Latin American Independence

6 Pages 1547 Words

er caste colonists and the Peninsular Spaniards. Spanish America was racially divided by a hierarchy called the Caste System imposed by the Spanish Crown .This system sets certain rules on which color skin gets the most privileges in society. The whites who were at the top, next were the Creoles, beneath them were the Native Americans, who were the official wards of the Crown but yet they were still greatly exploited and abused. Mestizos, who are people of mixed Native American and white heritage, and they suffered legal and social discrimination. Both mestizos and free people of color were barred from serving in bureaucracies of the church, state, or military. In the lowest caste were the African slaves who had no right and were considered as property. The lower castes wanted a say in their society. “Designations, either colorful or derogatory, that defined the degree of racial mixture, helped to maintain a sullen resentment and a sense of ethnic inferiority.” (Radin, 76) The wealthy Creoles wer...