Mulatto

For the rapper, see Latto. For Mulatto Mountain, see Simone Mountain.

Mulatto (UK: /mjuːˈlætoʊ, məˈ-/ mew-LAT-oh, mə-, US: /məˈlɑːtoʊ, mjuːˈ-/ mə-LAH-toh, mew-) is a racial classification for people who have both African and European parents. For a single woman, the word is mulatta (Spanish: mulata). People started using this word shortly after the Atlantic slave trade began.

Some mixed-race communities say the word is not always offensive. But in some places, it is considered racist. In Brazil, the government says not to use the word. In other countries, such as the West Indies and parts of Latin America, the word is still used today.

Countries with many people of mixed European and African ancestry include the Dominican Republic and Cape Verde. In Latin America, many mulattos also have some indigenous ancestry. Race-mixing has been common in Latin America since the European colonization of the Americas. Other countries with notable mulatto populations include Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Panama, Colombia, South Africa, and the United States.

Etymology

The word mulatto has been used in English since the 1500s. It comes from Spanish and Portuguese, where it is spelled mulato. Some think it may be related to the word for "mule," which is a mix of a horse and a donkey. Others believe it comes from an Arabic word meaning "a person of mixed ancestry."

In different languages, the word changes a little. For example, in Spanish and Portuguese it is mulato, in Italian it is mulatto, and in French it is mulâtre. The word can refer to people with mixed African and European ancestry.

Africa

See also: Indigenous peoples of Africa

In São Tomé and Príncipe, many people have mixed ancestry from Portuguese settlers and Africans. This is also true in Cape Verde. These mixed communities began when Portuguese settlers had children with African women.

In Angola and Mozambique, fewer people have this mixed background, but they are still part of the population. In South Africa, words like mulatto or mestiço are not usually used for people with mixed ancestry.

In Namibia, there is a group called the Rehoboth Basters. They come from unions between Dutch settlers and African women long ago. The name Baster once had a negative meaning, but this group uses it proudly.

South Africa

Main article: Coloureds

The Coloured people in South Africa come from many different backgrounds. Their ancestors include European settlers like the Dutch, British, and French, as well as local African tribes and people from Asia, like Indonesia, Malaysia, and India. Over time, people from places like Brazil and the Canary Islands also joined this mix. Today, Coloured people in South Africa have strong ties to many different cultures.

Afro-European ethnicities

• Akus
• Americo-Liberians
• Amaros
• Fernandinos
• Gold Coast Euro-Africans
• Saro people
• Sherbro Hubris
• Sherbro Tuckers
• Sherbro Caulkers
• Sherbro Rogers
• Sherbro Clevelands
• Sierra Leone Creole people

Uganda

Main article: Multiracial Ugandans in Uganda § Ugandan-Europeans (Afro-Europeans)

Equatorial Guinea

Main article: Fernandino people

Latin America and the Caribbean

Mulattos in Jamaica

Mulattos became a group during the time of plantation slavery, when European men had children with enslaved African women. These children were often enslaved, but some were freed if their fathers acknowledged them.

By the late 1700s, free mulattos asked for legal rights. The Jamaican Assembly allowed them to own property, get education, and join politics. However, full-blooded Black Jamaicans were still excluded due to discrimination.

During the early 1800s, Jamaica's mulatto class became wealthier and more educated, especially in cities like Kingston. Laws changed to allow free people of color to own land, get education, and hold political offices. Figures like George Stiebel, Jamaica's first recorded millionaire, showed how mulattos could succeed.

After slavery ended in 1834, mulattos kept a better position than formerly enslaved Black Jamaicans. They often led in professions like law and medicine. However, tensions stayed between the lighter-skinned elite and the Black working class.

By the 1900s, mulatto Jamaicans played important roles in politics. The rise of Black consciousness movements challenged their dominance. Labor movements in the 1930s and 1940s led to the formation of trade unions and political parties like the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party.

Mulattos in colonial Mexico

Africans were brought to Mexico by Spanish slave traders in the early 1500s. Children of Spaniards and African women were called mulattos. In Spanish law, the child's status followed the mother, so even with a Spanish parent, they were enslaved. The term mulatto appeared in official records.

Some mulattos used their lighter skin to escape slavery. In colonial Mexico, racial labels could change. For example, one woman identified as a mulatta was later considered an India due to her cultural ties. In Mexico City, Spanish priest Thomas Gage described women of mixed heritage as attractive to some Spaniards.

In the late 1700s, some mixed-race people sought legal "certificates of whiteness" to improve their social status and practice certain professions. American-born Spaniards opposed these requests to protect their own "purity of blood." Laws prevented mulattos from serving in certain roles like public notary or priest.

Mulattos in the modern era

Brazil

The term "Pardo" was used by the Portuguese when they arrived in Brazil in 1500. It comes from the Latin word "Pardus" and was used to name birds called "Pardais." Today, "Pardo" is used in Brazil to classify people of mixed backgrounds.

Many mixed-race Brazilians have European, Amerindian, and African ancestry.

Haiti

Mulattos make up to 5% of Haiti's population. In Haitian history, mixed-race people gained education and property before the revolution. They had some influence during and after the revolution. Many Haitian leaders have been people of color.

Many Haitian mulattos owned slaves. The Haitian Revolution began with mulattos. After the revolution, Haiti split into a Black-controlled north and a mulatto-ruled south. Leaders like Jean-Pierre Boyer worked to unify Haiti.

Dominican Republic

Mixed Dominicans, also called mulatto, make up most of the Dominican Republic's population. They are descendants of Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans. The Dominican Republic was the site of the first European settlement in the Americas.

From the start of colonial times, mixing of races was common. By the 1700s, most people were mixed race. Mixed-race Dominicans had influence during the independence period and founding of the nation. Many Dominican presidents have been mulatto.

Recent DNA studies show that Dominicans have mostly European and African ancestry, with some Native American.

Puerto Rico

Although many Puerto Ricans have mixed ancestry, few identified as multiracial in the 2010 census. In the 2020 census, more identified as multiracial or "some other race," showing a change in how Puerto Ricans view their heritage.

Most Puerto Ricans have ancestry from Spaniards, Africans, and Tainos, with Spanish ancestry being strongest. Studies show the average Puerto Rican has about 64% European, 21% African, and 15% Native Taino DNA.

Cuba

In the 2012 Census of Cuba, 26.6% of Cubans identified as mulatto or mestizo. Before the 20th century, most Cubans were of mixed race. Between 1902 and 1933, many Spaniards migrated to Cuba, changing the racial demographics.

Mulattos are common throughout Cuba. The DNA average for Cubans is 72% European, 23% African, and 5% indigenous. Among mulatto Cubans, European and African ancestry is more balanced.

United States

Colonial and Antebellum eras

See also: Children of the plantation and Shadow family

During slavery in the United States, some children were born to parents of mixed African and European backgrounds. These children were often born into slavery because laws said a child's status followed the mother. If the mother was enslaved, the child was enslaved too.

Some people of mixed backgrounds were free because their mothers were white or free. These individuals sometimes became leaders or married into the white population.

The term mulatto was also sometimes used for people with mixed Native American and African American ancestry. Laws and attitudes varied, and these individuals were sometimes treated differently.

California

See also: Los Angeles Pobladores

The first settlers of Alta California often had mixed African and European ancestry.

Louisiana

Old ways of describing race in Louisiana included many specific terms, but these are no longer used today because there are not enough records to track exact ancestry.

A book from 1916 described some of these old systems for classifying race.

Contemporary era

Further information: Multiracial Americans

The United States stopped using the word mulatto as an official category in 1930. Since 2000, people in the census have been able to choose more than one ancestry to describe themselves.

Today, many Americans have mixed backgrounds. Some have ancestors from Africa, Europe, and other places. There are also many families where parents are of different racial backgrounds, leading to multiracial children. Immigrants from countries like the Dominican Republic also add to this mix, especially in cities like New York and Miami.

Colonial references

The term "mulatto" describes people who have both African and European ancestors. It began to be used in places that are now part of the United States after the Atlantic slave trade started. When talking about one woman, the word is "mulatta" in English, or "mulata" in Spanish.

Main article: Métis
Main article: Castizo
Main article: Half-breed