COLONIAL SOCIETY: CHARACTERISTICS, SOCIAL PYRAMID, CHILE, PERU, NEW SPAIN - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The colonial society in Spanish America was shaped by different social groups. The Spaniards who had conquered a territory that went from the Río de la Plata to present-day Mexico divided it into several viceroyalties in order to govern them more effectively.

The conquerors tried to organize society according to their own beliefs and customs. The structure created responded to a fairly strict hierarchy, with the Spanish at the top of the pyramid occupying all positions of civil and religious power.

The Old Plantation. Attributed to John Rose.

Over time, the next step was occupied by the descendants of those Spaniards: the Creoles. This social class would end up being the protagonist of the independence processes that began in the 19th century.

The indigenous people underwent a process of acculturation. Their social structures were diluted in the colonial ones and they hardly had any social or political rights. Below them were slaves, destined to work on the estates and in the mines.

One of the characteristics of colonial society in Spanish America was miscegenation. The consideration of these mestizos was varying over time. However, they ended up becoming the largest group.

General characteristics of colonial society

Caste painting. Spanish and mulatto. Miguel Cabrera, 1763. Museum of Mexican History Monterrey, Gallery of Mexican Castes

The vast majority of colonial societies tried to reproduce the existing structures in the different metropolises. Thus, the social pyramid that appeared in Latin America had many coincidences with the one in Spain. However, differences can also be found, starting with the appearance of miscegenation.

Wealth-based society

Almost all the Spanish settlers who came to American lands did so motivated by the search for wealth. Thus, the societies of the different viceroyalties ended up divided into social strata marked by the economic situation, something that was also reflected in the legal rights of each one.

Loss of indigenous traditions

When the Spanish conquered their territories, the indigenous people were forced to abandon their traditional social structures and adopt that of the conquerors. Normally, most of the communities resided in rural areas, in the so-called “Indian villages”. There they were subject to the authority of the corregidores and the owners of the encomiendas.

In this way, the ancient calpullis of Mexico or the Inca ayllus were disappearing. In its place, the Spanish created some indigenous councils, with authorities elected by the community but under the command of the colonizers.

Caste society

During the centuries of Spanish rule, the societies of the American viceroyalties were highly stratified. The upper part of the social pyramid was occupied by Spaniards born in the peninsula. After them appeared the criollos, the descendants of Spaniards already born in America.

In the last places were the indigenous people, the mestizos (divided into numerous castes depending on the ethnic groups of their parents) and the slaves brought from Africa.

Miscegenation

In the first decades of colonization, during the 16th century, there was no single society. The laws established the creation of two different types of society: the "republic of Indians" and the "republic of the Spanish."

The latter, for the most part, were grouped in the cities, while the indigenous inhabited the rural areas.

In the following century the situation began to change. The miscegenation, due in large part to the low number of women arriving from Spain, caused the appearance of various types of mestizos, the so-called castes. Depending on the viceroyalty, laws emerged prohibiting these unions and denying rights to mestizos, but, in the end, their number did not stop growing.

Social pyramid

Painting with the 16 combinations of social castes

As noted, colonial society in Spanish America was organized in a hierarchical manner. In general, the main division was between the privileged and those who were not, although there were variations in both classes.

Upper classes

During the 16th century, the conquerors asserted their rights to occupy the top of the social pyramid. His goal was to get wealth and power.

Later, when the political organization stabilized, it was the economic situation and the possessions that marked the belonging to the upper class, without forgetting the origin of each person. Thus, the most important political positions were always held by peninsular Spaniards.

This discrimination to occupy the main positions of political and ecclesiastical power continued even when the Creoles began to accumulate wealth.

Creole

The criollos were the children of Spaniards already born in America. Their numbers increased over time and they began to acquire wealth and influence. However, his access to power was banned, which caused unrest.

Over time, the Creoles were the leaders of many of the emancipatory movements that ended up promoting the independence of the different territories.

Mixed race

Other social groups whose number increased over time were the mestizos. Although there were legislative differences in the different viceroyalties, in general their rights were discriminated against and were almost non-existent.

Among the unfavorable laws was the prohibition of owning parcels, as well as that of exercising public works.

Indigenous

The first laws promulgated by the Spanish Crown regarding indigenous peoples were protective and paternalistic. However, in practice they were exploited by the owners of the encomiendas and the mines.

One of the priorities of the Crown and the Church was to evangelize the indigenous people and for them to abandon their traditions and beliefs. On the positive side, this enabled some of them to receive an education, although they had limited access to many jobs. In addition, they were considered as if they were minors.

Slaves

The epidemics carried by the Spaniards, as well as the mistreatment to which they were subjected by many landowners and those in charge of the mines, caused great mortality among the natives. Faced with the lack of labor, the Spanish turned to African slaves.

Colonial society in Chile

As in the rest of the American territories, the Chilean colonial society was very classy. Social mobility was scarce and the normal thing was that each individual remained all his life in the same stratum.

Stratification

The Spaniards who arrived in the territory of present-day Chile ended up forming a military elite. Later, they were the ones who were in charge of the orders.

Below this upper class there was a rather mixed echelon. Among other groups it was made up of the mestizos who worked in the mining of the Norte Chico, the artisans and the owners of the small farms.

At the base of the pyramid appeared the natives, the mulattoes, the zambos and the black slaves themselves.

In the viceroyalty of Peru

The viceroyalty of Peru was created by the Spanish Crown in the 16th century, after the conquerors clashed with each other for power.

Social organization of the Viceroyalty

The society of the viceroyalty of Peru was dominated by Spaniards born in the peninsula, many of them nobles. This group was the only one who could hold public office, both religious and political.

Below these privileged people were the Creoles and some peninsular people dedicated to industry and commerce.

The natives, for their part, lived in a situation of domination by the Spaniards and Creoles. The conquest had left them without their lands and, in addition, they were obliged to pay tribute to the Crown. Below them were the black slaves brought from Africa.

In New Spain

After the fall of the Aztec empire, in the 16th century, the Spanish created the viceroyalty of New Spain. This included present-day Mexico, part of the United States, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras and many other territories.

Demographic impact

One of the aspects that marked the social organization in the viceroyalty of New Spain was the demographic impact that the conquest had had. The diseases carried by the conquerors and the mistreatment of the indigenous people in farms and mines caused great mortality in that sector of the population.

Social groups

As in the rest of Latin America, the peninsular Spaniards took over the high political and ecclesiastical positions. Furthermore, they also became the most economically powerful group.

The Creoles, descendants of Spaniards born in the viceroyalty, occupied the second step in the social pyramid. Their status was superior to that of slaves, mestizos and indigenous people, but the laws did not allow them to occupy important positions in the colonial administration. This ended up causing them to lead many emancipatory movements.

The mestizos, on the other hand, enjoyed the opportunity to learn trades. In practice, however, it was almost possible for them to move up the social ladder.

The laws promulgated by the Spanish Crown contained measures that were to protect the indigenous population. This, however, does not mean that the legislation was respected on the ground. In most cases, the Indians were forced to work on the haciendas, in almost slave-like conditions.

In the last social echelon were the African slaves. His destiny was to work in the mines. The unions between these slaves and the natives gave rise to the zambos.

In the viceroyalty of Río de la Plata

In 1776, King Carlos III ordered the creation of the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata, although its definitive foundation occurred two years later. The territory included Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, areas of southern Brazil, and parts of northern Chile.

Society structure

Ethnicity and economy were the factors that marked the position of each individual within the social pyramid of the viceroyalty. Each group had different rights and obligations.

On rare occasions, a person born into a social stratum could be promoted to a higher one, usually by marriage or by earning a lot of money. However, to reach the top of the pyramid it was mandatory to be peninsular Spanish and white.

A characteristic aspect of the society of the viceroyalty of Río de la Plata was the great difference between rural and urban society.

Urban society

The upper class in the cities of the viceroyalty consisted of the high officials, the most important members of the clergy, the landowners, some merchants and the wealthiest businessmen.

On the other hand, from the 18th century on, a new mercantile class appeared in Buenos Aires and became very powerful. They were the bourgeoisie engaged in the wholesale trade, an activity that brought them great economic benefits.

As in other viceroyalties, the middle class was very small. Normally, it was concentrated in Buenos Aires and consisted of commercial workers, minor civil servants, pulperos, free artisans, and retail traders.

Most of the population belonged to the lower class. Among them were many mestizos who could only work in domestic service. At the beginning of the 19th century, the legislation on mestizos was very harsh: they had no rights to own property, to be neighbors or to open businesses.

Below the mestizos there were only slaves from Africa. The only legal right they had was not to be killed or maimed by their owners.

Rural society

In rural areas, it was the landowners or ranchers who occupied the upper part of the social pyramid. However, politically they had to obey the high civil servants of the cities and economically they depended largely on the big merchants.

In these areas a characteristic character also stood out: the grocer. These were the owners of rural businesses called pulperías, which also sold drinks. For its part, the peasant sector was divided between smallholders, farmers and hired laborers.

Another of the most characteristic inhabitants of the rural area was the gaucho. Many of them were descendants of whites from the city and indigenous people. In the countryside they adopted a semi-nomadic way of life, always moving through the pampas.

The gauchos were very skilled when it came to handling horses and knives, which facilitated temporary jobs in the ranches.

On the other hand, indigenous people in rural areas were considered free vassals by Spanish law. Despite the theoretical protection that these granted them, in practice they ended up working in very precarious conditions.

References

1. Catholic University of Chile. Economy and society in the colonial world. Obtained from www7.uc.cl
2. Meléndez Obando, Mauricio. The castes in Latin America. Retrieved from mtholyoke.edu
3. Telefónica-Educared Foundation. Colonial society. Obtained from educared.fundaciontelefonica.com.pe
4. David Bushnell, Roger A. Kittleson. History of Latin America. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. Minster, Christopher. The History of Latin America in the Colonial Era. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
6. Eton Schools. The Spanish Class System in Latin America. Recovered from etownschools.org