Mantuano

Mantuano is a denomination assigned, first in Caracas and later in the rest of Venezuela, to the “blancos criollos” (Europeans born in Hispanic America) belonging to the local aristocracy. The term was in use from the 18th century until well into the 19th century. The mantuanos hardly surpassed a hundred heads of family by the end of the 18th century.

The mantuanos were also called "grandes cacaos", because they became rich with the cultivation and commercialization of cocoa. They were also called blancos criollos. The name blanco criollo only indicates that a person was born in America and was a descendant of Spaniards, while the word mantuano refers to members of the local elite. Other whites who also had the same birthplace and ancestry of Spanish origin, such as the blancos de orilla, were not part of the mantuano circle.