Nuestros Ranchos] Question- Race

I read somewhere that in some census in the 20th century Mexicans were declared White for census purposes. It changed from decade to decade. On my birth certificate, my Mexican father is listed as white as is my Scots mother. On my oldest daughter, a nurse determined that I was Mexican and my Anglo husband was white. When I informed her my dad was listed as white on my birth certificate, she said I'd have to take it up with the state. I thought, "forget this crap!"

Emilie Garcia wrote:
>Ronnie,
>
>I looked in Ancestry.com's border crossings and didn't see anything for her parents. She was born in Texas. In the 1900 census the family is all listed as "white". I think in the 1910 census, the interpretation of "ot" might mean "other". I think they probably didn't look "Mexican" to the Anglo enumerator. They are listed as Mexican Spanish, since the Texans think of light skinned Mexicans as "Spanish" and not "Mexican". It looks like they came from Camargo, Chihuahua, and that Matilde had been married before to a Francisco Castillo, and she had a son named Blas Castillo, as well as a daughter Justina born 1897 and another son Juan born 1900 before she had Tranquilina and one other child in Texas from Pedro Vasuez who she married in 1896.
>
>Emilie
>Port Orchard, WA
>
>> From: chilerey@msn.com
>> To: research@nuestrosranchos.com
>> Date: Thu, 21 May 2015 15:25:59 -0700
>> Subject: [Nuestros Ranchos] Question- Race
>>
>> Hola Members, I have been playing with my wifes side of the family (with no luck) I found My wifes Grandmother -TRANQUILINA VASQUEZ- in the 1910 census located in El Paso ,Texas . They have Tranquilina at approxitemately 10 years of age . Any way I was tripping because they have her classified as a octoroon(1/8 th black). No big deal just trying to figure out how did the census figure this racial composition . In 1910 they didn't have any DNA testing and didn't know her family backround . I was just trying to figure this out how they did it. I also wanted to know how I access or where to go for immigration or border crossing info so I can obtain where Tranquilina Vasquez was born . (parents -I believe were Pedro Vasquez and Matilde Ceniceros -from Chihuahua)
>> Thanks
>> Ronnie
>>