Student Blog: Why questioning the existence of Afro-Mexicans is problematic

Race has been closely tied to Mexican identity since the Mexican Revolution in 1910. The national ideology is centered on mestizaje, referring to the mixing between Spaniards and indigenous peoples. According to this belief, true “Mexicanness” is linked to being mestizo, or someone who is exclusively of Spanish and indigenous descent. Some Mexicans believe in fact that racism in the country has been erased due to the mestizo heritage, but this belief overlooks the exclusion of African heritage and those of African descent living in Mexico from the country’s history and ideology.

Mexican society has all but ignored the historical presence and economic contributions of Africans, despite the fact that Mexico imported about 200,000 African slaves during the colonial period. Throughout Mexico’s history, Africans were viewed as the lowest race within the colonial caste system. Intellectuals and government leaders debated the economic merits and capabilities of Africans. In the end, Afro-Mexicans lost touch with their African roots as the ideal of mestizaje stipulated assimilation, and Mexico’s national identity was built around this concept.[1] The black presence in Mexico was essentially written out of history after the war for independence and during the revolution, with the government only classifying people as white, Indian or mestizo.[2]

The denial of African heritage persists to this day in educational institutions, as Afro-Mexican narratives are minimized or absent in schools and national archives.[3] History textbooks at the national level only have one or two paragraphs that mention slavery and fail to list important information about the African presence in Mexico. Instead, lessons focus on the culture and histories that make up the mestizo identity. Even at the university level, Afro-Mexican narratives have been pushed to the background and mostly focus on slavery and colonial Mexico, ignoring the fact that Afro-Mexicans still exist today.[4]

Black Mexicans have avoided association with blackness and Africa in order to sidestep a direct confrontation with the national attitude that black Mexicans do not exist.[5] General aversion to the issue of race in Mexico has consequently silenced many Afro-Mexicans on the topic of discrimination.

Because some Mexicans believe that racism does not exist in Mexico, stating the opposite is sometimes perceived as unpatriotic and represents a challenge to the nation itself. Yet the reality is that skin color continues to be correlated with socioeconomic status in modern Mexico. This functions on a continuum, with “whiteness”—determined by light skin, blonde hair, European features, and green or blue eyes—signifying beauty and wealth, and “darkness”—determined by dark skin, brown eyes, African or indigenous features, and curly dark hair—signifying ugliness and poverty.[6] This color hierarchy has led to discriminatory practices toward those with darker skin in the job market, schools and the criminal justice system. Those who are too dark are deemed “unpresentable” by employers and are denied job opportunities.[7] Children of African descent are often bullied by other children and sometimes receive different treatment from their teachers.[8] Mexicans with darker skin—a marker of lower social strata—are more likely to be convicted of a crime in the judicial system.[9]

Unfortunately, due to the prevailing notion that racism does not exist in Mexico, it is very difficult for victims of discrimination to fight against it. Thus, even if Afro-Mexicans decided to confront the racial discrimination, the channels to do so are largely absent. Only recently, for example, has the government even recognized discrimination against the ethnic group, and formal protection of Afro-Mexican rights as an ethnic group remains limited.[10]

In sum, the omission of African heritage in Mexico’s history and national identity has left a cultural vacuum for those of African descent, paving the way for continued discrimination. Challenges to this omission are often silenced by widespread belief that Mexico is a non-racial nation. In order to deal with racial discrimination effectively, Mexico must break the silence on race, acknowledge the contributions to the nation made by other races, and enable different groups to reassert their rights and historical presence in the country.

Sharae DeWitt is a junior at Rice University studying economics and Latin American studies.