Reproduction, rejection, or adoption of indigeneity? Intergenerational patterns of ethnic classification in contemporary Mexico

Abstract This paper examines the intergenerational transmission of Indigenous classification in Mexico, focusing on how respondents reproduce, reject, or adopt Indigenous identification in relation to how they classify their parents. Drawing on data from a novel, nationally representative survey, I analyze factors associated with two key trajectories: de-indigenization, in which respondents who classify at least one parent as Indigenous do not self-classify as Indigenous, and indigenization, in which individuals who claim no Indigenous parentage come to identify as Indigenous. The findings show that roughly 16 percent of the population differs from how they report their parents’ Indigenous status. Reports of the loss of Indigenous language across generations are primarily associated with de-indigenization. In contrast, perceived phenotypical features commonly linked to Indigenous belonging and reports of Indigenous language proficiency are more strongly associated with indigenization. Additionally, a notable subset (10 percent) identifies as both Indigenous and mestizo, a classification path correlated with higher levels of education. These patterns reveal the fluidity of ethnoracial boundaries in Mexico and illustrate how processes of cultural transmission, racialization, and stratification shape the social production of Indigenous identity through different pathways.