AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: The Spanish Caste System (Day 13/309)

Welcome to day 13 of APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Today I will be explaining the Caste System in the Spanish Empire.

Francisco Clapera Casta Paintings Denver Art Museum

In the Spanish colonies, a rigid and complex social hierarchy was established which categorized individuals based on their racial heritage. This was known as the Caste System.

Social Classes in Spanish Colonies Nuestra Verdad Publicación

Those that held the most power, wealth, and opportunities were the Peninsulares (those born in Spain). And just below them were the Criolles, people who were of Spanish descent but were born in the Americas.

Las Castas Wikimedia Commons

With significantly less rights, wealth and opportunities were Mestizos, individuals of mixed Spanish and indigenous heritage, and Mulattos, individuals with mixed Spanish and African ancestry. Indigenous people and enslaved Africans were at the bottom of the caste system with extreme limits on their freedoms and opportunities.

The caste system was highly discriminatory and due to its racial categorization it left minimal opportunities for social mobility in the Spanish Empire.

Join me tomorrow as I introduce examples of the divergent worldviews in the Americas in our next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!