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African, Castas, Creole, History of the Americas, Indian, Latin America, Mestizos, Mulatto, Multiracial, Peninsulares, Racism, South America, Spain, Spanish, Spanish Colonies, Spanish Emigrants
Multiracial Latin America
De español e india, produce mestizo (From a Spanish man and an Amerindian woman, a Mestizo is produced). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Question of the Day: Historians have noted that in Latin America, “multiracialism” (referring to mixed race people) was a circumstance readily and formally documented in colonial Spain. Within Spain’s new world, the Peninsulares (Spanish settlers in the Americas) developed highly intricate and often considered official, nomenclatures, for every circumstance of human “mixture” discernable in society (i.e. African, Indian, Spainiard to Creole, Mestizo, Mulatto, etc.). These kinds of classifications were used to develop a hierarchy in society, a type of caste system. Within this system of “Castas” people had access to the legal “rights and privileges” of Spanish society based on their “place” within this formal racial designation. Is the concept of race simple or complex in the history of Spanish colonization and the development of multiracial societies in Latin America?
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The concept of race in Spanish America is a very complex issue. They introduced the Catas system to divide the people into races and classes so that they could continue to rule over the natives. In that system, we had the Whites on top, then creoles( european decent born in the Americas), then came the mixed Mestizos or Mulattos depend on the mixture (whites and natives, or whites and blacks), and at the bottom came the Natives and Africans. Since privileges and rights were granted according to where one was in the pyramid; Therefore, most people at the bottom would want their kids to be higher in the system so that the next generation could have it a little bit easier. After hundreds of years in a system like that, we cant just expect the end of colonism would end the system. That’s why up to 2012(today) in most of former Spanish Americas the natives and blacks are being treated like they are inferior to other races.
The concept of race in Latin America is a very complex issue because there is not just one race or ethnicity for Latin America. Latin American has a mixture of African descent, indigeneious tribes, European ancestry, even Asian ancestry. In socio-economic terms, lighter skin is perceived as a higher class where Darker skin is perceived as something pertaining to poverty and lower class.
The Castas system is very much so a complex system. The Spainish Europeans using their race as a rule of power over the native people. The many differnt racial groups that categorized the people, placed them in various social classes. The Peninsulares (Spanish settlers in the Americas) being of highest heirachy, received all rights and priviliges where the further down the pyramid were lower class “mixed” people. These people known as African, Indian, Spainiard to Creole, Mestizo, Mulatto, were of poorer and undesirable. This unfair system of racial division has led to the continuing multi-racial societies in Latin America. The lighter in skin complexion one may be, the more desirable and “power” they have amongst their people while the darker skinned people are frowned upon. I agree with both Franz and Alice in their responses as well. It is a continuting cycle from colonial ages that is very much present today.
This system is on a large scale of complexity, because the black and white racism as we know it is not so clear,this is more on the terms of colorism. The castas system further proves the belief that darker skin is less desirable than lighter skin tones. The complexity comes from the grand scale of skin tone variations that ultimately decides an individuals place in society. This form of racial hierarchy kept mixed race people such as mulatto and mestizos at the bottom, while pure europeans received prestige.To further complicate this system, siblings born mulatto from the same parents will receive different treatment in their community if one has physical characteristics of being” pure european”. In agreement with my brilliant classmates this system continues to thrive in so many countries, while the lighter tone citizens receive preferrential treatment and people of african descent are living in squalor conditions with little to no government representation.
On pg 129 of Contours of Latin America History, Dr. Bankole-Medina breaks down the racial caste system into 15 pairings, each one higher than the next. On pg 130, the racial casts are written like 16 commandments. Overall, they were in place to institute a system based on racial purity, even in interracial relations.
Moreover, add to the discussion about the complex nature of black white relations, and you have a very different view of Race. This was imposed by the Spainish fear of no longer being in power. The credo then as is today with some is simply the lighter you are, the more superior you are in society.
The history of Latin America and the Castas is complex because of the class system of relationships created by the mixed races and individual prejudices of Europeans and the Spanish social and ethnic hierarchies. After African slavery was introduced to Latin America the culture witnessed a painful transformation from sophisticated native civilizations to complex multi-racial societies. The culture changes through
time in a colonized environment. Made many cultural struggles and accommodations take place between indigenous, European, and African cultures that structured people’s experiences. One can look back at the various changes in the social roles of Latin American society, and at how these roles have changed through time. To characterize Latin America today.
The concept of multi-racial in latin american socitey is complex.Following colonial-period notions of the “one-drop” rule, people of Latin American origins have historically been racialized as something other than white by American standards a designation originally reserved for British and other Christians of northern European descent; the Irish, southern and eastern Europeans, and Jews were eventually and only quite recently accepted into the white collective. Yet since the 1960s, demographers have known that Latinos would numerically surpass African Americans and that, together with other populations of color. I feel that there is nothing wrong with identifying with ones heritage whatever it is but one but the multi-racial thing just confuses.
I believe that the concept of race in spanish colonization is complex rather than simple because there was a caste system that was put in place to classify each person that was spanish according to the amount of indian blood that they had. According to the amount whether it being less or more determined the amount of social respect that they had. Some of the intermingle of different races was forced and some was not. Early spanish settlers were mostly men and there were very few women that were of spanish descent during this time. Marriage and compaionship was important amongst the spanish culture and caused men of this time to intermingle with women of another race. During the import of African slaves there was another period of intermingle amongst the spanish culture which caused there to be another race or racial mixture in the world. But the mixture of spanish and Africans considered to be on the lower end of the racial scale than American indians. But throughout time and other societites Latin America has the most multiracial culture than other cultures throughout the world because of the mixture of races.
The castas/castes, the social separation of the groups, were in my opinion, various ways for the oppressive Europeans to enact control over the people. Separation was a prime factor in ensuring the consistent application of power and domination. White people had to instill a class system, as well as a false sense of power, to ensure that their offspring wouldn’t see the truth and turn against them. The people such as the Mestizos who placed higher on the hierarchy were more socially acceptable, and were able to have some sense of freedom. From an outsider perspective, such as with a Mulatto, I believe this added to the conceptions of beauty and ugliness. At its most basic level, one might equate a better life, better opportunity, with having lighter skin. This is saddening and unfortunate, not just for the people who endured this egregious system, but also because we still deal with these misconceptions today. While diabolical, the well-planned endeavors of the Europeans were well played on their part. The ‘brown bag test’, ‘one-drop rule’, ‘good hair’, the notorious ‘Indian in my family’, and other terms like it come to mind when considering the beginning of race relations of the Americas.
I believe that the castas system in Latin America is a very complex issue. The Spanish empire created this system in order to divide people in an effort to deflect them away from the real issue. Furthermore, this system has caused a false sense of power in the region. Many of the people who reside in Latin America not all like other conquered people align themselves with their white lineage in an effort to distinguish themselves.
The race issue in Latin America is complex. A multicultural society was developed in Latin America. There were a variety of races African, Indian, European, and some Asians. There was a distinction among the Latin population; the castas system classified the mixture of races as mestizo, mulatto, and lobo. The mixtures of race were so strong and unique that it was diffucult to determine the percentage of Latin blood a person had. In addition, the race issue was complicated, because the ethnicity and culture played a vital role in how diverse Latin Ameirca became. Latin America was dominated by the race that was white and the darker skin color you had the lower level of power was held.
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New World (Americas) race is only complex within the context of Old World (Euro-African) conceptualization. Our nature as New World humans is no more complex than Old World humans; thus we are all simply human.