My name is Cristina Elizabeth Johns. I was born in Guatemala and was originally named Blanca Elizabeth. And I am Ladino. Not Latino. Yes there is a difference. By being born in Guatemala, I already find myself in a very small minority, but by being a Ladino from Guatemala, it makes me a minority of a minority.
Another word for Ladinos, or to get into my heritage more thoroughly. The word Ladino in Guatemala is used to describe multiple small minorities as a whole. You can usually find out what "kind" of Ladino someone is by the place they live or the people and towns they live with. Mt ancestry is majorly based from the Mayans, meaning that yes, I am full Mayan Indian. The indigenous people from Guatemala. My parents were told this from the beginning so mainly, I can be in touch of who I really am and be able to claim my ancestry even though I lack any family information or history. On official birth papers, my ethnicity goes under the category of "other" (due to the small population of ladinos. But on special documentation I am referred to as Mayan. But my foster parents and adoptive parents from the beginning have always referred to me as Mayan Indian. It's only proper for me to have some identity or people to have.
It's sometimes hard when trying to explain my ethnicity. People also try to correct me because for some reason they think I'm wrong or saying "Latino" wrong. But nope. It's Ladino not Latino.
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