Some problems with the categories "indigenous" and "mestizo" in Contemporary Mexico

Abstract

In this article, I discuss some problems with the categories “indigenous” and “not-indigenous” or “mestizo” for the study of rural Mexico. I argue that it is important not confuse Hispanicization and other socio-cultural changes associated with modernization with a complete transformation from indigenous to mestizo. I give examples of rural communities that are no longer classified as indigenous, but whose members consider themselves distinct from the urban population. Further, I suggest that if we approach these communities without the theoretical assumptions closely linked to the categories “indigenous” and “mestizo”, a number of topics emerge that have been ignored in current research on rural Mexico.