Mestizo (/mɛˈstiːzoʊ, mɪ-/; Spanish: [mesˈtiθo] ; fem. mestiza) is a racial classification used to refer to a person of a combined White and Indigenous American ancestry. The term was used as an ethnic/racial category for mixed-race castas that evolved during the Spanish Empire. Although, broadly speaking, mestizo means someone of mixed European/indigenous heritage, the term did not have a fixed meaning in the colonial period. It was a formal label for individuals in official documentation, such as censuses, parish registers, Inquisition trials, and other matters. Priests and royal officials might label individuals as mestizos, but the term was also used for self-identification.