The Ladino people are a mix of mestizo or Hispanicized peoples in Latin America, principally in Central America. The demonym Ladino is a Spanish word that is related to Latino. Ladino is an exonym initially used during the colonial era to refer to those Spanish-speakers who were not Peninsulares, Criollos or Indigenous peoples.

The meaning of the word "Ladino" has changed much over the course of history. It was used in what is now modern day Spain during the early middle ages to refer to the vernacular languages that were spoken there. With the rise of Latin in the 1200s, the term fell out of larger usage, but was still used to refer to the vernacular Hebrew language of Sephardic Jews which had no correlation.

In the colonial Americas, the usage of the term became even more complicated. It could be used positively to describe non-Spanish populations that knew Spanish, and were seen as more "civilized" than indigenous populations. On the flip side, in colonial Colombia and Mexico, it could be used to refer to a trickster or mean-spirited person, usually of native heritage. Even more confusingly, in Mexico, it could also be used to describe a non-native speaker of Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, such as Spanish scribes who learned the language.

In 15th-century Guatemala, the term was used to refer to the second language (Spanish) spoken by non-Spanish populations. However, by the 1700s, its meaning had evolved to describe any group within the casta system that was not Spanish, including mixed-race mestizos and Indigenous peoples.

"Indio Ladinos" was a term used by the Spanish colonial government to refer to indigenous people who had learned the Spanish language and customs. Some early examples of this include La Malinche, a Nahua translator who assisted Hernan Cortes in his conquering of the Aztec Empire. Their knowledge and mastery of Spanish language and custom allowed them to bridge the gap between the Spanish and indigenous communities. Some Indio Ladinos aided and fought in the Spanish conquest, such as the Nahua and Mixtec people. They were an important part of the colonial regime, and helped to strengthen colonial government, education, and religion. Many helped to teach the catechism, monitored church attendance, and presided over marriages. Notaries in municipal government were often former indigenous noblemen, who were taught Spanish by Franciscan friars. Indio Ladinos also attended and were instructors at newly created colleges and universities, such as the Colegio Imperial de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco, founded in 1536.

Some Indio Ladinos worked more with indigenous groups. They served as negotiators between the colonial regime and native groups for things like land disputes, such as in the mexican town of Cuauhtinchan in 1521. Some were also leaders of indigenous religious revival movements, such as the Taki Unquy in Peru in 1565. Indio Ladino mapmakers also helped to preserve traditional indigenous cartography, with a pictographic style and symbols for geographic features.

The Ladino population in Guatemala is officially recognized as a distinct ethnic group. The Ministry of Education of Guatemala uses the following definition:

The ladino population has been characterized as a heterogeneous population which expresses itself in the Spanish language as a maternal language, which possesses specific cultural traits of Hispanic origin mixed with indigenous cultural elements, and dresses in a style commonly considered as western.