Tornatrás

Tornatrás (Spanish pronunciation: [toɾnaˈtɾas]) is an outdated term used in Spain to describe a person of mixed European and albino ancestry or a descendant of mestizos and specific characteristics of one of the original races.^[1]

It was also used in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era from the 16th to 19th century, to describe persons of mixed indigenous Malay (referred to as Indio), Chinese (referred to as Sangley), and Spanish ancestry (referred to as Filipino or Peninsular).

There are no official statistics on the number of people of Tornatrás ancestry around the world, although it is believed that most are to be found in South America and the Philippines.

History

Although Tornatrás was originally used to describe a descendant of mestizos, albinos and Europeans, in the Philippines they were commonly known as those born from a Spanish father ('Filipino' or 'peninsular') and a Malay-Chinese (mestiza de sangley) mother.

Most people of the Tornatrás caste in the Philippines used Spanish as their primary language and in many cases converted to the Catholic faith.

See also

• Casta
• Filipino mestizo
• Eurasian
• Chinese Filipino
• Sangley
• Spanish settlement in the Philippines
• Criollo people
• White Latin American
• Mestizo

References