RETHINKING THE MESTIZO: REFLECTIONS AND POSSIBILITIES FOR STUDYING THE HISTORY OF CHILE’S NORTE CHICO FROM AN AFRO-INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE
REPENSAR LO MESTIZO: REFLEXIONES Y POSIBILIDADES DE ESTUDIAR LA HISTORIA DEL NORTE CHICO CHILENO DESDE UNA PERSPECTIVA AFRO-INDÍGENA
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4067/s0717-73562026000100508
Luis Madrid Moraga
, Montserrat Arre Marfull, Rafael González Romero y Andrea Sanzana Sáez
Key Words: Mestizo, Afro-Indigenous, Chile, caste system, Afro-descendants, Indigenous peoples.
Abstract
Drawing on an Afro-Indigenous analytical perspective—one that questions the meanings of identity and the implications of mestizaje in shaping social relations—this article examines baptismal records from 1699 to 1733 from the former “Pueblo de indios” of Sotaquí, located in the Coquimbo region of Chile’s traditional Norte Chico. The study aims to rethink the category of mestizo, while seeking to understand the logic of identity embedded in caste classifications that highlight both Afro-descendant and Indigenous components.
