Spanish Terms Used in New Mexico Catholic Church RecordsAnd Other New Mexico Genealogy RecordsSpanish word - English meaning Español - Spanish Indio - Indian Mestizo - mixture of Indian and Spanish Coyote - mixture of Indian and Mestizo Mulato - mixture of Spanish and African Genízaro - an Indian who was captured by the Spaniards and held in servitude, later assimilating into New Mexican society. For more information on genízaros see: Descendants Of Native American Slaves In New Mexico Emerge From Obscurity Natural - parents of the child were not married Legítimo (legitimate) - parents of the child were married Don - title of respect; the feminine form Doña is sometimes abbreviated Da. Criado - servant (Feminine forms of these words will end in the letter a.) Sources: Some of this list was derived from the book, A Description of the Kingdom of New Spain by Pedro Alonso O'Crouley, originally published in 1774; Translated and edited by Sean Galvin (San Francisco: J. Howell, 1972), page 19. Also see the Spanish Genealogical Word List from FamilySearch Return to: New Mexico Genealogy Resources |