The Dominican Republic is a small country so it is not very diverse. 70% of people living in the Dominican Republic are of mixed descent, meaning they have white and black ancestry. The second largest ethnicity is Mestizo/Indio (58%), Mestizo means mixed European and Indigenous ancestry and Indio refers to someone of pure Indigenous lineage. Other descents are of European (13%) and African American (15%) ancestry. There are also Haitians who have immigrated from Haiti. The European descendants come from the Spanish settlers who came when Spain colonized Hispaniola. People of African origin come from the black slaves who were brought to Hispaniola by Spain. Mixed descents are the children of European and Black parents while Mestizos are the children of European and  Indigenous parents.  Pure Indios come from the Tainos, the indigenous tribe that lived in Hispaniola before Spain. These five ethnicities, Spanish Colonization, the restoration, US intervention, and Trujillo’s rule all make up the history of the Dominican Republic.