colonial period, it has since fallen into disuse. One problem seen in the use of the term Tornatrás is its specificity, especially since the Tornatrás have various mixtures of Spanish, Filipino, and Chinese blood.
[edit] Present-day distribution
Although there are no official statistics on the number of Tornatrás in the Philippines, since it has no longer been officially used as a legal term since the end of the Spanish colonial era, present-day people who could have previously been classified as Tornatrás may be distinguished from other Chinese populations due to their having mixed Spanish and Chinese features. The majority of Tornatrás have intermarried back into the Chinese population. Currently, the numbers of who were once known as Tornatrás are dwindling following intermarriage with other ethnic groups or emigration. Tornatrás may also be confused with Macanese people also living in the Philippines, the latter having mixed Chinese and Portuguese ancestry.
[edit] Language
The vast majority of Tornatrás used Spanish as their primary language, while many are also conversant in either two of the following languages: Lan-nang (Philippine variant of Min Nan), Cantonese, or in any Philippine language, mostly Tagalog or Cebuano. Present-day people who would have formerly been classified as Tornatrás now speak English as their primary language, while being also conversant in Lan-nang. Some retain their knowledge of Spanish.
