Morelos sat for a portrait in 1812, which depicts him as a very dark skinned man. Some historians have described him as Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Indian ancestry), but others point to archival evidence that Morelos's mother was a "free woman", that is either a Negra or Mulata, and he was under investigation at the outbreak of the insurgency as to whether he was qualified for the priesthood as a Spaniard. Blacks were barred from taking holy orders.
Morelos sat for a portrait in 1812, which showed him as a very dark-skinned person. Some researchers have described him as Mestizo, while others point to documents suggesting that his mother was either black or of mixed ancestry, and he was investigated at the start of the insurgency about whether he could become a priest as a Spaniard. People of African descent were not allowed to take holy orders.