| Sumario: | Vicente Guerrero was a key figure in the founding of the Mexican nation, forming part of the military and political leaders of the independence movement and of the new monarchical and republican governments. When analyzing Guerrero’s life, Mexican historians have taken on the task of examining many different political aspects; in recent decades, academics in different disciplines with an interest in recovering the Afro-Mexican heritage have been focused on his genealogy. Nevertheless, by privileging his African ties, they have ignored others. This article shows that Guerrero displayed an ambiguity and multiplicity with regard to caste. As a result, nineteenth century politicians used this diversity to attribute different lineages to him in order to praise him, attack him or use him to illustrate a personal or political point. It explains the different perspectives of these politicians and their respective contexts, as well as the way in which these genealogical distinctions were articulated in Guerrero’s personal, sociocultural and political life. This discussion is important as these distinctions have remained a relevant question from the nineteenth century until today.
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