[george wythe]

Brazillian are mistaken for Mexicans by ordinary people all the time.

False.

I had a hard time telling them apart.

Sorry to hear that. Most people know the difference between brown Amerindian and black African, or between mestizo and Germanic looking.

How does a modern census describe the population?

Facts.

The major ethnic group in Mexico represents less than 1% of the population of Brazil. The only overlap occurs with European descendants.

CIA World Factbook: Brazil

Ethnic groups

white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%,
mixed white and black 38%,
black 6%,
other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%

CIA World Factbook: Mexico

Ethnic groups

mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%,
Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%,
white 9%,
other 1%

South America has a lot of the same kind of people for Mexico to be filled up with.

I have never said otherwise.

Your original contention about Brazil is still wrong.

[William Terrell]

I'm not talking about fine, artificial distinctions. I'm talking about root races. The indigenous Brazilians I have seen look like Mexicans. I'm sure some bleedover between races have occurred.

I'm also sure that lots of European types have moved to Brazil, but that has nothing to do with the indigenous people in Brazil, which bear the same characteristics as the rest of South America.

My original position was that Mexico was settled in the dim past by South Americans.