Abstract

For two hundred years, the Afromexican population was historiographically ignored. In the formative periods of nation-building, Afrodescendants were not integrated into the fabric of the mestizo ideology. Mestizaje was portrayed as the mixing of two groups, the Spaniards and the Indigenous people, in what became New Spain. From the onset, the exclusion was based on the idea that with the prohibition of slavery and the caste system, Mexicans would reach a degree of equality and social justice. This essay explores elements of history and current sociopolitical trends to answer questions about reasons for the exclusion of Afrodescendants from the official narrative of the Mexican nation. In this bibliographical survey, the article is structured following a chronological order of events that is aimed at explaining contemporary efforts to fill a historiographical gap. Additionally, the research illustrates how these efforts are impacting the recognition and inclusion of Afromestizos as part of the Mexican nation.