From the various mixtures of blood it is difficult to class them, except very generally. When in Mexico, I saw fifteen different classifications of them represented in some pictures at an old chateau, which seemed to be so minute and curious that I copied the notes illustrative of each portrait[1]. For the present purpose, it may be sufficient to consider the proportions of the several classes to be as follows:—
| Whites and Creoles | One-fifth |
| Mixed Classes | Two-fifths |
| Indians | Two-fifths |
Of Europeans, or perfect whites, there are not more than 5,000, so that they are in the proportion of five souls to 2,000, and this aggregate, with the exception only of the native Indians, may be merged in one general denomination of Mesties, or mixed. There are no slaves; and every individual enjoys equal civil rights.
It is true that the census above referred to, and which was taken in 1803, gives only
- ↑ See Appendix.
