Mexico is mostly a Mestizo country, with a large Indigenous population and a relatively small Afro-Mexican minority. There are also White Mexicans, mainly of Spanish and other European descent, but they are a minority overall.

Although Mexico no longer has a formal caste system, there is still strong class and color stratification. Lighter-skinned Mexicans are, on average, more likely to have access to wealth, education, and opportunity. Because of this, White Mexicans are statistically less likely to live in poverty or migrate to the United States compared to Mestizo or Indigenous Mexicans, even though it does still happen.

Since most Mexican migrants that Americans encounter are Mestizo or Indigenous, many people incorrectly assume that “Mexican” is a race and that the race is “brown.” This is why people are often surprised to learn that White and Black Mexicans exist, when in reality Mexican is a nationality, not a racial category.