<P> Cholo (Spanish pronunciation: (ˈtʃolo)) is a loosely defined Spanish term that has had various meanings . Its origin is a somewhat derogatory term for mixed - blood descendants in the Spanish Empire in Latin America and its successor states as part of castas, the informal ranking of society by heritage . The exact usage and meaning has diverged heavily across Latin America, however . Cholo no longer necessarily refers only to ethnic heritage, and is not always meant negatively . Cholo can signify anything from its original sense as mestizo (a person of mixed European and Indigenous descent), "gangster" (Mexico), "person who dresses in the manner of a certain subculture" (United States), or as a grievous insult (some South American countries). </P> <P> The term's use is first recorded in a Peruvian book published in 1609 and 1616, the Comentarios Reales de los Incas by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega . He writes (in Spanish) "The child of a Black male and an Indian female, or of an Indian male and Black female, they call mulato and mulata . The children of these they call cholos . Cholo is a word from the Windward Islands; it means dog, not of the purebred variety, but of very disreputable origin; and the Spaniards use it for insult and vituperation". </P>

What does the word cholo mean in english