191k views
5 votes
Place each group in latin American colonial society in its correct position in the social hierarchy

User Jacalyn
by
5.7k points

2 Answers

4 votes

Final answer:

The top of the Latin American colonial social hierarchy featured peninsulares, followed by criollos, mestizos, Indigenous peoples, and Africans and their descendants. Positioning was primarily influenced by one's ancestry and race, with peninsulares holding the highest authority and Africans, as well as their mixed-race descendants, forming the lower social strata.

Step-by-step explanation:

Social Hierarchy in Latin American Colonial Society

The Latin American colonial society was characterized by a rigid social hierarchy where one's social position was determined largely by ancestry and race. At the top of this hierarchy were the peninsular, Europeans born on the Iberian Peninsula, primarily in Spain. They held the most important administrative and clerical positions.

Just below the peninsular were the criollos (creoles), Europeans born in the Americas. They were often landowners and merchants and, despite being considered legally Spanish, were ineligible for the highest offices that were reserved for the peninsular. The mestizos, individuals of mixed European and Indigenous descent, occupied the next level, working as artisans and lower clergy, or farming lands.

Beneath the mestizos were Indigenous peoples, who managed their communities but were subject to labor and tribute obligations. The Africans brought as slaves, and their descendants including mulattos (mixed European and African heritage) and zambos (mixed African and Indigenous heritage), were placed at the lower ends of society, predominantly near sugar-growing regions where their labor was exploited.

As we approach the period of independence, varieties of mixed-race people, including mestizos and pardos (part-African descent), became more dominant in urban areas, often engaging in various trades and serving in colonial militias.

User Lelia
by
4.0k points
5 votes

Since no one gave a good answer here it is.

( top to bottom )

for edmentum cause i just did it

1st layer on triangle -> peninsulares

2nd layer on triangle -> creoles

3rd layer on triangle -> mestizos

4th layer on triangle ->mulattos

5th layer on triangle ->African slaves

6th triangle on triangle -> American Indians

User Stefan Z Camilleri
by
3.7k points