The laundress' boy was called Chino, of so I thought.

I learned later that Chino is a name for a specific racial mixture (not including Chinese) in Mexico's very fine-grained system of categorizing racial mixtures, a system centuries old, elaborated in many series of paintings one sees reproduced still all through the country. (One set of originals is in the museum in Chapultapec Castle in D.F.) Mexico was a very inter-racial nation long before The United States or European nations were. Not that this made class distinctions any softer or less limiting.

"Casta divisions were the most important component in the Colonial language of power, and the Inquisition reflected the need to distinguish in order to punish accordingly. The notorious casta paintings of 18th century Mexico speak volumes about an obsession with racial mixture and the fear of the ensuing social upheaval," wrote Baltasar Fra Molinero of Bates College.

As I recall, a Chino includes African heritage. Chino may have been so nicknamed because of his curly hair and dark skin.