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For the village in Slovakia see Častá

Casta is a 17th Century term used in Spanish America , and refers to the institutionalized system of Racial And Social Stratification And Segregation based on a person's heritage.


ETYMOLOGY


The literal meaning of the word is " Lineage ", " Breed " or " Race ", which also gave rise to the term " Caste ".


THE CASTES


Castes were used to identify classes of people with specific racial or ethnic heritage. Each caste had its own set of privileges or restrictions, with the general descending order of precedence being:
  • ''Peninsulares'' - persons of Spanish or Portuguese descent born in Spain or Portugal (i.e. from the Iberian Peninsula which led to the name). They were considered so much higher than other ''castas'' that many women went back to Spain or Portugal to give birth. They held important jobs in the government, the army, and the Catholic Church, and usually did not live permanently in Latin America. This system was intended to perpetuate the ties of the governing elite to the Spanish and Portuguese crowns.

  • ''Criollos'' - People of Spanish descent but born in Latin America. Many ''criollos'' owned mines, ranches, or '' Haciendas '' and were very wealthy. They occasionally had government jobs, but they were not respected by the ''peninsulares''. The 19th century independentists were mainly ''criollos'' rejecting European supremacy.

  • ''Castizos'' - Persons with one ''mestizo'' parent and one ''criollo'' parent. The children of a ''castizo'' and a ''criollo'' were classified as ''criollo''.

  • ''Mestizos'' - Persons with one ''peninsular'' parent and one ''indio'' parent.

  • '' Cholo s'' - Persons with one ''indio'' parent and one ''mestizo'' parent.

  • ''Mulatos'' - Persons of mixed ''peninsular'' and ''negro'' descent. They were sometimes made into slaves.

  • ''Indios'' - Amerindian Inhabitants . They were frequently made slaves.

  • '' Zambo s'' - Persons who were mixed ''indio'' and ''negro''.

  • ''Negros'' - Blacks . They were treated the worst and frequently made slaves.


In contrast with the " One Drop Rule ", a white with less than one eighth of Amerindian ancestry was considered white. However, even people with one sixteenth Black ancestry was still either a ''torna atrás'' in New Spain or a ''requinterón'' in Peru .

Eventually the system became too complex, and only the main mixes were taken into account. A series of pictures called ''pinturas de castas'' showed more than a hundred castes.


''PINTURA DE CASTAS''



  Image:Coiotejpg"De Mestizo E India, Sale Coiote" (From Mestizo Man And Amerindian Woman, Begotten A "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Cholo" class="copylinks">Coyote )
  Image:Zambojpg"De Negro E India, Sale Lobo" (Of A Black And An Amerindian, Produces A "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Zambo" class="copylinks">Lobo )