Because of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon which facilitated trade between Manila, Mexico, and Spain, some of the "Spaniards" who are here are actually Mexican or Spanish-Mexican.
Mexicans who arrived here via the Galleon trade left behind use of Mexican vernacular which are now found in Filipino languages such as tiange (stalls), bangketa (sidewalk), chonggo (monkey), palenque (market), among others. Banqueta for example is what Mexicans would use but it is not the first word that Spaniards would use for sidewalk. The Spanish would use "mercado" for market, but we would use "palengke" instead - sounds more like what the Mexicans use.
Until the Americans took over the Philippines in 1898, "Filipino" was the term used for white Spaniards of pure Spanish descent born here in the Filipinas (Philippines), as opposed to "Peninsulares" who are those born in Spain. Spaniards of pure Spanish descent born in Spanish America are called "Americano." The term used for persons of pure Malay descent (i.e. the locals/natives in the country) are called "Indio." The term used for persons of Aeta descent are "Negrito" while those of mixed descent are called "Mestizo." Those of Chinese-Malay-Spanish descent are called "Tornatras."
These terms are actually part of the labelling and associated tax bracketing in the caste system that the Spanish installed during its regime; i.e. Indios and Aetas paid the base tax, pure Chinese (called "Sangley") paid four times the base tax, Chinese (Chino) Mestizos paid twice the base tax, and all those with Spanish blood (Filipinos, Americanos, Peninsulares, and Spanish Mestizos) paid no taxes.
So, are you an Indio? I am. And proudly so. To think there is something wrong with being an "Indio," I say you're not Christian, are you?
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