"De Indio y Negra, nace Lobo": the colonial names for African-Indigenous children (New Spain, 1763–1777)

SUMMARY"De Indio y Negra, nace Lobo": the colonial names for African-Indigenous children (New Spain, 1763–1777) [Connections: Latin America & Caribbean, Nov 5, 2026]

RECORDMiguel Cabrera's 1763 casta series lists "De Indio y Negra, nace Lobo" (wolf), "De Lobo y Negra, nace Chino," "De Chino e India, nace Cambujo," "De Cambujo e India, nace Tente en el aire" (floating in midair). A painting attributed to José Joaquín Magón says the child of "Lobo and Indian woman" is "one usually slow, lazy, and cumbersome" (the painter's language). Wikipedia notes "lobo" and "coyote" are among the terms "based on terms used for animals." Free Black people, Indigenous people and mixed castas owed tribute, while españoles and mestizos were exempt; casta designations were abolished after independence in 1821. An Andrés de Islas painting of 1774 (Museo de América, Madrid) is titled "De Lobo y Negra, nace Chino."

PATTERNThe colonial state built a vocabulary specifically for people who were both African and Indigenous, many of the words naming animals, and tied it to tax

LENS (WW9)They had a word for us: "wolf." The renaming was an official art form

OPENParish-register use of "lobo" in specific towns needs deep research

SOURCEWikipedia, "Casta"; Andrés de Islas, 1774, catalog listing.