Mexicans, are you mostly decendant from Spanish settlers, or...?

Question

or from Aztec, Incan, or Mayan civilizations.

jxt...can you please specify what Indians...for example, geography or tribe names.

Answer 1

Hi
(I'm not an english speaker so I'll try to do my best...)

The people of México have a very diverse origin, we are descendant of a mixed-race process that has been going on permanently for almost 500 years in this territory.

The main roots are the "indigenous" or native ethnical groups which are commonly known as indios or indígenas. By the time of the conquer and the colonial period they were like 200 different native ethnic groups. This number has droped dramatically, as their languages, culture, and population since those days.
It is a common mistake to think that mexicans came from the aztec, mayan and incan cultures, but this is wrong. First because the Incas are from peru, very very far from here... and the Mayas and Aztecs were only two of the many cultures living in the actual mexican territory. Just for an idea, in present time there are like 50 different native ethnic groups that can be considered as an importan root of the actual mexicans, I ordered them by region, because there are many differences between the geography, territory, culture, traditions and fisical appearance of the people acording to this distribution; I also put the state where they usually live between parenthesis:

Northern México

Coras (Durango and Nayarit)
Guarijíos (Sonora and Chihuahua)
Huicholes (Nayarit and Zacatecas)
Kikapúes (Coahuila near the border)
Mayos (Sinaloa and Sonora)
Mexicaneros (Durango, Nayarit, Jalisco and Zacatecas)
Seris (Sonora and the Gulf of California)
Pápagos (Sonora near the border)
Pimas (Sonora and Chihuahua)
Tarahumaras (Chihuahua)
Tepehuanes (Durango, Sinaloa and Chihuahua)
Yaquis (Sonora and Chihuahua)

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Central México

Chichimecas (Guanajuato, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí)
Huastecos (Veracruz and San Luis Potosí)
Matlatzincas (Estado de México)
Mazahuas (Estado de México and Michoacán)
Mixtecos (Puebla, Guerrero and Oaxaca)
*Nahuas (Estado de México, Distrito Federal, Puebla, Morelos, Veracruz, Guerrero)
Otomíes (Estado de México and Hidalgo)
Pames (Querétaro and San Luis Potosí)
Purépechas (Michoacán)
Totonacas (Veracruz and Puebla)

*the nahuas are the direct descent of the ancient Aztec culture and the most numerous native ethnic group existing today.
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Southern México

Amuzgos (Oaxaca and Guerrero)
Chontales (Oaxaca and Tabasco)
Chatinos (Oaxaca)
Chinantecos (Oaxaca)
Chochos (Oaxaca)
Choles (Chiapas)
Huaves (Oaxaca and Chiapas)
Lacandones (Chiapas)
Mames (Campeche, Quintana Roo and Chiapas)
*Mayas (Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Chiapas)
Mixes (Oaxaca)
Mazatecos (Oaxaca)
Mochós (Chiapas)
Zapotecos (Oaxaca)
Zoques (Chiapas)
Tzotziles y Tzeltales (Chiapas)
Triquis (Oaxaca)
Tlapanecos (Guerrero)
Tojolabales (Chiapas)
Popolucas (Tabasco and Veracruz)

*mayas that are mostly descent of the ancient mayan civilization, and a very large ethnical group in the country, some of them were conquered and incorporated to the mexican state until the 1940's.
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The whole number of these "indigenpus people" reaches about the 10% of the mexican population acording to the 2000 census.

So I think you can consider all these groups as an important ethnical origin of the mexicans. But then it comes the other face of the coin: the europeans.
The first european settlers were the spanish conquerors, wich came in large numbers to this territory for as long as 300 years as colonizers. Their presence in our culture is huge and you can see it in the language, custom, rituals, food, religion, in mostly of the names, family names, architecture etc.

With the spanish arrived also many african slaves, wich actually gave a strong afro presence in Southern States like Veracruz, Tabasco and Guerrero, as well as an important cultural influence in local slang, food and music.

After the 18th century the territory recieved a considerable number of inmigrants from Europe, but not as large as in United States or Argentina. This was basically because of the catholic religion, disease, hot weather, etc. But those who came here and stablished will later form important colonies like jews: askenasi and sefardi.
Germans and Eastern Europeans like "amish" and Gypsys stablished in the Northern States and in Puebla State, British in Hidalgo, Frenchs, Italians - i know a town called "chipilo" where "veneto" settlers stablished a colony by the end of the 19th century and still preserve their language (which is not italian, but Veneto) and culture -.

By the second half of the 19th century inmigration was prometed by the federal government, and as a result of that a lot of people came to México: Europeans as i've said before, but also Asian, mainly chinese. The migration from asia begun with the colonial trade from China-New Spain(México)-Spain but increased as the 20th century started. Since then many asian people has been living in the country, in Northern and Pacific Coast States and in the capital; increasing the mix of races.

In the 20th century the country opened its gates to a lot of refugees, like those from spanish civil war, jews, former nazi germans, russians and eastern europeans, south americans at the moment of the dictatorships, many libanese people like the ancestors of the super rich Carlos Slim, and other middle east people. All of them have been contributing with their culture to the diversity of the country and to the mixed-race process.

So to conclude my extensive answer, I must say that mexicans are the prodcut of these multicultural mix, in a different way that many other countries wich are commonly more racist and that segregates ethnical groups into ghettos. It is a very difficult question to answer if there is any predominant group, because the roots are not very clear. In the cities you can find more diversity of origins, and as you see the people you can find features from native americans with others from europeans, maybe afro looks, or asian eyes, or who knows. in rural mexico it is more common to find indian features and custom, but also some non-indian people or features. It depends on which region you are and its local demographic history. But still, lets say that we are a mix of spanish ethnical groups and native american ethnical groups mostly, for a more easy answer; but not exactly. haha complicated!!

Answer 2

It varies.

Many Mexicans have at least some Spanish ancestors; many do not.

There were not only Aztecs there, but a lot of groups. (Sorry, I don't know names of other groups.)

Mayans were further south.

You addressed this to Mexicans, but this gringa thought she's weigh in anyway.

Answer 3

I have to go along with Agapo: like some of the Native American Indians, they like to believe they're the first Americans but turn their faces when you suggest they come from other stock and it's widely diversified and, in fact it's fighting words to them.

Some of them actually came from the Northern Mexican stock and what's wrong with all that.?

Answer 4

I would have to say it's 50/50. Most Mexicans are mestizos and share both descents. There are a lot of Mexicans that have other European ancestors, such as German.

Answer 5

Mexicans are mestizos, most Mexicans have other European ancestors, such as French, Russian, German. On the other hand there are some with asian ancestors. Either way they are mixed with some other Native American nation.

Answer 6

Both. Some Mexicans have pure Spanish blood, and some are all Indio, but most are a combination of these, as well as other European ancestors.

Answer 7

Mostly indian descent.

Answer 8

Bit of both, eh?

Answer 9

African slave + Indian + Spaniard = Mexican