Filipino Mestizos (Twisted Philippines Redux)

In the Philippines, Filipino Mestizo, or colloquially Tisoy, is a name used to refer to people of mixed native Filipino and any foreign ancestry. The word mestizo itself is of Spanish origin; it was first used in the Americas to describe people of mixed Native American and European ancestry. The Spanish Mestizos being the biggest Mestizo population, while the Chinese Mestizo being less yet very socially significant or prestigious minority. They are very influential with the creation of Filipino nationalism.

The history of racial mixture in the Philippines occurred on a smaller scale than other Spanish territories in the Americas during the Spanish colonial period from the 16th to the 19th century. This ethno-religious social stratification schema was similar to the casta system used in Hispanic America, with some major differences.

The system was used originally for taxation, but after independence, it was relegated to nominal use.