Mestizo is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed Spanish and Amerindian descent in Hispanic America. In certain regions of the continent, it may also refer to anyone who is culturally Hispanic, regardless of racial admixture. The term was used as an ethno-racial exonym for mixed-race castas that evolved during the Spanish Empire. It was a formal label for individuals in official documents, such as censuses, parish registers, Inquisition trials, and others. Priests and royal officials might have classified persons as mestizos, but individuals also used the term in self-identification. With the Bourbon reforms and the independence of the Americas, the caste system disappeared and terms like "mestizo" fell in popularity.