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Spanish Filipino
Notable Spanish Filipinos: Manuel Luis Quezon and Andrés Bonifacio
Total population
3,500,000 (est.) (Official numbers unknown)
Regions with significant populations
Philippines
Language(s)
Filipino, Spanish and English
Religion(s)
Christianity (Predominantly Roman Catholic, with a minority of Protestants)
Related ethnic groups
Other Filipino people, Spanish people, Hispanics, Mestizos, and Arab Filipinos

Spanish settlement in the Philippines first took place in the late 16th century, during the Spanish colonial period of the islands.

According to a recent survey, the number of Filipinos of Spanish descent in the Philippines regardless of ethnolinguistic affiliation is about 16,300. Castilians and Catalans combined account for 9,000 of Filipinos of Spanish descent in the Philippines, while the Basques number about 7,300. Other peninsular ethnicities such as Galician were not distinguished from the Castilian and the Catalan, since all three speak the same language family, the Romance language family.

Spaniards are referred by native Austronesians as "Kastila" (Castilian) named after the historical Castile region of Spain. The vast majority of the Filipinos of Spanish descent are of Andalusians origin, while a minority are Catalans or Basques descents.

Contents 1 Ancestry 1.1 Filipino mestizos of Spanish ancestry 2 Physique 3 Distribution 4 Language and culture 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

Most Filipinos descended from Austronesians and around an estimated figure of 10% may have Spanish ancestry. The Filipinos with Spanish ancestors are generally referred to as Spanish mestizos (Spanish: "mestizos españoles", Filipino: "mestisong Kastila"); these comprise the majority of the Spanish-descended population. According to genetic research (done on 28 individuals from the Philippines ^[1]), around 3.6% of all Filipinos have European ancestry.^[1] The history of the country suggests that European ancestry in the population derives from either Spanish or American colonization. The descendants of Latin Americans of European origin are also included. Around 2% are of Spanish variety.

Filipinos of Spanish descent are usually distinguished physically from other Philippine ethnic groups by their appearance, possessing slightly rounder eyes, higher cheekbones, lighter skin complexion, generous distribution of facial and body hairs, and aquiline nose structures, compared to those of other Filipinos. Bone structures and skin color varies as Filipinos of Spanish descent look mostly Mediterranean, Arab, or Latin (Roman) in physique, while other Filipinos tend to have more Asian characteristics.

Some Spanish mestizos living in the Philippines emigrated to Spain, Latin America, or the United States, following World War II and during the Marcos regime. Today, Filipinos of Spanish descent can mostly be found in small minorities spread throughout the country especially in Manila, Pampanga, Batangas (Taal - Montenegro Clan), Cebu (Larrazabal, Romualdez, Irrasturza Clans), Negros (Montenegro Clans), Davao and Zamboanga (Lobregat Clan).

Spanish Filipinos for the most part are found in both the upper and upper middle socio-economic classes, with a relatively small percentage found among the lower socio-economic classes. Most are active in politics, commerce and industry, entertainment, and professional sports.

Most Spanish Filipinos speak their respective regional languages, Cebuano (Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao), Ilonggo (Iloilo and Bacolod), Kapampangan (Pampanga), Tagalog (Batangas, Cavite and Bulacan), and Spanish Creole or Chabacano (Zamboanga); they also use English in the public sphere, as well as Filipino or Tagalog. Many, particularly those of older generations, and recent immigrants, have preserved Spanish as the spoken language of the home.

Apart from the everyday customs practiced in their respective regions in the Philippines, many also maintain traditions brought over from Spain or Latin America.

• Mexican settlement in the Philippines
• Filipino mestizo
• Spanish in the Philippines
• Tornatrás
• Principalía

• Examination of ancestry and ethnic affiation using high information
• Spanish mestizos in the Philippines, photos from AsiaFinest
• Color Q World: Asian-Latino Intermarriage in the Americas

v • d • e Ethnic groups in the Philippines
Filipinos | Overseas Filipinos Indigenous groups Bicolano · Ibanag · Ilocano · Ivatan · Kapampangan · Moro · Pangasinan · Sambal · Tagalog  · Visayan  · Tribal groups Non-indigenous groups American · Arab · Chinese · Desi · Japanese · Jewish · Korean · Mexican · Spanish

v • d • e Hispanics
Central American and Caribbean	Cuban  · Dominican  · Nicaraguan  · Puerto Rican  · Salvadoran
Meso American	Mexican (Chicano)  · Californio  · Hispano  · Mexican Texians  · Tejano
South American	Argentine  · Colombian  · Peruvian  · Chilean  · Ecuadorian  · Venezuelan
Western European	Spanish American
Other terms Mestizo  · Mulatto  · Zambo  · Spanish people  · Afro Latin American  · White Hispanic  · White Latin American