1 post from September 2006

FROM WIKIPEDIA...

In modern-day Peru and Bolivia, cholo is still a widely used term which refers to people with noticeably greater amounts of Amerindian than European ancestry. Among Peruvians, the term mestizo (which in other Latin American countries is usually used for those of relatively equal amounts of Spanish to Amerindian ancestry) has also become increasingly common.

In recent years, the meaning of cholo has further shifted to include a vast number of people of exclusively Native American ancestry. In this latter context, the term often implies indigenous people who have attained a higher social status by moving from the rural or interior regions of the country to the urban areas and cities, have taken up western (Hispanic/mestizo) cultural practices, are bilingual (fluent in both Spanish and an Amerindian language) but deny any knowledge of a native language, downplay their native descendance and identify solely with their newly adopted cultural norms. ^{[citation needed]} In that latter context, the usage is somewhat pejorative.

During his winning presidential campaign, the former president of Peru, Alejandro Toledo, successfully reached out to the largest segment of the Peruvian population — 45 percent of which is composed of indigenous Peruvians in addition to the cholos — by proclaiming his indigenous heritage and identifying himself as a Cholo. Spanish-language media played on this title, and referred to him as El Cholo throughout the campaign and in the initial stages of his presidency.